#kumbha

Kumbha Sankranti 2025: Traditions and Contemporary Celebrations

Understanding the Significance of Kumbha Sankranti 2025

Kumbha Sankranti is a significant Hindu festival that marks the transition of the Sun from the zodiac sign Capricorn (Makara) to Aquarius (Kumbha). This astronomical event is celebrated with great fervor across India and holds immense spiritual and cultural importance. The festival symbolizes the flow of spiritual wisdom and knowledge, aligning with the belief that Kumbha (a pot) represents the vessel of wisdom. In 2025, Kumbha Sankranti will continue to inspire millions to seek spiritual growth and enlightenment.

PURNA GHATA 

  I was very young then , three or four at the most . I used to spend my Durga puja days in my mama-bari (mother’s paternal home) at Ram-navami-tola area of Bally  . In the 90s , the Sarvajanin Pujas of Calcutta suburbs were still free from the influence of Calcutta culture . They were still vibrant with personal touch and devotion . The entire neighbourhood joined in the celebrations , the ladies cut the fruits …. the evenings were joyous with ‘dhunuchi nach’ , ‘rasgulla eating’ and ‘blowing the conch’ competitions . One Astami day my Dadu (maternal grandfather) told me – “ See that ghat over there ? Right under ma Durga ? That’s where the “real Durga” is . That’s the main thing of the puja ! “ .I replied pointing to the pratima , “ So is that not the real Durga ?” Dadu laughed and said , “ Ofcourse it is . But the real force of the puja is in that ghata over there “ The tiny bewildered child thought that another , perhaps a more beautiful tiny Durga murti was hidden under the heap of flowers ….inside the ghat !  Since then I grew more and more curious to take a glimpse into the “real durga” ! So on vijaya dashami when an neighbourhood uncle  asked me to help him clean the heap of flowers that had accumulated over the five days of the puja , my heart lept in excitement at the probability of finding the “real durga” !Sadly , after an hour of strenuous labour I found no ghata ( which the purohita had probably already removed ) nor the small exotic little durga pratima that I had hoped for . Now when I look back , I laugh at my actions . My “real durga” continued to remain elusive .What a beautiful symbol is this ghata ! A symbol of India’s own religious heritage and aesthetic expression . Right below is earth . Soil which represents our own mother earth . We exist because Mata Vasumati exists . Over that is sprinkled a handful of ‘pancha shashya’ ( paddy , barley , sesame , mung , black lentils ) which symbolises the seed of creativity . Over that is placed the ghata filled with sacred waters mixed with all kinds of medicinal herbs and ‘siddhi’ ( bhang leaves ) . Inside those waters is kept nine precious gemstones just like the ocean holds within its womb the treasures of the deep . Life will spring forth from this primordial waters as it did in Archean era more than 4 billion years ago . Or just like it is described in the puranas – when the pralaya dissolution takes place everything becomes unmanifest and the existence is covered in the waters of the causal ocean . Then again as time for the next creation dawns , ‘Shristi’ or creation emerges as Brahma from the navel of Vishnu lying in sleep ! The ancient seers had realised this deep connection between water and creation ! It almost appears that this sacred moment of creation is represented through this image of ghata when the ‘pancha pallava’ ( five sacred shoots ) sprouts forth from the mouth of the urn . On top of that lies a plate of rice and a green coconut symbolising the fruit . The entire concept is wrapped in an worshipful embrace by a flower garland and covered by a cloth representing the infinite skies stretching in ten directions . In the middle an inverted triangle drawn in sindoor represents the yoni or motherhood . The symbol of the goddess . The Purna ghata reserves an important place in the artistic heritage of India . On the top of the temple shikhara , a purna ghata sits as the finial . One may find the same kalasha imagery carved on temple pillars too . What a beautiful poetic representation of Prakriti and its divine motherhood ! Did any other civilization succeed in producing such a perfect complete imagery of nature and its creative powers ?! I think not !So the ghata is the most apt representation of the divine mother . Although every other hindu sect and even other indic religions such as Buddhism and Jainism have celebrated and used the concept of ghata , nowhere is it as important and central force as in upasana of devi ! The vaishnavas have their archa vigrahas and shalagram , Shaivas have their linga upasana . But for the shaktas , from Kashmir to Kanyakumari , the ghata is the most natural and prolific imagery of the divine motherhood , be it in temples or at a home navaratri puja . It would not be an exaggeration to say that the imagery of ghata is the single most important contribution of nature and mother goddess cults to the diverse world of hinduism . To the sadhaka , this body is the ghata and bhagavati resides inside . A million urns lie submerged in the ocean of satchidananda , all filled with the same waters as in the ocean . But each thinks I am an unit when in reality they all are the same ocean . At the end of the life’s journey when the ghata is broken , the water inside dissolves into the ocean where it belongs .  But the ocean remains unchanged . This eternal ocean , this sea of unbroken consciousness is the reality that we incompletely call ‘god’ . She is the mother . So when we die and our pyres finally burn out , custom has it to break an earthen ghat symbolizing the end of the journey .Whatever I am today is shaped by three individuals . My mother , father and my Dadu . Dadu today is no more . But my search of the ‘real durga’ is on . One day the senior sannyasi and pujari Maharaj of Belur Mutt said to me – “ Do only as much as you can ( in context of outward rituals ) . Durga is everywhere ! BhutAni Durga BhuvanAni DurgaStriyah pasuscha narascha Durga Yad yad hi drishyam khalu twad hi Durga Durga swaroopAt naivasti kinchit In this cosmos , all jeevas are Durga , the humans are Durga , all females are Durga and all the animals too , are Durga ! Whatever you see is Durga ! There exists nothing which is not Durga ! “After all these years I have come to realise that the search for the ‘real durga’ is not a matter of one lifetime . From one ghata to the other , this journey across lives is spanned over aeons . And the place where that search finally comes to an end is the place where there is no ghata visarjan . It is where the ghata is installed eternally and worshipped everyday . That is the realm of the “real Durga” !

Aquarius Myths – WaterGanga and her pot