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.
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Ruby dreams of love and escaping the Congregation. But if Ruby leaves, the Congregation will die without the secret ingredient to the Water, her blood. So she stays, and prays to their savior Otto, who first gave Water to the Congregants, and fathered Ruby before he vanished. Learn more about this book here, http://bit.ly/eqpEJw and its author here, http://www.pambachorz.com YA
Immortality, would you want it if someone offered it to you? Are there immortals walking among us today? Join Dr. James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of action thrillers with a scifi twist as he talks about Bloodline. Find out more about this author at http://www.jamesrollins.com or find out more about the book at http://bit.ly/bloodlineJR thriller and scifi
Based
on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes
Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), the most iconic character of the X-Men
universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he
faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave
him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his
physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai
steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging
more powerful than we have ever seen him before.
Avatari offers revolutionary levels of interactivity, fidelity, and scale. The Avatari platform scales to support thousands of simultaneous users per region along with state of the art graphics, game-play, and social engagement.
This adventure game perfectly awakens the players to a state of fresh youthfulness, adventurous spirit, inquisitiveness and idealism.
Story Synopsis:
Many millions of years ago, a great turmoil overshadowed our universe as the demigods and demons struggled for supremacy over heaven. The leader of the demons was their king, Hiranyakashipu, who above all else desired invincibility to ensure his victory over the demigods.
Hiranyakashipu asked the cosmic engineer Brahma, “Let me not meet with death at the hands of any being, living or nonliving, be it animal, man, demon or god. Grant that I may not die inside or outside any building, during day or night, or while in water, on the ground, or in the sky, and let me not be killed by any weapon.”
Having achieved what he thought was immortality, Hiranyakashipu planned how to take over the universe.
Hiranyakashipu had wished for his son Prahlad to follow in his footsteps and become a cruel demon, but now he could understand that one day Prahlad would undermine his rule and give power back to the divine demigods. Thinking in this way, Hiranyakashipu became blind with rage, and ordered the demons to kill his saintly son by any means.
Game Play:
Divided into two game plays where initially the player Prahlad surpasses various obstacles and in the latter stage he enters into the warrior zone for the actual fight and witness the most spectacular pastime.
When your name is Casey Holden, the Virginia Dance Company might just become your new favorite playground. But with the murder of dancer Jessica Mason to investigate, courtesy of an office visit from one Kathryn Gable, he knows he’ll have to stay on point. Find out more at www.RobertDowns.net. Mystery/thriller
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One of the best science fiction books of the year is here, The Soul of the World, book 2 in the series Legends of Amun Ra
The ancient powers lost to Potara have returned. The Brotherhood of the Black Rose rises to bring Thoth into disorder. And, while the Brotherhood reclaims their power, chaos reigns among the survivors. Six individuals have emerged from the aftermath struggling for control over their lives and a divided land. Kem and Shirin, who abolished the five thousand year reign of the Amun Priests, rule from the golden throne of the Oracle’s Chair in the Hall of the Nine. Dio and Axios struggle to piece together a resistance worthy to challenge the ancient magic which resides in the Great Temple of Amun, and Leoros and Atlantia try to remain true to their hearts and their cause despite tragedy.
But when the Book of Breathings is discovered, the path to immortality is revealed. Leoros and Kem race to capture the Soul of the World unaware of the challenges awaiting them. This time, the gods themselves will intervene. A must read, best science fiction books of the year
In a tale where boys become men and girls become women, where treachery and deception are around every corner, and where primeval mysticism finds its way back from the grave, victory is reserved for neither the good nor the evil, but the powerful.
Join the journey to one of the best science fiction books in 2013.
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The creature known as Frankenstein, created by a madman of the same name, lives on, re-imagined throughout time. Follow these four stories, each in a different time, a different place.
Mary Shelley's League of Supernatural Hunters: Origins of Adam
Mary Shelley learns of supernatural creatures and real meaning of the word monster as she encounters a man unlike any other. A creature not born of woman, but created from the body of a circus strongman killed while trying to save a lion tamer. She must decide who to trust, the vampire, the witch, the mad scientist or the creature. Either way, Mary's seen enough to know she will need an army to fight those things not easily killed.
Frankenstein's Companion
19th century England, friendless and alone in the world, Adam Frankenstein, the creation of a mad scientist and his witch lover, becomes an assassin for hire. When a powerful mage hires him to find his kidnapped daughter and kill the man who took her, Adam strikes a bargain of his own. The mage has an immortal dog and Adam will do anything to own it.
The Therapist and the Dead
Brooklyn, New York in the 1980's was a place where monsters could blend in. Life has been long and cruel, so Adam keeps his appointment with Dr. Stein, the most expensive and sought after psychologist in the city, to talk of immortality and murder.
Adam Frankenstein, U.S. Marshal
Adam joins the 21st Century, and takes up residence in Houston, Texas. While waiting for his next mission from the League of Supernatural Hunters, he becomes Adam Frank, U.S. Marshal. His new partner is Marshal Rebecca Hughes, a by-the-book woman with a non-nonsense approach to life, with no idea who he really is, but that’s all about to change. When he wakes up dead and learns someone has stolen his dog, Texas may not be big enough to hold his wrath.
Find out more at http://www.SheilaEnglish.com or on Twitter at @SheilaEnglish67 Thriller/Suspense/Horror/Time Travel
Dr. Julia Capua, a brilliant neurosurgeon, faces the prospect of raising their son alone when her
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Will she make the impossible choice to save the one she loves, and can she live with the consequences?
The Immortal: How Far Would You Go to Save the One You Love?
Find out more at http://www.the-immortal.com Scifi/Thriller
Elise Dawson is the nineteen-year-old immortal lightbearer faerie with a universal power. Set in modern day England, Elise has led a sheltered life and has no idea she’s the water elemental. When the truth is revealed, the immortal world of lightbearers and banshees will be on the brink of war. Find out more at- www.brittanyrileyauthor.com Fantasy, YA
