Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is a mass pilgrimage centered on the ritual of riverside bathing, it is variously called the the Great Indian Bathing Festival, the Urn Festival, the Pitcher Festival and so forth. It occurs four times every twelve years rotating between Allahabad/Prayaga at the confluence of the rivers Ganga (Ganges), Jamuna (Yamuna) and the concealed Saraswati, Haridwar (Hara Dwar) on the river Ganga (Ganges), Ujjain on the river Kshipra (Shipra), and Nasik on the river Godavari (Gomati)
Bathing in these rivers during the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is considered an endeavour of great merit, cleansing both body and spirit. The Allahabad and Haridwar (Hara Dwar) festivals are routinely attended by five million or more pilgrims; the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is the largest religious gathering in the world. It may also be the oldest
Two traditions are in circulation regarding the origin and timing of the festival: one that stems from ancient texts known as the Puranas, and the other that connects it with astrological considerations. According to the Puranic epic, the gods and demons had churned the milky ocean at the beginning of time in order to gather various divine treasures including a jar containing a potion of immortality - Ambrosia. As the jar emerged from the ocean the gods and demons began a terrific battle for its possession. During the battle, which according to one legend the gods won by trickery, four drops of the precious potion fell to earth, when Jayantha (Jayanth) the son of the chief deity Indra carried the jar (Kumbha/kumbh) that held the ambrosia in the form of a giant bird - these places became the sites of the four Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela festivals, according to another legend he ran away with the jar and hid them on twelve locations on earth where few drops of ambrosia fell, four of these places are known and identified as the four sites for the Kumbh (Kumbh) Mela, the other eight locations are being researched by our team
The astrological tradition (ascribed to a lost Puranic text and not traceable in extant editions) seems to stem from a very ancient festival called the Kumbha Parva, which occurred at Hardwar every twelfth year when Jupiter was in Aquarius (the Indian name being Kumbha/Kumbh) and the sun entered Aries
At some later time the term 'Kumbha (Kumbh)' was prefixed to the Melas held at Prayaga, Ujjain, and Nasik and these four sites became identified with the four mythical locations of the immortality potion - Ambrosia. In theory the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela festivals are supposed to occur every three years, rotating between the four cities. In practice the four-city cycle may actually take eleven or thirteen years and this because of the difficulties and controversies in calculating the astrological conjunctions. Furthermore the interval between the Kumbha Mela at Nasik and that at Ujjain is not of three years; they are celebrated the same year or only a year apart. This deviation in practice is intriguing and cannot be fully explained by either astrological or mythological means.
kalpavasi.com
Tango, an all-in-one messaging app with more than 120 million members, of which almost half are based in North America, today launched a platform that stems from strategic partnerships with mobile application developers in the gaming industry. The launch signals a companywide strategic step forward from a leading messaging app into a broad-based ecosystem combining communications and entertainment.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62162-tango-launches-new-content-platform-with-entertainment-services
Do you feel financially prepared for the future? If you’re not completely confident in your response, you’re not alone. In fact, a recent survey conducted by Research Now Group, Inc. and commissioned by Fifth Third Private Bank (NASDAQ: FITB) found that nearly half of those surveyed have serious concerns that they may outlive their money in retirement.
The Bank launched the survey to understand families’ financial planning pain points and gain insight into how the process could be simplified through its new platform, Life360.
“The study confirmed the anxiety that clients have shared with our advisors is reflective of similar concerns nationally,” said Phil McHugh, executive vice president and head of Wealth and Asset Management at Fifth Third. “Much of that anxiety stems from a lack of clearly articulated financial goals and alignment around achieving them. Our Life360 platform works to help simplify, focus and holistically address these critical aspects of the financial planning process.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7723854-fifth-third-bank-life360
ITC is one of India’s foremost multi-business conglomerate and has been ranked amongst the world’s largest sustainable value creators in the consumer goods industry. On Children’s Day, ITC’s leading hygiene brand, Savlon India, unveils its unique Hygiene & Health programme - Savlon Swasth India Mission. The programme is designed to encourage behavioural change towards washing hands amongst children through various engaging and entertaining educational initiatives in schools.
On Children’s day, Savlon India introduces an innovative engagement with Savlon Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks - a set of unique chalk sticks infused with cleansers like soap. The chalk sticks are designed to engage children in primary schools and emphasise the importance of washing hands before eating. Education in some schools in rural India is still through chalk and slate. The genesis of this idea stems from the observation of everyday habits of these school children. Most of them use their hands to write as well as erase their slates. Their hands are usually full of chalk powder at the end of their lessons. The lessons are followed by a meal break and washing hands is sometimes limited to a quick water wash under a tap. Access to basic hygiene may at times be a challenge and washing hands with cleansers like soap before a meal is yet to become a widespread habit.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7953551-savlon-swasth-india-mission-childrens-day/
