Mahamaham

Mahamaham is a Hindu religious festival celebrated every twelve years at Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu. It is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Magha, and is considered a symbolic equivalent of the Kumbh Mela. While the annual observance is known as Masimaham after the Tamil calendar month of Masi, the Mahamaham is observed once in twelve years. The festival attracts large crowds, which had been documented by writers since the 19th century. The last Mahamaham was celebrated on 22 February 2016.

The festival involves a gathering of pilgrims at the Mahamaham tank. As per Hindu mythology, the waters in the tank is constituted holy confluence of nine Indian river goddesses–Ganga, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Narmada, Godavari, Krishna, Tungabhadra, Kaveri, and Sarayu. As per the Tamil text of Periya Puranam, the river goddesses gather on the day at the tank to pray to god Shiva and rejuvenate their waters. People take a ritual dip in the waters, believed to be of atonement for the past mistakes, and cleansing of their sins. Various fairs, art performances, religious discourses, and chariot processions are also conducted during the festivities.