Today 25 February is Celbration Magh Purnima in Hindu people.
Aboput Magh Purnima
Today is venerated in different ways across the country. This is a very auspicious bathing day and is of the same significance as that of karthik purnima. Maghi Purnima is revered as a ‘bathing festival’ across the country.
Many people observe fast and do charity on this day. People offer food, clothes, money to the poor. Libations are offered to ancestors on this day after taking a dip in the rivers. Then Brahmans are fed and given “Daan- Dakshina” according to one’s capacity. Lord Vishnu is worshipped on this day after bath. Like all other purnima days, Satyanarayana Vratham is observed on this day. In some places Goddess Parvati Devi and Bruhaspati (Guru) are worshipped on Maha Maghi day.
It is believed a holy dip in scared Ganga is highly meritorious on this day. It is believed that bathing in the holy river Ganges frees oneself from sins and thus paves the way towards salvation. Thousands of pilgrims visit Prayag (Allahabad) to take a dip at the holy Triveni Sangam -the confluence of the sacred rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the legendary river Saraswati. Every year Magh mela is organized at Sangam in Allahabad during this time.
Grand festivals take place at along the banks of the holy rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Sarayu, Narmada, Tapti, Kaveri, Krishna, Godavari etc. Taking a holy dip on this day in Kumbakonam, Kannyakumari and Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Pushkar Lake in Rajasthan is also considered to be very meritorious.
This day also has special significance for the Buddhists. It is on this day that Gautama Buddha announced his impending death. Many religious ceremonies are held at the viharas, where prayers are said to the Buddha. The day’s programme began with hoisting of the religious flags atop all monasteries at dawn and chanting of the sacred verses from the Tripitaka.
On the full moon day of Magh, the float festival is celebrated at Madurai in Tamilnadu which is famous for the Meenakshi Temple. A sacred tank, the Mariamman Teppakulam Sarovar is located near Madurai. On this day the highly decorated the images of Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwara are mounted on floats and are taken to this Sarovar or tank accompaniment by music and devotional songs. Magh Purnima happens to be the birthday of King Tirumala Nayak who built Mariamman Teppakulam which is a few kms to the east of Madurai.
In 2013 Magh purnima has special significance. This year from 27th January to 25th February the Purna Kumbh Mela is being held in Allahabad which occurs after every 12th years. Maghi Purnima is an important bathing date during the Kumbh Mela and the Magh Mela. This year maghi purnima is the last auspicious bathing day of the Maha Kumbh mela.
Magh Purnima Snan(Bath)
Today is fifth Sahi Snan penultimate bathing day of the 55-day Maha Kumbh – Maghi Poornima – began early Monday at the Sangam here, with lakhs taking an early holy dip in the Ganga.
The day is special as the “Kalpawasi” pilgrims end their month-long penance and sabbatical from worldly life on Maghi Poornima.
More than 1.5 crore devotees are likely to take a holy dip at the Sangam – the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mystical Saraswati Monday.
The Kumbh mela administration has deployed extra police forces to man major intersections and roads in the sprawling 52 sq km mela premises. Photography has been banned at all bathing ghats, on the basis of a high court directive.
Special traffic arrangements are in place to divert devotees to less congested roads and ensure smooth exit after the ritual bath.
Still haunted by the tragic stampede of Feb 10 on Mauni Amavasya at the city railway station which left 37 dead, the railway protection force (RPF), civil police and the government railway police (GRP), along with Indian Railways, has made elaborate arrangements for the return of the crowds after bathing.
To meet the extra demand, the railways has opened additional ticketing counters at Prayag Ghat, Rae Bareilly, Lucknow, Faizabad, Ayodhya and Sultanpur.
Extra coaches too have been added to trains plying between Lucknow and Allahabad, a railway official informed.
“Additional teams of officials have been sent to all stations and all care is being taken to ensure smooth passage of the Maghi Poornima bathing,” senior divisional commercial manager Ashwani Kumar Srivastava said.
The administration is on tenterhooks as it rained during the weekend, making the temporary roads unmotorable; large areas have been turned into swamps by rain.
According to the ascetics at the Kumbh, the auspicious time for bathing began at 1:40 Sunday night; it will continue till 2:01 a.m. Tuesday.
“Most people will take a bath during the auspicious time, though technically, bathing time ends at 1:41 p.m. Monday, for ‘Bhadra’ is on till then. The Kalpavasis, who slept on thatched floor, gave up worldly life, cooked for themselves and lived in solitude since Makar Sankranti (Jan 14), will Monday disband their hutments and head back home. They will also take along a plant of Tulsi that they sowed on the first day of their Kalpwas,” one ascetic explained.
The Kumbh, which falls after every 12 years, began this year at Allahabad Jan 14; it is set to conclude March 10, Maha Shivratri day.
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