Just like all the religions in the world, the Hindu religion is robust in its offering to its followers. Rich in its cultural heritage and religious intricacies there is a lot more to Hinduism than its widespread beliefs.
In this post I decided to write about one such fact I recently read.
Temples are an integral part of the Hindu religion. And each temple is an architectural marvel. Erected centuries ago by the kings and emperors of earlier eras, they still stand testimony to the lavish architectural extravaganza.
So, if you look @ the architecture of any temple, the dome or the "kumbh" forms the central piece. The entire temple and the sanctum is built with the dome in the center.
The "Kumbhmela" or the "kumbhabshishekam" is an event which is celebrated every 12 years.
Prayers are offered and the kumbh is sprinkled with holy water and other holy substances.The "kumbhabshishekam" has more of a festive spirit attached to it than a religious proceeding. It is often accompanied by cultural programs like music,dance and discourse.
But, over the years the actual reason behind celebrating the "kumbhabshishekam" has long been forgotten.
The science :)
As it is with most of our beliefs, there is a far more logical and practical reason behind celebrating the "kumbhabshishekam" .
The "Kumbh" or the inner dome is replaced every 12 years with grains, pulses and other essential seeds. In olden times, the temple was the center of every village or town. Upon the outbreak of a natural disaster or a calamity people often took shelter in the temple. The temple had the infrastructure and the space to hold all the people during such times. It takes weeks and sometimes even months for the people and the town to recover from a calamity of a large scale.If a huge calamity were to take down the town, it would wash away the agricultural lands leaving the town with nothing.
Agriculture is the backbone of our country and it takes a heavy toll to reclaim the washed lands and start cultivation all over. And during such times the "Kumbh" serves as a deposit of seeds and other valuable items that acts as a reserve for them. And the "kumbh" also acts as a "lightening arrester" safeguarding the town and its people from lightening strikes :)
So in the pretext of celebrating the "kumbhabshishekam", the kumbh is replenished every 12 years ( "12 years" ,because the lifespan of the seeds and grains is roughly about 12 years)with such substances safeguarding the residents of the town or the village from a natural calamity :)
I was quite spellbound when I first learnt about this. It gave me a sense of pride knowing that the "kumbhabshishekam" was not just a cultural extravaganza, but rather, a well thought, and a well planned idea to prepare ourselves for an uncertain future :)
In the end of the day what the "kumbhabshishekam" teaches us is that,it is always better to be prepared to tackle an unforeseen future. And it teaches us to save for tomorrow ,save for troubled times that might befall us. In the end, it all boils down to simple logic.
So, if you look @ the architecture of any temple, the dome or the "kumbh" forms the central piece. The entire temple and the sanctum is built with the dome in the center.
The "Kumbhmela" or the "kumbhabshishekam" is an event which is celebrated every 12 years.
Prayers are offered and the kumbh is sprinkled with holy water and other holy substances.The "kumbhabshishekam" has more of a festive spirit attached to it than a religious proceeding. It is often accompanied by cultural programs like music,dance and discourse.
But, over the years the actual reason behind celebrating the "kumbhabshishekam" has long been forgotten.
The science :)
As it is with most of our beliefs, there is a far more logical and practical reason behind celebrating the "kumbhabshishekam" .
The "Kumbh" or the inner dome is replaced every 12 years with grains, pulses and other essential seeds. In olden times, the temple was the center of every village or town. Upon the outbreak of a natural disaster or a calamity people often took shelter in the temple. The temple had the infrastructure and the space to hold all the people during such times. It takes weeks and sometimes even months for the people and the town to recover from a calamity of a large scale.If a huge calamity were to take down the town, it would wash away the agricultural lands leaving the town with nothing.
Agriculture is the backbone of our country and it takes a heavy toll to reclaim the washed lands and start cultivation all over. And during such times the "Kumbh" serves as a deposit of seeds and other valuable items that acts as a reserve for them. And the "kumbh" also acts as a "lightening arrester" safeguarding the town and its people from lightening strikes :)
So in the pretext of celebrating the "kumbhabshishekam", the kumbh is replenished every 12 years ( "12 years" ,because the lifespan of the seeds and grains is roughly about 12 years)with such substances safeguarding the residents of the town or the village from a natural calamity :)
I was quite spellbound when I first learnt about this. It gave me a sense of pride knowing that the "kumbhabshishekam" was not just a cultural extravaganza, but rather, a well thought, and a well planned idea to prepare ourselves for an uncertain future :)
In the end of the day what the "kumbhabshishekam" teaches us is that,it is always better to be prepared to tackle an unforeseen future. And it teaches us to save for tomorrow ,save for troubled times that might befall us. In the end, it all boils down to simple logic.
Simple logic, which has been the binding force of our cultural heritage :)
Cheers,
Sandy :)
Cheers,
Sandy :)
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