Everything You Need To Know About Rajim: Fifth Kumbh Mela Site

Rajim : The Fifth Kumbh Mela Site

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People around the world belonging to Hindu belief and divinity , do have at least a little idea about the four Kumbh Mela , organised at four different river-bank pilgrimage sites…i.e : the Allahabad (Prayagraj) (Ganges-Yamuna-Sarasvati rivers confluence), Haridwar (Ganges), Ujjain (Shipra) and Nashik (Godavari). But “Rajim Kumbh Mela” is often considered as the fifth Kumbh Mela, which is a yearly Hindu pilgrimage (Huge religious congregation of people) held in Rajim ( Gariyaband district, Chhattisgarh) . The city of Rajim is situated on  the Triveni Sangam  (confluence of three different rivers)  i.e. the Bank of Sandhur, Parri and Mahanadi. This city Rajim is located 45 kms  away from the capital Raipur . This city of Chhattisgarh is considered holy by the devotees for religious works like Shraddha, Tarpan, ritualistic bath( Snana), charity etc.The river ‘Mahanadi’  is the life-giving river of the whole of Chhattisgarh and just like  the city of  Ayodhya and Banaras of U.P , it is believed that the pilgrimage to Jagannath Dham of puri in Odisha is never  complete until the traveller  visits Rajim enroute.

The Magha Purnima fair of Rajim is famous all over India.  Lakhs of devotees , enthusiasts and other holy saints of Chhattisgarh and other parts of the country gather in this fair at least one day prior to the inception day of celebration to participate in the special ritualistic Puja in the midnight .  A fifteen days fair is held from Magha Purnima to Mahashivratri, which usually falls in the months of February and March.   It is also called Rajim Kumbh Mela.  The main attraction of this fair  ( which is held on the banks of Mahanadi, Parri and Sandhur rivers) is the temple of Kuleshwar Mahadev situated at the confluence .  This temple is related to the devotional mother of Rajim.  It is said that the story of the renunciation of Rajim Mata in the Rajim region of Chhattisgarh state is prevalent and this region has received the blessings of Lord Kuleshwar Mahadev. Two temples that are conspicuously visited by the explorers during the kumbh are the Shri Kuleshwar Mahadev and Shri Rajiv Lochan.

Just like the pilgrimage of our conventional Kumbh Melas held in Haridwar , Prayagraj etc,  in Rajim Kumbh too, the presence of more than a dozen akhadas , royal procession, court of saints, Naga sadhus and procession of religious leaders will give meaning to the organization of the fair( photos appended).

Sadhus doing cow dung Yagna in the Kumbh Mela ground

Temporary Rest Shed for Sadhus

Kumbh Mela ground at Rajim

image source: holidify

Rajiv Lochan temple at Rajim

image source: todaynewslab

pillar art in Rajiv Lochan temple at Rajim

Kuleshwar Mahadev temple, Rajim

image source: उदंती.com

Just like Haridwar, Prayagraj Kumbh Mela, in Rajim too,  devotees and other holy people rush in to Rajim Kumbh site to take a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam ( confluence of three rivers)  to wash all at once to wash off their sins, transgressions and accomplish reclamation.But  the Chhattisgarh state government  raises notices bearing certain Do’s  and Don’ts in different places of the kumbh site.

14 sorts of acts have been prompted as unholy during ‘Kumbh-Parva, for example, washing garments and utensils in the river water, using soaps while having a holy dip in the river, excretion or defecation in the river and so on…. Those doing such things have been depicted as sinners and  their transgression viewed as grave as butchering of cows .There lies a mention in this regard in the Brahma Purana also .

Rajim has for some time been a focal point for the Vaishnavites. It is additionally a known Shaiva dharma centre too .If we take in to account the mythology and oral practices , it is informed that Lord Vishnu asked Lord Vishwakarma, the central modeler of the universe, to work for him a temple cum abode at such a spot upon the land where it has not been contaminated by dead or consumed cadavers or cremation of dead bodies to a fringe of around 10 miles. Master Vishwakarma scoured the planet to no end and returned vaikuntha with essentially nothing to which Lord Vishnu heaved a Lotus towards Earth and requested that Lord Vishwakarma to erect a temple  at the site where the bloom falls on the ground. Hence a temple was based upon the nectars of the radiant lotus referred to the present time as the Rajiv Lochan temple and the 5 petals eventuated the Panchkoshi Dhaam viz.Bramhkeshwarnaath (Bramhani),

Kuleshwarnath(Rajim),Pandeshwarnath (Fingeshwar), Kopeshwarnaath (Kopra) and Champeshwarnath (Chamaranya),

Here I am giving the link of a video of a religious procession at the Rajim Kumbh Mela ground, that I had shot in the year 2019.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3KT4LqjtwLSxY3ns8

It is the result of the countless faith of the devotees, the blessings of the saints and the dedication of the artists that the Rajim-Kumbh has established its identity in the country as a new religious and cultural confluence.  Chhattisgarh has been recognized as the Triveni of religion, art and culture across the country and has also been given a new identity because of the burgeoning demand of this fair.  Once upon a time, this area was also widely inhabited by Odia and Chhattisgarhis and Odisha and Chhattisgarh was one and together . The faith and purity of the local people is reflected in every event of Rajim Kumbh since time

Dr. Manoj Mishra

lunarsecstasy@gmail.com