Festivals have always been an important part of life in India, where a celebration is held for almost every occasion. Some festivals are traditional, like Diwali, the Hindu New Year; some are ceremonial, like Kojagari, the harvest festival; and some are religious, like Rama-vijay, which commemorates Lord Rama's victory over the demon Ravana.

All these festivals are held with great pomp and rejoicing. But of all the festivals in India, kumbha mela, the festival held every twelve years at Allahabad, on the bank of the Ganges River, is by far the grandest.

The kumbha mela derives its name from the immortalizing pot of nectar described in India's ancient scriptures. Kumbba in the Sanskrit language means "pot," pitcher," or "jar," and mela means "festival. "

Historically the city of Prayag was a part of the Kosala kingdom during the period of Gautama Buddha, and later it became a part of the Magadha kingdom. During the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar the city was made a provincial capital and it was named as Allahabd - `the settlement of Allah'. Here the organisation of the Kumbh as a great fair and a gathering of saints, sages and their sects was first started by king Harshvardhan as `Mahamoksha Parishad'. But the Kumbh Mela in the present form was institutionalised by the great Adi Shankaracharya during his visit around eighth century A D. He directed ten different sects of ascetics commonly known as `Akharas' to assemble regularly at the Kumbh Mela for maintaining mutual contact, religious discussion, and giving socio-religious guidance to the masses. Saints and sages who mostly remain absorbed in meditation and penance in the inaccessible caves and forests of Himalayas come out at this time in the Kumbh fair.