Uttar Pradesh declares Maha Kumbh area new district

Tags: State News

Uttar Pradesh declares Maha Kumbh area new district

Why in the news?

• The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday declared the Maha Kumbh area a new district ahead of the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela. 

About new district:

• The new district will be known as Maha Kumbh Mela district. This will be 76th district of Uttar Pradesh.
• According to a notification, 66 villages of four tehsils – Sadar, Soraon, Phulpur and Karchana – and the entire parade area have been included in the new district which will remain till March 31, 2025.

About Maha Kumbh Mela:

• The Maha Kumbh Mela (festival of sacred pitcher) is anchored in Hindu mythology. It is the world's largest public gathering and collective act of faith.
• Kumbh Mela or Kumbha Mela  is a major pilgrimage and festival in  Hinduism On 4 February 2019, Kumbh Mela witnessed the largest peaceful public gathering of humans ever recorded. 
• It is celebrated in a cycle of approximately 12 years, to celebrate every revolution Brihaspati ( Jupiter) completes, at four river-bank pilgrimage sites: Prayagraj(Ganges-Yamuna-Saraswati rivers confluence), Haridwar(Ganges), Nashik( Godavari), and Ujjain (Shipra). 
• The festival is marked by a ritual dip in the waters, but it is also a celebration of community commerce with numerous fairs, education, religious discourses by saints, mass gatherings of monks, and entertainment.
• The seekers believe that bathing in these rivers is a means to  prayascitta (atonement, penance, restorative action) for past mistakes, and that it cleanses them of their sins.
• The festival is traditionally credited to the 8th-century Hindu philosopher and saint Adi Shankara, as a part of his efforts to start major Hindu gatherings for philosophical discussions and debates along with Hindu monasteries across the Indian subcontinent.

Objective of creating new district:

• The U.P. government’s decision aims to facilitate better organisation and governance during the significant religious events.