Essay on “Mahamagam” Festival
Mahamagam Festival is celebrated at Kumbakonam in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. People from all parts of India throng to this place for a dip in the holy Mahamagam Tank in the town and in the river Kaveri.
The religious importance of Kaveri has been dealt at length in all the ancient scriptures. Kaveri is the Vedic Marud arudha and Kumbakonam is one of the five important sacred ghats on the banks of the river. The Mahamagam bathing festival occurs once in 12 years. This auspicious day comes only when the Sun is in the Zodiacal sign Aquarius (Kumbha), Jupiter is in Leo (Simha) and the Moon is in the conjunction with the constellation Maugham.
The uniqueness of this festival is that unlike the Kumbha Mela or other melas celebrated after 12 years, Mahamagam Mela occurs for a single day. Consequently, the number of people who come here are always more than expected.
