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
Over the past year Americans became acutely aware of the impact of oil spills on wildlife. For more than 30 years, Procter & Gamble’s Dawn brand has been dedicated to helping save oiled birds and marine wildlife from both natural and man-made disasters. Today, Dawn expands its three-decade commitment to helping rescue wildlife with the launch of its Junior Wildlife Champions education and activity program, asking teachers and parents to help Dawn engage one million elementary school-aged children between now and the beginning of the 2011-12 school year.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/dawn-saves-wildlife/49024/
National health initiative DRIVE4COPD today announced the launch of its new Ambassador Program, which gives fans the opportunity to join their favorite celebrity in a common cause: raising awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The Ambassador Program marks the beginning of the Great American Screen Off, a nationwide push this fall to screen Americans for their risk of COPD at DRIVE4COPD.COM. Fans can now enter the DRIVE4COPD Celebrity Race Team’s ongoing competition to see who can screen the most people.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/46007-boehringer-ingelheim-great-american-screen-off/
The pathway to better health for teenage girls starts with the first meal of the day, and when they make a “good-for-me” choice their odds of having a healthier body weight and lower cholesterol improve. These are the latest peer-reviewed findings summarized in Public Health Nutrition. This analysis of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS) data was funded in part by the General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition. The NGHS followed the diets of 2,379 girls who, at the beginning of the study, were between the ages of nine and 10 from 1987 to 1997; 51 percent, or 1,213, were African American girls and 1,166 were Caucasian girls who lived in Berkley, CA, Cincinnati, OH and Washington, D.C.
The pathway to better health for teenage girls starts with the first meal of the day, and when they make a “good-for-me” choice their odds of having a healthier body weight and lower cholesterol improve. These are the latest peer-reviewed findings summarized in Public Health Nutrition. This analysis of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS) data was funded in part by the General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition. The NGHS followed the diets of 2,379 girls who, at the beginning of the study, were between the ages of nine and 10 from 1987 to 1997; 51 percent, or 1,213, were African American girls and 1,166 were Caucasian girls who lived in Berkley, CA, Cincinnati, OH and Washington, D.C.
Writer/Director/Raconteur/Podcaster/Sinner (to some) and proud Jersey boy Kevin Smith returns to EPIX, bringing his unusual multi-talents in a one-man show, Kevin Smith Burn in Hell. The original comedy event premieres February 11 on the EPIX premium network. Additionally, EPIX is reaching out to Kevin Smith fans everywhere with an on demand preview beginning February 3, offering subscribers and non-subscribers an early screening of the entire special. The preview can be viewed via participating affiliated television providers’ EPIX On Demand service and EPIX apps on Xbox 360 and Roku. It will also be available for streaming at EpixHD.com and the “TV Everywhere” portals of affiliated providers.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/52239-epix-hd-kevin-smith-burn-in-hell
Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPTR) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the company’s antibacterial drug DIFICID™ (fidaxomicin) tablets for the treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) in adults 18 years of age and older. CDAD is a significant medical problem in hospitals and long-term care facilities, and is beginning to emerge in the community among people previously at low risk for the disease. In the largest Phase 3 clinical studies ever conducted in CDAD, DIFICID had clinical response rates at the end of treatment that were non-inferior to oral vancomycin. DIFICID was superior to vancomycin in sustaining clinical response through 25 days beyond the end of treatment. DIFICID is the only FDA-approved antibacterial drug proven to be superior to vancomycin in sustained clinical response for CDAD.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/optimerpharma/50177/
Every day, sick children fight for life at Children’s Medical Center (www.childrens.com). At their bedsides are some of the world’s best surgeons, determined to do everything in their power to help them.
Beginning Aug. 3, “Children’s Med Dallas,” a five-part TV documentary airing on WFAA Ch. 8, will reveal behind-the-scenes stories of life at the nation’s 7th-largest pediatric hospital.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/childrens/51372/
Helsinki has started its year as World Design Capital 2012. With its year-long programme WDC Helsinki 2012 is one of the world’s largest ever expeditions into design. During 2012 Helsinki, the capital of Finland, will explore the benefits and value of design, and showcase the ways it can improve our cities.
WDC Helsinki 2012 started its year with New Year’s Eve of Design on the 31st of December 2011. Approximately 30,000 people gathered to celebrate the beginning of the year in the heart of Helsinki. Next major event will be the World Design Capital Gala presenting the World Design Impact Prize as well as the Alvar Aalto Medal and the Estlander Prize.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/52815-wdch
Björn has once seen a streaker on television, and being an Olympic streaker when Åre and Östersund are organising the games has become his call. In the beginning he trains at home where his mother disturbs him sometimes, later he dares to go out and finally all residents get used to him and are greeting him when he is out streaking. In town, at the sauna, on the slopes, at the skibar, Björn is well known and accepted. He is the best streaker of the world!
Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn 1000 AD. For years, One Eye, a mute warrior of supernatural strenght, has been held prisoner by the Norse chieftain Brade. Aided by Are, a boy slave, One Eye slays his captor and together they escape, beginning a journey into the heart of darkness.On their flight, One Eye and Are board a Viking vessel but the ship is soon engulfed by an endless fog that clears only as the crew sights an unknown land. As the New World reveals its secrets and the Vikings confront their terrible and bloody fate, One Eye discovers his true self.
Official website - www.valhallarisingthemovie.co.uk
Gone are the daunting days of pacing the drugstore aisles and wasting hard-earned money on gimmicky products that simply don’t deliver as Daily Glow (www.dailyglow.com), a leading health and beauty authority, announces its first-annual Daily Glow Awards. After in-depth research, testing and analysis of thousands of products in the marketplace, the 85 carefully selected products have been declared first year winners and granted “Glow-Getter” status, an accolade recognizing the most inventive, state-of-the-art and truly original products of 2011 within six categories: Skin, Hair, Makeup, Hand/Foot/Nail Care, Biggest Breakthroughs and Editors’ Picks. The inaugural Daily Glow Award winners will be highlighted in an expansive editorial feature on DailyGlow.com/Awards beginning December 16, 2011.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53388-daily-glow-getter-awards-innovative-products-where-health-meets-beauty
