Here are some interesting facts about Kumbh Mela

New Delhi: On Monday, while addressing the joint sitting of two Houses of Parliament marking the start of the Budget session, President Ram Nath Kovind asserted that recognition of Kumbh Mela as a cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO is a matter of pride for Indians. He said,"It's a matter of pride for us that UNESCO recognized Kumbh Mela as 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity'. UNESCO also designated Ahmedabad as 'Heritage City'. Chennai was included in the list of Creative Cities by UNESCO."  

It's a matter of pride for us that UNESCO recognised Kumbh Mela as 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity'. UNESCO also designated Ahmedabad as 'Heritage City'. Chennai was included in the list of Creative Cities by UNESCO: President Ram Nath Kovind #BudgetSession pic.twitter.com/csWCYi6267

— ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2018

Last Year, in its 12th session in South Korea's Jeju, the Intergovernmental Committee for protecting cultural heritage under the UN body mentioned Kumbh Mela on the "Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity"  

Kumbh Mela just inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Congratulations, #India #IntangibleHeritage #12COM ℹ️ https://t.co/Vt9a4zn4rl pic.twitter.com/fwIxbHmAg3 — UNESCO (@UNESCO) December 7, 2017

Here are some interesting facts about Kumbh Mela: 1) It is held in every three years and each time it gets transferred to four cities which include Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain, and Nasik, returning to each location after a span of 12 years. 2) The story behind the Mela can be traced back to centuries. As per Hindu mythology, Sage Durvasa’s curse had weakened Devas (god) as a result demons became more powerful on the planet. 3) Lord Brahma advised Devas to dig out nectar (Amrit) from earth with the help of demons. Devas decided to take the help from demons but not to share the nectar with them. 4) Demons got to know about their plan of not sharing the nectar (Amrit) with them, they followed them for 12 days, during the war between Devas and demons for nectar 'Amrit' it is said that some of the nectar fell at the four locations. 5) It is said that during Kumbh Mela the water of rivers at these places turn into nectar (Amrit). 6) The combination of zodiac positions of the Sun, Jupiter, and the Moon helps in calculating the exact dates of the mela. 7) Hindus believe that a holy dip in the sacred rivers during the Kumbh Mela washes away all our sins and pushes us a step closer towards 'Mukti'. Photo: PTI