Ardha (“Half”) Kumbha Mela

A religious celebration secondary to
the Kumbha Mela. The Kumbha Mela
is a gigantic religious festival that
entails bathing (snana) in sacred
rivers. It is celebrated at four sacred
sites (tirthas): Haridwar, Allahabad,
Ujjain, and Nasik. It occurs approximately every twelve years, based on
the position of the planet Jupiter in
the zodiac.
The Ardha Kumbha Mela is celebrated six years after the full (purna)
Kumbha Mela, when Jupiter has
advanced halfway through the zodiac
toward the next full Kumbha Mela. It is
generally celebrated only at Allahabad
and Haridwar, marking the greater
importance of these two sites.
Although the full Kumbha Mela is
deemed more auspicious and gets
much larger attendance, the Ardha
Kumbha Mela is still attended by millions of pilgrims.