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.
kalpavasi.com
It’s the summer of 1973, and eight year-old Bobby Burke’s father has been MIA in Vietnam for three years. He’s been keeping his father alive through the magic of his SafeKeeper, a charm bracelet he wears on his wrist, but it seems lately that the SafeKeeper’s power has been fading. The military has given up hope of finding his father alive, and even Bobby’s mom has taken up with a new guy, Nick, who seems determined to become a new father to him. What’s worse, Bobby has to contend with a pair of fearsome Tolltakers who have entered his life: one, a local schoolyard bully who demands money to let Bobby get home from school in one piece; the other a demon who visits Bobby’s dreams to try to snatch the SafeKeeper from his wrist. Bobby fights desperately against these forces that seem intent on keeping his father from him forever, until his final, shattering confrontation with the truth and the understanding of the toll he must pay in order to grow up.
Where to find a free CNA training? Go to: http://www.medicalcareersite.com/cna/ Nursing assistants, sometimes called nurse aides and geriatric aides, assist licensed nursing personnel in providing nursing care. They work under the direction and supervision of registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and other medical staff.
Sheba has been adopted!!
I'm a wonderful family dog, housetrained, and I love children. I also get along well with other dogs. When I meet them I like to lick their mouths. You have to see it; it's really quite adorable. Cats are not my favorites, so a family with kids and a dog would be perfect for me. My Meet Your Match calls me a Purple Constant Companion, so I don't need lots of exercise time, just lots of your love.
Sheba is a 1 1/2 year old female Chow Chow mix who is waiting for you at:
Animal Humane | New Mexico
615 Virginia St. SE
Albuquerque, NM
(505)255-5523
www.animalhumanenm.org.
To see more videos of adoptable pets, please go to:
www.ahanmvideos.org
Hear the latest fantasy football and NFL news on the Stinkball.com Video Podcast Episode 2. Stinkball.com is one of the newest fantasy football web sites on the market offering a unique challenge to sports enthusiasts and fantasy football diehards. Find out more about the quarterbacks, wide receivers and other players you are counting on this season.
Quranet reveals the beauty of the Quran and its respect for human dignity. Quranet transforms the Quran into a modern and useful educational tool for parents and teachers.
Quranet interweaves the Quran, in unprecedented fashion, with modern educational approaches, thereby helping the Islamic world and the West to better understand each other.
lestinian girl victim: Hamas responsible for war PATV News (Fatah), Dec. 29, 2008 PATV News Report - We were sleeping 7 girls in the room. We were asleep and didn't know what was happening. In the morning all the bricks were on top of my head, And the head of all my sisters. My 4 year old sister next to me was dead. - How many were you? - Seven In the other room were my mother, my father, my younger brother and another sister, who is 13 days old. I say, Hamas is the cause in the first place, of all wars. It's Hamas.
It's not just a question of two men competing against each other, it's a question of national pride. Of a rivalry as old as cricket itself, it's England vs. Australia. Who do you support, are you batting for Tuffers or Dizzy?
Michael Jackson Memorial Tribute (1958-2009).
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums are among the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).
In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller�credited for transforming the music video into an art form and a promotional tool�helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced many hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists.
One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records�including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"�13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career�more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era�and the sales of over 750 million albums worldwide. Cited as one of the world's most famous men, Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades.
On the morning of June 25, 2009, Jackson reportedly collapsed at a home he was renting in west Los Angeles. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a 911 call at 12:21 pm local (Pacific) time and arrived at 12:30 pm. Jackson was reportedly not breathing and CPR was quickly performed. He fell into a coma and died shortly after being rushed to UCLA Medical Center. The cause of death is reported to be cardiac arrest. Jackson was pronounced dead at about 2:26 pm local time.
