Ujjain Siṃhastha

Śiprā river · Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

Ujjain’s Kumbh is called Siṃhastha because it falls when Jupiter is in Leo (Siṃha); the Sun in Aries during the main period. Pilgrims bathe in the Śiprā at Rām Ghāṭ and other ghats, and have darśana at Mahākāleśvar.

The melā fills the city and its outskirts with camps of akhāṛās and spiritual organisations, with discourses, kīrtana and free kitchens throughout. Because the timing is fixed by Jupiter and the Sun, Ujjain’s astrologers and almanac-makers play a visible part in announcing the auspicious bathing days.

Tradition says that during the flight with the pot of amṛta, the Sun, the Moon and Jupiter each had a duty: the Moon to stop it spilling, the Sun to keep the pot from breaking, and Jupiter to keep it from the asuras. That is why the Kumbh is fixed by the positions of these three in the sky.

Madhya Pradesh · Jupiter in Leo · Śiprā river · Mahākāl

Holy Places and Pilgrimage · Ask a Jyotishi your own question