Simhastha, or Poorna Kumbh Mela is the great bathing festival of Ujjain. Maha kumbh mela will commence on 22nd of April and will end on 21st of May 2016.

1. Ujjain mahakubh 2016
This festival will start on 22nd of April and will end on 21st of May
2016.
The Kumbh Mela is the most significant and eventful festival for
Hindus, which is held every three years. The four important pilgrim
centers which host it are Ujjain, Allahabad, Nashik and Haridwar. It is
a pious and sacred festival for the Hindus in India.
Ujjain is situated near the river Shipra and it is considered as one of
the most sacred places of India. During the Kumbh Mela, millions of
devotees flock to Ujjain to take a holy dip and worship the river

2. Shipra. The sadhus from all parts of India come to Ujjain to attend the
Kumbh in order to attain liberation and salvation. Ujjain is also the
place where Maharishi Sandipani had taught Lord Krishna, along with
Sudama and Balarama.
When Guru(Jupiter) and the Sun are in the zodiac sign
Scorpio(Vrishchik Rashi), it is celebrated at Ujjain. The Ujjain Kumbh
Mela is referred to as the ‘Simhastha Kumbha Mela’. It is a totally
different experience when devotees and sadhus come together and
go ahead for the shahi snan – a dip in the sacred river Shipra, which is
believed to get rid of all sins of a person. After taking a dip in river
Shipra, all pilgrims visit the temple and bow before the Lord and they
echo the name of the lord (Mahakalesvara). The next Simhastha
Kumbha Mela will be held in Ujjain in 2016

3. The unique feature of the Simhastha Kumbha or the Simhastha Parva
is the coming together of ten events, which are-
 The Purnima (Full moon day)
 The month of Baisakha
 The bright fortnight
 The brihaspati (Jupitor) in Leo
 The sun in the arise (Mesha Rasi)
 The vyatipata yoga
 The moon in the libra (Tula rasi)
 The holy Ksetra Avantika and
 The pious Monday

4. There is an ancient banyan tree in Ujjain – Siddhawat which is
believed to possess exemplary spiritual powers and many devotees
and sages worship it and meditate under it. The city has also been
home to great rulers such as King Chandragupta II and legendary
scholars including Bhaskaracharya, Brahmagupta and Kalidasa.

5. History of simhastha
Kumbh derives its name from the immortal Pot of Nectar, which the
Devtas (Demigods) and Asuras (Demons) fought over, described in
ancient Vedic scriptures known as the Puranas. It is these Vedic
literatures that have stood the test of time, out of which the tradition
has evolved into the one that the world now knows as The Kumbh
Mela. Legend tells a tale from the bygone days of the universe when
the devtas and the asuras conjointly produced the nectar of
immortality. The devtas, because cursed, were crippled of fear that
eventually made them weak. The task being too sturdy for them
alone, the devtas made a mutual agreement with the asuras to
complete it in full and share the nectar of immortality in half. It is said
that the devtas and the asuras assembled on the shore of the milk
ocean that lies in the celestial region of the cosmos. And it began!

6. For the task of churning the milk ocean, the Mandara Mountain was used as the
churning rod, and Vasuki, the king of serpents, became the rope for churning.
With the devtas at Vasuki’s tail and the asuras at his head, the churning began.
At first, the churning of the milk ocean produced a deadly poison which Lord
Shiva drank without being affected. As Lord Shiva drank the poison, a few drops
fell from his hands which were licked by scorpions, snakes, and similar other
deadly creatures. Also, during the churning, the Mandara Mountain began to
sink deep into the ocean, seeing which Lord Vishnu incarnated as a great
tortoise and supported the mountain on His back. Finally, many hurdles and
1000 years later, Dhanwantari appeared with the Kumbh of immortal nectar in
his hands. The devtas, being fearful of the asuras' ill intent, forcibly seized the
pot with its safety entrusted onto the four Gods - Brahaspati, Surya, Shani, and
Chandra.

7. Asuras, after learning that their part of the agreement has not been kept, went
after the devtas and for 12 days and 12 nights, the chase continued. Wherever
the devtas went with the pot of nectar, fierce fighting ensued. It is believed that
during this chase, a few drops from the Kumbh fell at four places - Allahabad,
Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nasik. There is also a prevalent legend that it was actually
the asuras that were being chased by the devtas for 12 days and 12 nights,
during which the drops of elixir of immortality fell at these four places. These
four places are since believed to have acquired mystical powers. Because 12
days of Gods are equivalent to 12 years for humans; the Kumbh Mela is
celebrated once every 12 years in each of the four places - banks of river
Godavari in Nasik, river Kshipra in Ujjain, river Ganges in Haridwar, and at the
Sangam of Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati in Allahabad, where the drops are
believed to have fallen. Millions of devout, come together to partake in
ritualistic bathing and ceremonies to cleanse themselves of all sins.
Visit: http://www.apnaujjain.com/