New Delhi [India], February 22 : The recent Mahamaghan -Kerala's Kumbh Mela' organised in Thirunavya in the State found a special mention in Prime Minister's address to the nation 'Mann K Baat' on Sunday.
Delivering the 131st edition of the monthly radio broadcast, the Prime Minister said that the spiritual congregation that was held from January 18 to Februray 3 was organised without any major announcement. He described the massive turnout as a testament to India's "Sanatan Chetana" and a triumph of word-of-mouth faith.
He noted that the event saw an extraordinary "sea of humanity" gather on the banks of the Bharatapuzha river.
"Rivers and riverbanks may differ from North to South, but the flow of faith remains the same," PM Modi said, drawing a direct line between last year's Prayagraj Maha Kumbh with the Mahamaghan in Kerala.
He said that the Kumbh Melas are not merely festivals of taking holy dips in divine rivers but a renewal of Indian culture and heritage.
"You surely remember the amazing images of the Maha Kumbh around this time last year. The sea of humanity surging on the banks of the Sangam, the immense flow of faith, and in that sacred moment of bathing, it seemed as if India was 'in communion' with its 'Sanatan Chetana'... But today, in our country, which is re-recognising its heritage, history has taken another turn, without any major announcement kerala Kumbh was organised. People told one another, and soon devotees thronged Thirunavya. Be it Mahakumbh or Kerala Kumbh, it is not just a festival of taking holy dips, but an awakening of memory, a renewal of culture. The rivers and the riverbanks can be different from North to South but the flow of faith is the same. This is India," he said.
Earlier on January 17, Swami Anandavanam Bharathi narrated the story of a yajna conducted by Lord Brahma, after which the Bharatapuzha River was formed.
"In Kerala, there is an ancient tradition like Kumbh Mela about a Magha Mela. It is connected to the legend of Brahma's yajna. Brahma did a yajna for the prosperity of the land and his people. After that, for that yajna, in the leadership of Ganga Maya, all the Tirthas of Bharata came here and made a river. The river is called Bharata Puzha. The only river in Bharata, in the name of Bharata," Bharathi told ANI.
"It is a spiritual congregation comparable to the Kumbh Mela of South India. The festival is believed to have begun during the reign of Cheraman Perumal and later continued under the leadership of the Valluvakonathiri," he added.
Bharathi Maharaj said that the Mahamagha melas were shut during the British colonial era. However, after the nation gained independence, some efforts were made to revive the tradition, but it was still being celebrated on a small scale until last year.