Why Kumbh? Why Nashik?

What is the Kumbh Mela?

Kumbh Mela is one of the largest gatherings of people on Earth. Pilgrims bathe in a sacred river, pray, listen to saints and watch the grand processions of the akhadas (monastic orders).

The name comes from the kumbh, the pot of amrit (the nectar of immortality) in a Puranic story. Gods and demons churned the cosmic ocean (Samudra Manthan) to get it. In the chase that followed, drops of amrit are believed to have fallen at four places: Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik.

Why is it called Simhastha?

At Nashik the Kumbh is timed by the planet Jupiter (Guru). It takes about 12 years to go around the zodiac. When Jupiter enters Simha (Leo), the sign of the lion, the Kumbh is held here. That is why it is called Simhastha: 'stha' means 'standing in'.

So the Kumbh returns to Nashik and Trimbakeshwar roughly once every 12 years. The last Simhastha here was in 2015-16, and the next one runs from 31 October 2026 to 24 July 2028.

Why is the Kumbh held in Nashik?

There are three main reasons. First, the Godavari: it is called the 'Dakshin Ganga' (Ganga of the South). It begins near Trimbakeshwar and flows through Nashik. Second, the nectar story: Nashik is one of the four places where a drop of amrit is believed to have fallen, at the spot now known as Ramkund.

Third, the Ramayana. Panchavati in Nashik is where Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are said to have spent part of their 14 years in exile. Many places here, such as Sita Gufa, Kalaram Temple and Ramkund, are tied to that story. For pilgrims, bathing in the Godavari here during Simhastha is believed to wash away sins.

The legend of the name 'Nashik'

According to the Ramayana tradition, Lakshmana cut off the nose (nasika in Sanskrit) of the demoness Shurpanakha at Panchavati. The town is said to have got its name from this event. In old texts the region is also called Janasthana, the forest where Rama lived.

The name Panchavati means 'a grove of five banyan trees', and a few ancient banyan trees are still shown to pilgrims there today.

Godavari: the river that started it all

Godavari is the longest river of peninsular India. Tradition says the sage Gautama brought it down to the earth, so it is also called Gautami. Its source is on Brahmagiri hill at Trimbakeshwar, and Kushavarta Kund there is where Trimbakeshwar's Kumbh bath takes place.

From Trimbak the river flows down to Nashik, where Ramkund and the Panchavati ghats are the centre of the Simhastha bath.

Nashik through the ages

Ancient times: Nashik is named in the Ramayana as Janasthana. It was an important town in the Satavahana period. The Pandavleni caves, rock-cut Buddhist caves on a hill outside the city, are more than 2,000 years old and carry old inscriptions.

Middle ages: The region came under many rulers, and the Mughals called the town Gulshanabad ('city of roses'). Under the Peshwas in the 18th century, Nashik grew as a temple town. Sundarnarayan Temple and Kalaram Temple (built by Sardar Rangrao Odhekar) belong to this time, and the Peshwas also rebuilt the Trimbakeshwar temple.

British period: Nashik became a district centre. In 1909 the revolutionary Anant Kanhere shot the British collector A. M. T. Jackson here, an event known as the Nashik Conspiracy Case. In 1930 Dr. B. R. Ambedkar led the Kalaram Temple Entry Satyagraha for the right of all communities to enter the temple.

Today: Nashik is known for the Nashik Road security presses that print India's currency notes, for its grape farms, and as the wine capital of India. The Godavari ghats, though, are still the heart of the city, and every 12 years the Simhastha brings the world back to them.