Magh Mela

Magh mela, also spelled Magha mela, is an annual festival with fairs held in the month of Magha (January/February) near river banks and sacred tanks near Hindu temples. About every twelve years, Magha melas coincide with what is believed by the faithful as an astrologically auspicious position of Jupiter, the sun and moon, and these are called the Kumbh Mela, such as the one at Prayagraj. In the south, a notable festival is at the Mahamaham tank in Kumbhakonam; in the east, at Sagar Island of West Bengal and Konark, Puri. The Magha festival, along with the bathing rituals as a form of penance, is also observed by the Hindu community in Bali, Indonesia.

Certain dates such as the Amavasya and the Makar Sankranti are considered particularly sacred, attracting a larger gathering. The festival is marked by a ritual dip in the waters, but it is also a celebration of community activities with fairs, education, religious discourses by saints, dāna and community meals for the monks and the poor, and entertainment spectacle.