A three-day Kumbh Mela will be held at T. Narsipur from Monday, coinciding with the ongoing event at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh.
On the first day, there will be special rituals complete with ‘Gana Homa’, religious congregation of seers and cultural events in the evening.
Apart from cultural events, there will be ‘aarati’’ on the banks of the river on Tuesday while the Kumbha Punya Snana is scheduled for February 12 from 9 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. and from noon to 1 p.m, according to the district administration.
The government has released ₹6 crore for the preparations, and security has been beefed up to prevent any untoward incidents. Facilities have been created for bathing along the riverbanks and near the confluence of the rivers.
Reckoned to be as sacred as Prayagraj, T. Narsipur is at the confluence of the Cauvery, Kapila, and the invisible Spathika Sarovara, just as Prayagraj is at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical and invisible Saraswathi.
In addition, T. Narsipur is also a place rich in history and has temples with a hoary past, adding to the sanctity of the place.
An example is the Gunja Narasimhaswamy temple, which is associated with sage Agastya.
But unlike the Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj whose origins are traced to the churning of the ocean in Hindu puranas, the event at T. Narsipur is a tradition in making. It was first conducted in 1989 and this year’s event will be the 13th edition of the spectacle that will unfold from Monday.
But unlike the Kumbh Melas which is held once in 12 years at Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik, it is conducted once in three years at T. Narsipur, coinciding with the event held in each of the four centres.
An initiative of various seers, with the Suttur Mutt seer Shivarathri Deshikendra Swami taking the lead, the objective is to provide people who cannot visit Prayagraj with an opportunity to take a holy dip at the confluence of the three rivers at T.Narispur.
