Ways to Reach Allahabad Kumbh Mela

September 9, 2012/1 Comment/in Allahabad Kumbh/by admin

The last Kumbh Mela festival witnessed the attendance of 70 million devotees from across the world. This time the estimated participation for the festival is around 80 to 90 million. Visiting Allahabad during the mega festival is a tedious task as all the modes of transport including trains, local and state buses would be flocked with the people enthused to witness the spectacle. Even a reserved seat does not guarantee comfortable travel due to the massive influx of pilgrims in the city. The challenges and hindrances encountered to attend the festival make it all the more inviting and adventurous.

Mela Site Allahabad

Nearest metropolitan Cities

New Delhi is the nearest city. Distance between New Delhi – Allahabad is 643Km.

Distance between other metropolitan cities and Allahabad:

Kolkata – 799km
Mumbai – 1444km
Chennai – 1790km
Bengaluru (Bangalore) -1652km
Pune – 1323km
Hyderabad – 1086

Allahabad is well connected with various cities through Rail, Air and Road.

By Air:

Allahabad is connected by air through the Bamrauli Air Force Base, which is 12 Km from Allahabad. The airport serves domestic flights from all major cities with prominent airlines being Air India, Go Air, Indigo, SpiceJet, JetKonnect and Kingfisher. Most of these flights are via New Delhi.

By Road:

The National and State Highways connect Allahabad with all the major cities of the country. The NH2 runs right through the city while NH27 starts from Allahabad and ends at Mangawan in Madhya Pradesh. NH96 joins NH28 in Faizabad and connects the two major Hindu pilgrimage centres of the country – Allahabad and Ayodhya. Allahabad caters to the public road transport demand through interstate bus services. Local transportation like tourist taxis, cabs, auto rickshaws, and local buses are also available for travel within various parts of Allahabad and also to some neighbouring cities.

By Rail:

Allahabad is well connected by rail as it is the Headquarter of North Central Railway. Majority of the Kumbh Mela pilgrims prefer trains as the mode of transport and hence during the festival the railways reach their optimum usage.

Following is the list of trains from Allahabad to other cities including 1AC, 2AC, 3AC and SL (non AC sleeper) classes for your convenience.

Trains For Allahabad:

It is well connected through Railways because is headquarter of north central railway. Most of devotees who visit kumbh mela uses this mode of transportation. It is life line of India. Indian railways will seen its optimum limit at the time of this grand festival when

Here is list of trains from Allahabad to other cities. Here 1A, 2A , 3A and SL(non AC sleeper ) are classes

Train at a glance at Allahabad
Days	Stn. To	Dep.	Arr.	Train No.	Train Name	Train No.	Arr.	Dep.	Stn. To	days
Sat	Pune	7:48	7:20	11033	Dbg Pune Exp	11034	15:50	16:20	Darbhanga	Thur
Sun	Pune	1:02	0:30	11038	Gkp-Pune Exp	11037	15:50	16:20	Gorakhpur	Fri
Tue	C.Sahu T	0:30	1:02	11046	Dikshabhumi	11045	1:00	1:25	Danbad	Sun
Tue,Wed,Fri,Sun	LokmanyaTilak	17:10	16:40	11056	Godan Exp.	11055	9:40	10:15	Gorakhpur	Mon,Tue,Thur,Sat
Mon,Thur,Sat	LokmanyaTilak	17:10	16:40	11060	Godan Exp.	11059	9:40	10:15	Chapra	Wed,Fri,Sun
Mon,Tue,Thur,Sat	LokmanyaTilak	3:15	2:45	11062	Mfp-Ltt Exp.	11061	10:40	11:05	Muzaffarpur	Tue,thur,Sat,Sun
Wed,Fri,Sun	LokmanyaTilak	3:15	2:45	11066	Dbg-Ltt Exp.	11065	10:40	11:05	Darbhanga	Mon,Wed,Fri
Thur,Sun	LokmanyaTilak	21:08	20:35	11068	Saket Exp	11067	3:50	4:15	Rae Bareily	Thur,Sun
Mon,Wed	LokmanyaTilak	16:15	Starts	11070	Tulsi Exp.	11069	8:50	Ends	Allahabad	Mon,Wed
All	LokmanyaTilak	19:45	19:20	11072	Kamayani	11071	15:30	16:05	Varanasi	All
All	Mumbai CST	15:10	14:40	11094	Mahanagri	11093	0:15	0:45	Varanasi	All
Mon	Jhansi	1:15	1:10	11105	pratham S.S.	11106	3:55	4:00	Kolkata	Sat
All	Gwalior	22:25	22:00	11108	Bundelkhand	11107	6:45	7:10	Varanasi	All
All	Pune	5:35	5:10	12150	Pune Patna	12149	21:05	21:35	Patna	All
Tue,Fri,Sat	LokmanyaTilak	23:32	23:00	12166	Ratnagiri Exp	12165	3:50	4:15	Varanasi	Tue,Fri,Sat
Mon,Wed,Thur	Gwalior	8:12	7:45	12175	Chambal Exp	12176	16:45	17:20	Howrah	Tue,Thur,Sat
Sat	Mathura	8:12	7:45	12177	Chambal Exp	12178	16:45	17:20	Howrah	Mon
Fri	New Delhi	3:44	3:42	12249	Yuva Exp	12250	23:08	23:10	Howrah	sun
Tue,Thur,Sat	New Delhi	22:40	Starts	12275	Duranto Exp	12276	6:20	Ends	Allahabad	Mon,Thur,Sat
All	Bangalore	2:22	1:50	12296	Sanghmitra	12295	2:00	2:50	Patna	All
expt.Mon	New Delhi	2:45	2:42	12301	Rajdhani	12302	23:42	23:45	Howrah	Expt. Fri
Mon,Tue,Fri,Sat	New Delhi	22:10	21:05	12303	Poorva Exp	12304	2:05	2:10	Howrah	Mon,Thur,Fri,Sun
Mon	New Delhi	2:45	2:42	12305	Rajdhani	12306	23:42	23:45	Howrah	Fri
All	Bikaner	12:15	12:10	12307	Jodhpur Exp	12308	14:00	14:10	Howrah	All
All	New Delhi	0:28	0:25	12309	Rajdhani	12310	23:56	23:59	Patna	All
All	Kalka	9:30	9:20	12311	Kalka Mail	12312	17:20	17:30	Howrah	All
Fri	Udaipur	4:20	4:08	12315	Ananya Exp	12316	22:30	22:40	Sealdah	Mon
All	Mumbai CST	11:42	11:10	12321	Kolkata Mail	12322	20:25	20:58	Howrah	All
Wed,Sat	New Delhi	7:40	7:35	12323	Howrah-NDLS	12324	16:35	16:45	Howrah	Thur,Sun
Tue	New Delhi	4:20	4:08	12349	Bhagalpur Exp	12350	8:50	9:00	Bhagalpur	Wed
Wed,Thur,Sun	New Delhi	22:05	21:55	12381	Poorva Exp	12382	2:20	2:50	Howrah	Tue,Wed,Sat
Thur	Ajmer	1:15	1:10	12395	Ibadat/ziyarat	12396	16:35	16:45	Patna	Fri
All	New Delhi	20:10	20:00	12397	Mahabodhi	12398	22:40	22:48	Gaya	All
All	New Delhi	0:45	0:40	12401	Magadh Exp	12402	5:10	5:20	Islampur	All
All	Mathura	23:30	Starts	12403	Mathura Exp	12404	5:00	Ends	Allahabad	All
All	New Delhi	21:30	Starts	12417	Prayagraj Exp	12418	6:45	Ends	Allahabad	All
expt.Sun	New Delhi	2:55	2:52	12423	Rajdhani	12424	20:39	20:42	Dibrugarh	Expt.Thur,Sun
All	New Delhi	21:00	20:35	12427	Rewa Exp	12428	9:25	9:50	Rewa	All
all	Anand Vihar	11:55	11:50	12487	Seemanchal	12488	16:50	17:00	Jogbani	All
Sat	Bikaner	11:35	11:30	12496	Koa Exp	12495	22:30	22:40	Kolkata	Thur
Wed,Thur,Sun	New Delhi	4:20	4:08	12501	PurvotarSKranti	12502	8:50	9:00	Guahati	Mon,Thur,Fri
All	Anand Vihar	9:40	9:30	12505	North East Exp	12506	15:40	15:52	Guahati	All
Sat	Yaswantpur	1:40	1:15	12540	Yaswantpur Exp	12539	2:10	2:35	Lucknow	Fri
All	New Delhi	22:30	22:05	12559	Shivganga Exp	12560	3:35	4:00	Varanasi	All
All	New Delhi	3:50	3:25	12561	SwatantrtaSExp	12562	5:35	6:00	Darbhanga	All
Wed	LokmanyaTilak	7:00	6:30	12564	Ald-Ltt Exp	12563	11:40	12:05	Faizabad	Tue
Tue, Sat	Anand Vihar	0:55	0:52	12569	Garib Rath Exp	12570	0:17	0:20	Jaynagar	Wed,Sun
Tue,Thur	Chenai	4:40	4:10	12670	Ganga Kaveri	12669	3:50	4:15	Chapra	Mon,Wed
All	Secundrabad	20:48	20:20	12792	secundrabad Ex	12791	10:55	11:25	Patna	All
all	New Delhi	19:45	19:35	12801	Purushotam Ex	12802	7:25	7:35	Puri	All
Tue,Thur,Fri,Sun	New Delhi	7:40	7:35	12815	Puri-Ndls Exp	12816	15:10	15:20	Puri	Mon,Wed,Thur,Sat
Mon,thur,Sat	Anand Vihar	4:45	4:35	12817	Jharkhand Exp	12818	4:20	4:30	Hatia	Tue,Fri,Sun
Tue,wed,Fri	Anand Vihar	5:00	4:35	12873	Jharkhand Exp	12874	4:20	4:50	Hatia	Wed,Thur,Sat
Tue, Sat	New Delhi	3:44	3:42	12877	Garib Rath Exp	12878	23:08	23:10	Ranchi	Wed,Sat
Tue	Gandhidham	11:35	11-:30	12938	Garva Exp	12937	22:30	22:40	Howrah	Sun
Fri	Ahemdabad	5:35	5:30	12942	Ahemdabad Ex	12941	22:30	22:40	Asansol	Wed
Thur,Sat	Ahemdabad	5:35	5:30	12948	Azimabad Exp	12947	21:35	21:45	Patna	Tue,Thur
All	Ajmer	12:40	12:35	12987	Ajmer Exp	12988	2:28	2:43	Sealdah	All
All	Sriganganagar	5:15	5:05	13007	Toofan Exp	13008	22:05	22:15	Howrah	All
All	Delhi	15:30	15:20	13111	Lal Quila Exp	13112	10:45	10:58	Kolkata	All
All	LokmanyaTilak	8:25	7:58	13201	Mumbai Janta	13202	23:55	0:35	Patna	All
All	Anand Vihar	0:00	19:10	14005	Lichchavi Exp	14006	2:30	2:55	Sitamarhi	All
All	Delhi	19:25	19:15	14055	Bramhaputra	14056	8:25	8:35	Dibrugarh	All
All	Delhi	6:35	6:30	14083	Mahananda Ex	14084	17:55	18:05	AlipurDwar	All
All	Dehradun	17:45	Starts	14113	Link Exp	14114	8:10	Ends	Allahabad	All
Tue,Thur,Sun	Haridwar	23:55	Starts	14115	Haridwar Exp	14116	7:45	Ends	Allahabad	Mon,Wed,Fri
All	Meerut	17:45	Starts	14163	Sangam Exp	14164	8:10	Ends	Allahabad	All
All	Lucknow	15:20	15:00	14209	Intercity Exp	14210	11:45	12:00	vindhyachal	All
All	Lucknow	6:00	Starts	14215	Ganga Gomati	14216	22:20	Ends	Allahabad	All
All	Chandigarh	14:15	Starts	14217	Unchahar Exp	14218	11:20	Ends	Allahabad	All
Mon	Rameshwaram	1:02	0:30	14260	Rameshwaram	14259	1:00	1:25	Varanasi	Sat
All	Bareilly	22:15	Starts	14307	Barelliy Exp	14308	5:30		Prayag	all
Wed,Fri,Sun	Bareilly	3:05	2:30	14369	Triveni Exp	14370	20:55	21:25	Singarauli	Mon,Wed,Fri
All	Saharanpur	17:40	Starts	14511	Nauchandi Exp	14512	9:55	Ends	Allahabad	All
All	Kanpur	8:45	8:20	15004	Chaurichaura	15003	20:45	21:10	Gorakhpur	All
All	LokmanyaTilak	16:30	16:00	15018	Kashi Exp	15017	8:10	8:35	Gorakhpur	All
All	Durg	15:40	15:15	15159	Sarnath Exp	15160	12:15	12:55	Chapra	All
Fri,Sun	Bikaner	11:35	11:30	15632	Barmer Exp	15631	21:35	21:45	Guahati	Mon,Wed
Wed	Ernakulam	1:02	0:30	16360	Cochin Exp	16359	1:00	1:25	Patna	Tue
All	Jammutawi	9:05	8:40	18101	Muri Exp	18102	15:30	16:02	Tatanagar	All
Fri,Sun	Durg	22:55	22:10	18202	Durg Exp	18201	10:20	10:45	Gorakhpur	Tue,Sat
Sat	Durg	21:08	20:35	18206	Durg Exp	18205	10:20	10:50	Nautanawa	Fri
Thur	LokmanyaTilak	12:20	11:50	18609	Ranchi-Ltt Exp	18610	15:50	16:20	Ranchi	Sun
Fri	Ajmer	12:50	12:45	18631	Garib Nawaz Ex	18632	10:15	10:25	Ranchi	Sun
Tue,Fri,Sun	Indore	8:12	7:45	19306	Shipra Exp	19305	16:55	17:20	Howrah	Wed,Fri,Sun
Sun	Okha	1:25	0:40	19570	Okha Exp	19569	1:15	2:00	Varanasi	Sat
Mon,Wed,Sat	Khajuraho	22:25	22:00	21108	Khajurao Exp	21107	6:45	7:10	Varanasi	Mon,Wed,Sat
Wed	Pune	7:48	7:20	22132	Gyan Ganga Exp	22131	15:30	16:20	Maduadih	Tue
wed, Fri, Sun	Anand Vihar	0:55	0:52	22405	Garib Rath Exp	22406	0:17	0:20	Bhagalpur	Tue,Thur,Sat
Mon	Anand Vihar	1:25	1:20	22409	Sasaram Exp	22410	3:55	4:00	Sasaram	Sun
Sun	New Delhi	2:55	2:52	22423	Rajdhani	22424	20:39	20:42	Guwahati	Thur
Mon,Tue,Thur,Sat	Bareilly	3:05	2:30	24369	Triveni Exp	24370	20:55	21:55	ShaktiNagar	Tue,thur,Sat,Sun
All	Bareilly	3:05	2:30	84369	Triveni Exp	84370	20:55	21:55	Barwadih Jn	All

WEBSITE www.indianrail.gov.in

Commercialization of Kumbh Mela

September 5, 2012/0 Comments/in Allahabad Kumbh/by admin

The Kumbh Mela is witnessing massive commercialization with the decision of the Uttar Pradesh government to sell the festival’s TV rights to big corporates. The idea is believed to have sought inspiration from the IPL (Indian Premier League) matches which generate huge revenue for their organizers. This year in May, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Jawed Usmani sent a letter instructing the local administration to ‘generate revenue by auctioning advertising and telecast rights’ of the mega festival which would see participation of more than 70 million people.

The auctioning of the TV rights to a specific company will lead to the infringement of a pilgrim’s freedom and discretion to capture the divine moments in his or her camera. The attendee would have to pay a heavy charge to the company owning the media rights. This would certainly lead to disappointment and unrest among the participants who would want to capture the memories of the sacred festival. Additionally, the small local news channels would be debarred from telecasting the events of the Mela to its viewers. The decision is bound to impact the lives of the countless participants of the Kumbh Mela at an individual and spiritual level.

Kumbh Mela TV Rights

What is harm in monetizing the Kumbh festival?

The strongest argument against the commercialisation of Kumbh Mela is the fear that it would tarnish the sanctity of the festival. Since Vedic times, people have regarded the festival activities as sacrosanct with God as its pivot. The festival observes the participation of Saints who come from Himalayan caves and other remote parts of the country to bless all the devotees. Monetization of the festival would be seen as an act of disrespect to Vedic tradition and spirituality.

The contemporary government, in their race to hoard money by different kinds of taxation, have lost the faith of the citizens and commercialisation of the festival would bolster their antagonism in the political authorities. Indian history should serve as an example for the current government to stop exploiting Indian culture and the beliefs of Indian to satisfy their vested interests. Various episodes in Indian history such that of King Harshavardana, who lavishly distributed all of his accumulated wealth to the needy and downtrodden such that he returned to his palace in clothes borrowed from his sister, should be looked upon to govern a country in the interest of the people. The story exemplifies the code of conduct of a good ruler which could be aped to safeguard the economic and religious interests of the citizens. Thus religious congregations and pilgrimages like Kumbh Mela should be kept out of the revenue generating compass of the government to preserve the sanctity of the event.

Protest by Saints

The saints from all over the country have come together to oppose the move of Uttar Pradesh government to carry out the new media rights policy enabling auction of exclusive broadcast rights. These saints are worthy of appreciation as they revolted the government’s decision which could have barred enthused shutterbugs from capturing a life time divine experience.

Significance of Mauni Amavasya Snan (Sacred Bath)

September 4, 2012/6 Comments/in Allahabad Kumbh/by admin

Importance of Mauni Amavasya snan (bathing ) at kumbh mela

According to ancient religious scriptures, Mauni Amavasya is the day on which Manu rishi appears in this world millions of years ago. It is believed to be the day when the universe was created. On this day, the Sun and the Moon enters into the Capricorn sign. A vow of complete silence is observed on this day known as Maun Vrat. This vow is assumed to control our senses and engage them into the service of Supreme Lord Narayana. Practising austerities is believed to purify an individual’s existence and observing the vow of silence is apparently the simplest way to do so. The day holds extreme religious importance and taking bath on this day in the holy waters is deemed significant and auspicious.

Procedure of taking bath on Mauni amavasya in kumbh mela

On the pious day of Mauni Amavasya, a believer is expected to meditate and pray to Lord Vishnu. He is likely to pledge against all his mundane and material urges like lust, greed, anger and envy. He may donate articles like food, money and clothes to the needy saints then he can observe the vow of silence. All these procedures are ensued by the ceremonial bath in the waters of the confluence of holy rivers at Allahabad.

Date of Mauni Amavasya for kumbh mela 2013 is 10-Feb-2103

For Kumbh Mela 2015 bathing dates

The day observes the largest gathering of people in a single day as most of the pilgrims plan this day to visit Maha Kumbh because it is a believed that by bathing on this day a person can acquire good karma which thereby helps pursuing a fruitful and religious life.

It is thus highly recommended to the readers of this site to plan and visit the Maha Kumbh festival such that they can witness the grandeur of the highly revered day of Mauni Amavasya.

For further help and latest updates on the mega festival, visit Kumbh mela FaceBook page

Accommodation Rate Comparison at Kumbh Mela in Allahabad

September 2, 2012/18 Comments/in Allahabad Kumbh/by admin

[box] Special Accommodation for Our Visitors. Get your Kumbh Mela accommodation with spiritual organizations or with tour providers at cheaper rates. For details contact us.[/box]

Accommodation Rate Comparison at Kumbh Mela in Allahabad

This post compares the rates of different accommodation facilities for the Kumbh Mela 2013 available on the internet. In reality, only the government can provide accommodation on mela site during the Kumbh Mela and there is no outsourcing of the facilities. So the private agencies reserve accommodation through government agencies and charge their customers with higher rates for the same facilities.

Following is the list of websites found on internet that claim to provide residence during the Maha Kumbh Festival.

Note: These websites may not be associated with the UP Government which provides cottages and dormitories for staying during the festival.

Official Website is UP Tourism

Rates from UP Tourism

Rahi llawart Tourist Bungalow 35 M.G. Marg, Allahabad ph.: 0532-2407440, 2408374 Fax : 0532-2408461 E-mail : rahiilawart@up-tourism.com Kumbh Fair tariff : (Effective from 01 January, 2013 to 10 March, 2013)
Types of Room	Single Occupancy (INR)	Double Occupancy (INR)	Description
Ganga- Yamuna & Saraswati		7000.00	Cold Drink, Mineral Water, Break-fast-Complimentary for two persons
A.C. Deluxe	3300.00	3500.00	Cold Drink, Mineral Water, Bed Tea, Break- fast- Complimentary
A.C. Semi-Deluxe	2800.00	3000.00	Bed Tea-Complimentary
A.C. Economic	2300.00	2500.00
4 Bed		2500.00
Dormitory	500.00 Per Bed

Image of tents

Rahi Triveni Darshan,Yamuna Bank Road, Kydganj, AllahabadPh.:0532-2558646E-mail : rahitrivenialahabad@up-tourism.com Kumbh Fair tariff : (Effective from 01 January, 2013 to 10 March, 2013)
Types of Room	Single Occupancy	Double Occupancy
A.C.Room	Rs. 2000/-	Rs. 2200/-
Non A.C. Room	Rs. 1200/-	Rs. 1400/-
Dormitory	Rs. 250/- Per Bed

Tariff of Tent colony at Kumbh Fair : (Effective from 01 January, 2013 to 10 March, 2013)
Swiss Cottage (Double Occupancy, A.P.Plan)	Rs. 6000.00 per day
Dormitory Cottage	Rs. 500.00 per bed- per day.

RULES FOR BOOKING / CANCELLATION AND REFUND

For reservation 100% advance will be required.
All applicable Taxes will be charged extra.
For Swiss Cottage no refund..

For Rooms:-

15 Days or more	:	90% refundable
10 to 14 Days	:	75% refundable
3 to 9 Days	:	50% refundable
Less than 3 Days	:	No refundable

List of other websites claiming to provide accommodation at Kumbh Mela:

www.kumbhamela.net: This is one of the oldest websites on Kumbh Mela. It may be recognized by Department of Tourism. The site does not mention any rates for cottages or tents one can register through the “Contact our Tour Planner” link and can get the actual details required.
www.kumbhmela.net: This site is identical in name with the first one and provides information on the various types of accommodations available during the Kumbh Mela including the Swiss tents, star rated hotels and dorms. There is not much information on the accommodation prices.
www.kumbhmela.co.in: This is a well-organized website that has a detailed list of type of accommodations and their respective prices. The prices mentioned will be enlisted at the end of the post.
www.mahakumbhyatra.com: This is a newly launched website as compared to the others and provides a platform for easy navigation and access to rates and type of accommodation during the festival.
www.kumbhmelapackages.com: This website is found in the Google Sponsored Ads links. It provides different types of Kumbh Mela packages ranging from 10,000Rs (200$) to 20,000Rs (400$).

For More Information Visit Kumbh Mela 2013 Accommodation in Allahabad

How Many People can Travel to the Kumbh Mela in One Day.

August 30, 2012/0 Comments/in Allahabad Kumbh/by admin

How Many People can Travel to the Kumbh Mela in One Day.

From New Delhi to Allahabad by Rail

As getting a train ticket in India is a herculean task, this post aims to estimate the situation of available train seats at the peak time during the Kumbh Mela in January and February 2013. The world famous festival will observe people coming from every part of the world to witness the grandeur of the pilgrimage. Following is list of trains from New Delhi to Allahabad and the speculated waiting scenario for the ordinary public to travel by rail during the Maha Kumbh if the tickets are not booked well in advance (120 days). The list is taken from the Indian Railways website on 30-Aug-2013.

Train No.	Train Name	Origin	Dep.Time	Destination	Arr.Time	Days Of Run
Train No.	Train Name	Origin	Dep.Time	Destination	Arr.Time	M	T	W	T	F	S	S
18110	++JAT MURI ROU EX	*SUBZI MANDI	04:11	ALLAHABAD JN	15:30	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
12312	+KALKA MAIL	*ADRSH NGR DELHI	05:48	ALLAHABAD JN	17:20	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
+NANDAN KANAN EX	NEW DELHI	06:30	ALLAHABAD JN	15:10	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y	N
15484	+MAHANANDA EXP	DELHI	06:40	ALLAHABAD JN	17:55	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
14084	+MAHANANDA EXP	#DELHI	06:40	ALLAHABAD JN	17:55	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
12506	+NORTH EAST EXP	ANAND VIHAR TRM	06:50	ALLAHABAD JN	15:40	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
12324	+NDLS HWH EXPRES	NEW DELHI	07:00	ALLAHABAD JN	16:35	N	N	N	Y	N	N	Y
13008	+U A TOOFAN EXP	*NEW DELHI	07:35	ALLAHABAD JN	22:05	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
12488	+SEEMANCHAL EXP	ANAND VIHAR TRM	07:40	ALLAHABAD JN	16:50	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
12398	+MAHABODHI EXP	NEW DELHI	14:10	ALLAHABAD JN	22:40	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
14006	+LICHCHAVI EXP	ANAND VIHAR TRM	15:50	ALLAHABAD JN	02:30	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
12382	+POORVA EXPRESS	NEW DELHI	16:20	ALLAHABAD JN	02:20	Y	Y	N	N	Y	N	N
12304	+POORVA EXPRESS	NEW DELHI	16:20	ALLAHABAD JN	02:05	N	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y
02394	+ANVT PNBE SPL	#ANAND VIHAR TRM	18:35	ALLAHABAD JN	03:45	N	Y	N	N	Y	N	Y
12560	+SHIV GANGA EXP	NEW DELHI	18:55	ALLAHABAD JN	03:35	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
12874	+JHARKHAND EXP	ANAND VIHAR TRM	19:50	ALLAHABAD JN	04:20	N	Y	Y	N	Y	N	N
12818	+JHARKHAND EXPRE	ANAND VIHAR TRM	19:50	ALLAHABAD JN	04:20	Y	N	N	Y	N	Y	N
12402	+MAGADH EXPRESS	NEW DELHI	20:10	ALLAHABAD JN	05:10	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
12562	+SWATANTRTA S EX	NEW DELHI	20:40	ALLAHABAD JN	05:35	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
13112	+LAL QUILA EXP	DELHI	20:50	ALLAHABAD JN	10:45	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
14218	+UNCHAHAR EXP	*SUBZI MANDI	20:57	ALLAHABAD JN	11:20	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
12418	+PRAYAG RAJ EXP	NEW DELHI	21:25	ALLAHABAD JN	06:45	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
12802	+PURSHOTTAM EXP	NEW DELHI	22:20	ALLAHABAD JN	07:25	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
12276	+ALD DURONTO EXP	NEW DELHI	22:40	ALLAHABAD JN	06:10	N	N	Y	N	Y	N	Y
14056	+BRAHMPUTRA MAIL	DELHI	23:40	ALLAHABAD JN	08:25	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
12502	+PORVOTR S KRNTI	NEW DELHI	23:45	ALLAHABAD JN	08:50	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	Y
12350	+NDLS BGP EXPRES	NEW DELHI	23:45	ALLAHABAD JN	08:50	N	Y	N	N	N	N	N
12428	+NDLS REWA EXP	NEW DELHI	23:55	ALLAHABAD JN	09:25	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

The trains have around 600 (general quota) berths in sleeper class and 150 seats in third AC. The total number of trains from north India that pass through New Delhi is 28. Therefore total available seats in sleeper class are 16800 (approx.) and 4200(approx.) in Third AC. In one day total passengers under the general quota will be (16800+4200) = 21000. Actual seats including all types of quotas are 12 X 72 X 28=24192 as most trains have 12 sleeper bogies. For Third AC, taking maximum 5 bogies per train, the berth count would be 5 X 72 X 28= 10000

During the last Kumbh Mela, the total visiting devotee count reached 70 million (70 X 10,00000) within a span of 30 days. We can therefore compute the total capacity of each train assuming that there are four general bogies to be 4*100*28 (500 is capacity of one bogie)= 11500 approx. (taking lager values)

Hence, people who can travel from Delhi to Allahabad in a day are: 24500+ 11500+10000= 46000. This is current maximum capacity. But it can be estimated that during the peak Kumbh Mela season, this capacity will increase threefold per train raising the traveler count to 1,35,000. The situation is one of a kind and can only happen in a country like India.

What would you do if you were planning to attend the Kumbh Mela? Comment at the Kumbh Mela 2013 page.

Official website rates for Kumbh Mela 2013 accommodation

August 26, 2012/9 Comments/in Allahabad Kumbh/by admin

Official Website Accommodation rates for kumbh mela 2013 from U.P. Government .

Many private websites are providing Swiss Cottage accommodation for the Kumbh festival but according to the officials there are no such websites providing this type of accommodation.

According to Additional Mela Officer Ashutosh Dwivedi, the matter came to light when certain people seeking to book Swiss-style cottages through unauthorized private websites approached the festival organizers.

There are no websites issued by the Government for allocating cottages to private agencies, Mr. Dwivedi said, adding that necessary information about the Mela is available on the official website of the Kumbh Mela.”

This is from The Hindu newspaper http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/article3729838.ece read more on this link.

this is from Time of India http://m.timesofindia.com/city/lucknow/Fake-websites-selling-Kumbh-cottages/articleshow/16804727.cms

[box] Special Accommodation for Our Visitors. Get your Kumbh Mela accommodation with spiritual organizations or with tour providers at cheaper rates. For details contact us.[/box]

The official website for booking cottages is Uttar Pradesh Tourism.

It provides cheaper accommodation for kumbh mela 2013. The readers are suggested to not book accommodation for this festival from private websites which might be fraudulent.

This above photo is from UP tourism website. The accommodation rates are cheaper than that provides by the other private websites. Most of the websites featuring in Google Search Results are personal websites launched by travel agents and their authenticity is highly dubious. The next post will feature complete rates and comparison with other private rates. People who are on a budget trip are recommended to stay in dormitories as they are a lot cheaper than the other housing options during the festival and would cost around $10 a day.

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Prayag : An Ancient Holy City(Allahabad)

August 21, 2012/0 Comments/in Allahabad Kumbh/by admin

Prayag : An Ancient Holy City(Allahabad)

Allahabad is also known as Prayag Raj. The name bears roots to an ancient legend which says that after the creation of the world, Lord Brahma offered the first sacrifice at Allahabad and hence the place came to be known as Prayag which is the place of sacrifice. It is famous as it is the confluence (sangam) of the three most holy rivers in Indi: the Ganges, the Yamuna and the subterranean Saraswati. All three rivers hold a pious and divine status in India and it is believed that bathing in the water of the confluence will bring auspiciousness and fortune to the individual’s life.

City Of Kumbh Mela

Allahabad is renowned across the world as it hosts the magnificent Hindu festival called the Kumbh Mela. According to legend, it is believed that drops of nectar fell near the confluence point of the three holy rivers thereby giving them mystical powers. Millions of people gather at the river banks (ghats) to take a dip in the waters and purge themselves of all sins and thus attain Moksha (Salvation). The festival observes participation of people of all ages, religions, castes and creed in mutual harmony and equality. The festival is attended by Sadhus and saints who follow the path of religion. Some of the highlight saints of the festival are Naga Sadhus, who never wear any clothes and are always smeared in ash; Urdhwavahurs, saints who renounce physical pleasures; Parivajakas, who have taken a vow of silence and Shirshasins, who stand for all 24 hours and meditate.

The attendees of the Kumbh festival have the same common goal of finding the ultimate truth and thereby ending the mortal life of suffering and attaining salvation. Underlying the popular belief is the basic principle of Immortality accounted in the Vedic texts which claim that the supreme reality is not the material body but the eternal soul (Bhagvad Gita) which neither dies nor takes birth.

Allahabad is considered as King among holy places in India.

Allahabad Kumbh mela 2013 Bathing Dates

February 27, 2012/72 Comments/in Allahabad Kumbh/by admin

if you here for Nashik Kumbh Mela Dates then Visit Kumbh Mela Dates page

The highlight feature of the Kumbh Mela is the bathing ceremony (snan). Millions of people travel across the globe to take a dip inthe Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati during the festival as it is believed by doing so one gets free from the baggage of sins committed in his lifetime and also attains salvation which is freedom from the cycle of birth and death. The Vedic Scriptures account for several other reasons to take bath in Holy Rivers like Ganges, Yamuna, Godawari and Narmada. The bathing ceremony is the most auspicious activity in this festival apart from the enlightenment one receives through spiritual discussions with the saints.

In Vedic culture, every river is personified as a deity and the water stream is interpreted as the material manifestation of that personality. Rivers are deified as mothers as they are a source for human existence. River Ganga is one of the most special rivers as it is believed to come directly from the ocean of milk by washing the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu. Bathing in the holy waters of Ganga is believed to be most auspicious at the time of Kumbh Mela.

Allahabad. Bathing at the time of Maha Kumbh also known as Shahi snan or Royal Bathing Days.

After 12 long years the grand event is again at the doorstep for people to grab the opportunity to witness the magnificent spectacle at Allahabad, the place of confluence of the three holy rivers, in January, 2013. The details about the most auspicious days during the festival on which devotees will take the holy dip in the waters of Ganges, Yamuna and the lost Saraswati are enlisted below:

[box] Shahi Snan starts at 6:00 Am [/box]

Maha Kumbh Mela 2013 Bathing (Shahi Snan) Dates

Bathing Dates	Day	Occasion	Remark
14th January 2013	Sunday	Makar Sankarnti	First Shahi Snan
27th January 2013	Sunday	Paush Purnima	–
6th February 2013	Wednesday	Ekadashi Snan	–
10th February 2013	Sunday	Mauni Amavasya Snan	Main Bathing Day (Dark moon)
15th February 2013	Friday	Basant Panchami Snan	Fifth day of the new moon (Last Shahi Snan )
17th February 2013	Sunday	Rath Saptami Snan
18th February 2013	Monday	Bhisma Ashtami Snan	Eigth day of the new moon
25th February 2013	Monday	Maghi Purnima Snan
10th March 2013	Sunday	Shivaratri Snan	Shivaratri is not a shahi snan

These are the dates when millions will come to take a holy dip at confluence of holy rivers at Allahabad. For further help please visit Kumbh Mela 2013 Facebook page and post any queries about the festival.

Ways to Reach Allahabad Kumbh Mela

Nearest metropolitan Cities

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Trains For Allahabad:

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RULES FOR BOOKING / CANCELLATION AND REFUND

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From New Delhi to Allahabad by Rail

Official website rates for Kumbh Mela 2013 accommodation

Official Website Accommodation rates for kumbh mela 2013 from U.P. Government .

The official website for booking cottages is Uttar Pradesh Tourism.

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Prayag : An Ancient Holy City(Allahabad)

Prayag : An Ancient Holy City(Allahabad)

City Of Kumbh Mela

Allahabad Kumbh mela 2013 Bathing Dates

if you here for Nashik Kumbh Mela Dates then Visit Kumbh Mela Dates page

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