The History and Mythology of the Kumbh Melā

The Kumbh Mel_, which takes place in India approximately every three years, is the largest festival in the world. This short introduction to its history and mythology was originally published as an appendix to my study of a sect of Indian s_dhus, the Da_an_m_-Sa_ny_s_s (The Da_an_m_-Sa_ny_s_s: The Integration of Ascetic Lineages into an Order. Leiden/Boston: E. J. Brill, 2006). It has been reprinted in this small booklet to enable easy access to the information. This booklet is slightly out of date, as only a few publications on this topic have been consulted since this article was first published, in 2006. Dr. Matthew Clark, Research Associate, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London