The Kumbh Mela is an auspicious occasion which comes once in twelve years. It is a pilgrimage where devout Hindus come to wash their sins off in the holy waters of the river. The festival is celebrated every twelve years at Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, thus coming after every four years. The holiest centre is Allahabad, where people come to take a holy dip at the Sangam, or the confluence of three rivers - the Ganga, the Yamuna and the Saraswati. The river Saraswati dried up long ago but continues to be venerated. The Mahakumbh mela at Allahabad attracts millions of people and presents a spectacle of mass piety unrivalled in scale anywhere else. Even the minor Kumbh melas are major congregations where Hindu holy men covered in ash and, in the case of certain sects, with little else, delight the curious and the devout alike.
According to legend, during the Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean), when Amrit (the elixir of eternal youth) was extracted from the ocean Lord Vishnu purloined it and gave it to the gods. The gods set the pot of nectar down at each of these four cities of Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. This is the reason why this festival is celebrated only at these four places as they were rendered pure by the touch of this celestial nectar.

Where: Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik by rotation.