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Whether it is Europe, the USA, the African nations, Australia or New Zealand, the Yoga which was invented by the hermits, sages & mystical yogis of ancient India which is considered as a land of temple in pre-historic times, is celebrated throughout the world. India’s identity is that- it is a land of Yoga, Yogis with incredible human capabilities & numerous spiritual festivals.
And the biggest spiritual festival of our planet, the Maha Kumbh Mela, is held in Prayagraj(earlier known as Allahabad) in India at an interval of every 12 years in which millions of people from India & all over the world participate. In this Kumbh Mela, a lot of Yogis who lead a life of austerity also participate, to take a holy dip in the rivers at the Triveni Sangam.
Some of these Yogis are equipped with unbelievable human abilities & powers. Powers which are incredible, unfathomable & beyond the realms of reality from a normal human beings perspective. The Yogis have acquired these powers through disciplined Yoga & penance.
Many of these yogis were initiated & guided on to the right path of spirituality, yoga & penance when they met their mentors & gurus in places like Prayagraj, Haridwar, Varanasi, Vrindavan, Ayodhya etc on such magnanimously auspicious occasions like the Maha Kumbh Mela.
Thus the maha Kumbh mela is one such place & occasion where you can actually meet such authentic Yogis. Hence, if possible one must visit the maha kumbh mela. Because the land of Prayagraj is considered amongst the holiest of holy places on this planet. And it also is blessed to have temples which date back to prehistoric times.
Significance of visiting Prayagraj
Those who visit Prayagraj, depending on the time that they are visiting the city, they can do the following:-
- Take a holy dip at the confluence of 3 rivers named Ganga, Jamuna & Saraswati. The confluence is named Triveni Sangam
- If you are visiting at a time when the ‘Shahi Snan’ of the Kumbh Mela is being held then you can take a holy dip in the river’s confluence at the Triveni Sangam.
- At any point of time there is a high possibility of coming across a mystical yogi in Prayagraj, especially on the banks of the river at the Triveni Sangam. Even divine Yogis like Devraha Baba, whom people believed to be more than 500 years old, would visit Prayagraj every year & stay near the Triveni Sangam for 1 month during the time from January to February.
- Visit the 3 Shakti Peeths in Prayagraj along with 3 more divine temples(Nag Vasuki temple, the Bade Hanuman ji temple, the Akshay Vat temple) in Prayagraj.
1) Holy Dip at the Triveni Sangam
The Triveni Sangam is the confluence of the 3 holy rivers(Ganga, Jamuna, Saraswati)
The ancient Hindu scriptures attach a massive importance to having a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam. Prayagraj is the place where 3 of the holiest rivers of India converge at one point. Taking bath(holy dip) on the banks of the river at the Triveni Sangam absolves people of their sins & helps them accumulate a lot of good karmic points.
People perform numerous other virtuous deeds after taking a holy dip in the rivers like donating food, food grains, performing yagya, hawan on the banks of the river & visiting temples to seek blessings & as a sign of repentance of the past sins which happened knowingly or unknowingly.
2) Shahi Snan during Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj
Taking a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam on an auspicious date – the Shahi Snan
It is believed that a lot of good & virtuous deeds of the past need to be invoked for an individual to even have a desire to visit Prayagraj during the Kumbh Mela & take a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam during the Shahi Snan dates within the auspicious time frame(muhurat).
- Some people have the desire for a shahi snan while they do not have the time & money(resources) to reach there.
- Some have time but do not have the intense desire or resources to reach Prayagraj for Shahi Snan at the Maha Kumbh Mela
- Some have all the money & resources, they might even be living near Prayagraj or could be residents of Prayagraj but they will not be having the inclination to take a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam during the Kumbh Mela. etc.
Shahi Snan Dates of Maha Kumbh Mela in 2025 in Prayagraj
- 13th January – important snan
- 14th January – Makar Sankranti – 1st Shahi Snan
- 29th January – Mauni Amavasya – 2nd Shahi Snan
- 3rd February – Basant Panchami – 3rd Shahi Snan
- 4th February – Achala Saptami – important snan
- 12th February – Maghi Poornima – important snan
- 26th February – Mahashivratri – important snan
There are only 3 Shahi snans(on 14th January, 29th January, 3rd February) during the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 at Prayagraj.
If one can afford to visit, one must go for a pilgrimage to Prayagraj during the upcoming MAha Kumbh Mela in January – February 2025.
3) Get blessed by mystical Yogis of India, in Prayagraj
Prayagraj is th ideal place & maha kumbh mela or magh mela is the ideal time to meet siddha yogis in this holy city. It is believed that Prayagraj is the king amongst all places of Hindu pilgrimages on this planet hence the name Teerthraj Prayagraj. Teerthraj means the king among all holy places. Siddha Yogis & wise men visit Prayagraj on auspicious occasions to take a holy dip in the river at the Triveni Sangam.
Thus the probability of meeting a siddha yogi & getting blessed by him is very high here.
4) 3 ancient powerful temples & the 3 shakti peeths of Prayagraj.
a) The Nagvasuki temple
In India, Nag means snake. Legend has it that in pre-historic times, Vasuki Nag(a very powerful snake blessed with lots of strength & powers) was used in the churning of the ocean as a rope by the gods & the demons after which the nectar of immortality(ambrosia) had emerged. The drops of this nectar fell at different places(Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nasik, Ujjain) where the Kumbh, Ardh Kumbh, Purna Kumbh & Maha Kumbh is celebrated at periodic time intervals.
After the churning of the ocean was completed, Vasuki the snake was in a lot of pain. As the pain was unbearable, Vasuki went to the Mandarachal mountain to take some rest hoping that the pain would gradually subside. But, the pain did not subside. Lord Vishnu advised Vasuki to go to Prayag & take a dip in the divine river Saraswati in holy confluence(at the Triveni Sangam).
Thus Vasuki came to Prayagraj & upon taking a holy dip, as instructed by Lord Vishnu, he was relieved of all his miseries & pain. As all his miseries & pain had subsided in Prayagraj, he understood the significance of this holy place & decided to settle here near the river bank. Thus Nagvasuki temple signifies the eternal presence of Vasuki the snake.
b) Lete Hanuman ji or Bade Hanuman ji
It is said that once Hanuman ji, the most loyal devotee of Lord Shri Ram, was traveling & reached the banks of the river Ganga at the Triveni Sangam, at night. As it is forbidden to cross any holy river at night, Lord Hanuman decided to rest on the banks & fell asleep.
The river Ganga, when she saw Lord Hanuman sleeping with his feet directed towards her(the river bank), felt insulted. She thought how dare this creature point his feet towards me & disrespect me. In a fit of rage, she partially drowned the sleeping Lord Anjaneya(Hanuman) with the river water.
Lord Hanuman was a disciple of the Sun God. When the Lord of the daytime(Sun) saw this he became enraged & cursed the river Ganga. The Sun God said, “Hanuman is my disciple. He respected my teachings. He had learnt that it was not appropriate to cross the holy river Ganga at night, hence he stopped his travel midway & was waiting for sunrise to cross over. You have punished a humble & simple soul for no fault. Now as a result of this you will become the carrier of filth & corpses.”
On realizing her mistake the river Ganga apologized profusely & blessed Lord Hanuman saying with whatever motive Lord Hanuman was travelling at night & did not cross over as a mark of respect for the river Ganga, that motive – no matter what – will certainly be fulfilled. And anyone taking a holy dip at this place in this holy confluence(Triveni Sangam) will only get the fruits after he/she pays a visit to this place where you were submerged in water by me.
Other Gods joined Goddess Ganga in praising the Sun god to seek his forgiveness & requested him to revoke his curse on Goddess Ganga. As a result of the humble request of everyone, the Sun God blessed Ganga saying, from today onwards the moment my rays will fall on you everyday, you will be considered as the purest form & having performed all kinds of ablutions. Any ritual done for me, the Sun God, with the waters of river Ganga will yield results/fruits amplified millions of times.
Thus since that time the purity of the river Ganga is unmatched on this planet & any holy ritual performed with the waters of river Ganga, apart from the worship of Lord Sun, is considered highly auspicious & the resulting fruits are considered as amplified millions of times.
c) The Akshayvat temple.
This temple has a massive significance because of 2 reasons:-
- This is the only temple which has an idol of Prayagraj – the king of all pilgrimage centres(Prayag = city & Raj = king)
- It has the immortal tree known as Akshayvat.
Akshaywat – the immortal tree
Even Lord Shri Ram(along with Goddess Sita & Lakshman) had visited Prayagraj & rested under Akshaywat for 3 nights when he was asked to forsake his kingdom for 14 years & live the life of a forest dweller. So this tree named Akshayvat exists since the time of Lord Shri Ram.
It is imperative to perform at least 1 circumambulation of this tree when paying a visit to this place. People perform 3, 7, 9, 11, 21, 51 or 108 circumambulations depending on the time & energy that they have at their disposal. Lord Shri Ram stayed here & prayed daily for 3 days while staying here during his period of 14 years of penance. You can click here to watch & learn more with English subtitles
This tree is considered as the holy one that grants all your ethical wishes.
In the temple complex of Akshayway, beneath it & within there are a lot of small temples of various other deities along with the Sun God, Lord Kalbhairav, Godddess Ganga, Lord Shani(the most dreaded Shani dev) etc.
A holy dip taken during the Shahi snan during the Maha Kumbh Mela is considered incomplete if one does not pay a respectful visit to the above 2 temples of Lete Hanuman ji & the Akshaywat temple.
The 3 Shaktipeeths in Prayagraj.
Shakti peeth is the place where the mortal remains of Goddess Sati, the beloved wife of Lord Shiva had fallen.
There are 3 Shakti Peeths in Prayagraj. They are:-
d) The mysterious Alopi Devi Shakti peeth
This is the place where a part of Goddess Sati’s hand had fallen. This place holds a lot of significance for the Hindus as it is a Shakti peeth as well as it has this mystical aura about it. There is a wooden cradle in the temple. It has been reported that sometimes the cradle starts rocking on its own, at night. To read in more detail about the 3 shakti peeths in Prayagraj, please click here
e) Kalyani Devi Shakti Peeth
The ancient scriptures like the Padma Puran also mentions the Kalyani Devi Shakti Peeth. At this site, 3 fingers of Goddess Sati had fallen. These Shakti Peeths are laced with intensely positive cosmic energies. It is advisable to pray & sit quietly at this place for some time so that one can absorb the mighty & impactful cosmic, spiritual vibes of this place.
f) Lalita Devi Shakti Peeth
Fingers of Goddess Sati had fallen at this place as well. In this temple the devotees pray to the Goddess who is present in the form of Goddess Kali, Goddess Saraswati & Goddess Lakshmi. The rivers Ganga, Jamuna & Saraswati flow through this area beneath the Lalita Devi temple by touching the feet of Goddess Lalita. To read more on the 3 Shakti Peeths of Prayagraj, please click here