Vinit Wahi /
Preparations for the month-long Simhastha Kumbh festival in Ujjain, the temple town of Madhya Pradesh some 50 kms from its industrial capital Indore, starting from April 22, are in full swing with the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, saying it is tradition that Simhastha remain a ‘kumbha’ of people for thoughtful contemplation on issues of welfare and well-being of the human kind.
A sum of Rs. 3000 crore has already been spent on various works for the biggest religious congregation on the earth and the expenditure may rise to Rs. 5000 crore till its conclusion, said the state’s Minister in charge for the mela, Mr Bhupendra Singh.
An area of over 3000 hectares is being divided into six zones and 22 sectors for the smooth conduct of the Simhastha while two new flag railway stations at Nai Khedi and Vikram Nagar are being set up for passengers coming for the mela to be held from April 22 to May 21,
As many as six satellite towns are being created for the occasion during which various events will be organised including exhibitions and sports. All akharas are being given adequate space. Elaborate arrangements are being made for comfort and safety of visitors which include 51 police posts. In fact, apart from top level police officers supervising the event, some 5000 home guards and another 2000 private volunteers will be deployed for security purpose. Motorboats will be in place and teams of state national disaster relief force will be deployed there.
Thousands of holy men and women attend this festival and take holy dip in the river Kshipra. Keeping this in mind, there will be ten holy dips in all dates for which are already fixed with the royal holy dip taking place on April 22 and the last holy dip will take place on May 21.
A senior official told this writer arrangements of bathing are being made for over a crore devotees expected to throng Ujjain during the month-long festivities and the river Kshipra banks will reverberate with melodies of devotional songs. There will be grand gateway with Rajasthani red-stone to welcome devotees to Simhastha.
As Mr Chouhan had earlier announced, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will declare the ‘Simhastha Declaration’ on May 14 at the end of 3-day long conference on different religions during the run-up of the kumbha.
The city of Ujjain comes under Malwa region famous for its climate which permits normal activities all the year round and is easily reachable by road, train and air. The nearest airport is Indore, 50 kms. From the state capital Bhopal, this temple town is 183 kms.
Legend has it that Ujjain is one of the Saptapuris, or the seven hold cities of India that grant moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. It hosts the Simhastha, as the kumbh mela is known here, every 12 years, the latest of which was in 2004. For centuries, people have been thronging the ghats on the river Kshipra not only for holy baths but also to perform life-cycle rituals. The most important ghat is Ram ghat where every evening a spectacular ritual, Sandhya Arti,is held
Other than Mahakaaleshwar temple, the presiding deity of time, Lord Shiva, which evokes primordial awe and reverence with its majesty, there are a number of places worth visiting in this holy town that include Chinataman Ganesh temple, the Sandipani Ashram, where Lord Krishna and Sudama are believed to have received regular instruction in the ashram of Guru Sandipani, the Kaalbhairav mandir, the Bhartrihari caves, Kaliadeh Palace, the historic mansion from where the Scindia clan of MP ruled when they were owners of this mansion and Vedhashala, the observatory, a landmark construction by Raja Jai Singh IInd, a monarch of the Rajput clan in the 18th century. It ranks among five such observation towers in the country and contains very old astronomical tools.