In a religious sense, a pilgrimage site refers to a place where the worship/prayer of a deity or creator is performed and where people are freed from sin. Another sacred pilgrimage site of contemporary times in Bengal is Tribenidham of Saptagram, situated in Suhmakshetra. This place is located on the banks of the Ganges in the Hugli district at 22°58’10’’ north latitude and 88°26’40’’ east longitude. In the poetry of Kavikankan Mukundaram and Sadhakranjan, the eulogy and the Muladhara about this “crest jewel of pilgrimages” Tribeni were also pronounced. The Muladhara of Tribeni bath is where the three nadis, Ida (Bhagwati Ganga), Pingala (Yamuna River) and Sushumna (Saraswati River), meet together. On the other hand, Ida is an artery through which pure blood flows, Pingala is a vein through which impure blood flows for re-purification, and Sushumna is the nervous system which is the source of all kinds of human excitement and sensation. The meeting point of these three types of nadis is Tribeni. Therefore, bathing in Tribeni awakens the latent power of the seeker, paves the way for the acquisition of knowledge, and the bather attains otherworldly peace.
The Kumbh Mela of India has received recognition in the world stage a few years ago. It is identified as the world’s largest peaceful religious gathering. For the attainment of virtue, a certain class of people consider Kumbh Snan as obligatory. In 2017, UNESCO declared the Kumbh Mela as India’s unique cultural heritage. Although it has different phases.
The general Kumbh Mela is held every four years. Ardhakumbh is held every six years in Haridwar and Prayagraj. The Purnakumbh is held every twelve years. Based on the position of Jupiter and Sun, Purnakumbh is held in four designated places of Kumbh Mela (namely – Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik). When Jupiter is in Taurus and Sun is in Aquarius, it is held in Prayag; when the Sun is in Aries, it is held in Haridwar; when the Sun is in Scorpio, it is held in Ujjain and when Jupiter and Sun are in Leo, the fair is held in Nasik. After twelve Purnakumbhs i.e. after 144 years, this year Mahakumbh is held in Prayag of Allahabad.
On the other hand, according to the prevailing story, while Garuda was fleeing with the urn of nectar during the churning of the ocean, four drops of nectar fell on the earth from the urn. These places became the four fields of Kumbh Mela.
However, the Kumbh Mela was once prevalent in Bengal as well, which has been forgotten by many past generations. The name of the Kumbh was erased due to the intrusion and oppression of Islamic rulers in Bengal. The Kumbh Mela was held for the last time at Tribeni, the confluence of the three rivers Ganga-Yamuna-Saraswati, in approximately 1319 AD. After waiting for 703 years, the Kumbh Mela of Bengal was restored in 2022 with the efforts of saints. In ancient times this Tribeni was also known as Muktaveni.
Local historian Ashok Gangopadhyay says, “There was a connection between Tribeni Kumbh Mela and Gangasagar Mela. The saints of that time, after the end of Gangasagar Mela, used to come to Tribeni on foot. They used to take bath on the day of Magh Sankranti i.e. Vishub Sankranti. This day was considered as Anukumbh in Tribeni. Saptagram and Tribeni were pilgrimage sites of education and culture”. According to Skanda Purana, the seven sons of King Priyavrata of Kushadwipa (Agnitra, Medhatithi, Bapushman, Jyotishman, Dyutishman, Savan and Bhavya) attained perfection by practicing at this place adjacent to Tribenidham, they built their ashrams in the adjacent seven villages namely Basudevpur, Bansberia, Nityanandpur, Krishnapur, Debanandpur, Shivpur and Baldaghati. That is why it is named Saptagram.
In 1292 AD, when the Delhi Sultanate’s Sipahsalar Zafar Khan Ghazi attacked Tribeni, the Turkish army under his command carried out a great massacre in Tribeni, stopped the religious processions of the Hindus, and destroyed a Vishnu temple built in the Pala era of Tribeni. Along with this, he banned the gathering of Hindus and stopped the Kumbh Mela. In this situation, Maharaja Bhudev Rai of Burdwanbhukti started a war to liberate Tribeni and establish Hindu rule. On the day of Maghi Purnima in 1305 AD, a fierce battle took place between Raja Bhudev Rai and Zafar Khan Ghazi on the banks of Mahanad near Itachuna. In this war, Maharaja Bhudev Rai defeated the Delhi army, and the Hindu army of Burdwan conquered Tribeni and Saptagram, re-establishing Hindu rule in Tribenidham and restarting the Kumbh Mela. Later, in 1505, Sultan Alauddin Hussain Shah of Pandua (Malda) occupied this area to attack Orissa and destroyed many temples. Saptagram was renamed “Husenabad”. He banned the gathering of ‘Kafir’ Hindus and completely banned the Kumbh Mela of Tribeni.
Finally, after a long time, in 2022, under the leadership of historian and eminent social worker Shri Kanchan Banerjee, pravasi bharatiya from Boston, USA, eminent businessman Shri Sadhan Mukherjee of Kolkata and newly formed tribeni kumbh parichalana samati under the guidance of saints from all sects of West Bengal and the entire country, and with the local people the Kumbh Mela and Punya Kumbh Snan were organized in a well-organized manner on 12th and 13th February, on the occasion of Maghi Sankranti Bhaimi-Ekadashi. All the monks, ascetics, sages and hermits of Tribeni gathered at Saptrishi Ghat (where the seven sages Maitri, Atri, Pulasta, Pulah, Vyas, Vashishtha, Vishwamitra practiced penance). This great event was named ‘ bongoyio Tribeni Kumbh Mela’. On February 26, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the Bengal pilgrimage site Tribeni in the 98th ‘Mann Ki Baat’ program. Mentioning the resumption of this grand festival three years ago and the gathering of more than 8 lakh devotees, he congratulated all those involved in the organization and said, “You are not only reviving a tradition; but also protecting the cultural heritage of India”.
The president of the Tribeni Kumbh Management Committee, Shri Kanchan Banerjee, and the administrative officer have announced that this year’s 2025 Tribeni Kumbh will be even more magnificent. An estimated gathering of more than 1.5 million devotees is expected. From February 11th to 13th, gatherings of saints, offering of flowers, water and soil from the Shakti Peeth under my supervision, Divyarudrabhishek, Rudrayagya, Dharma Sabha, Gangarti, Aditya Hridaya Mantra, royal parikrama, Amrit Snan of saints, saintly feast, Dhwaj Avarohan and subsequent completion etc. programs will be organized. The Yamuna river has disappeared due to loss of flow, the Saraswati river has disappeared due to loss of its own flow, only the Ganges is flowing. But the holy bath and Kumbh Mela of Tribeni are still present with pride. Many may see the Kumbh Mela as just a religious gathering. But it has evolved into a festival of humanity, where millions of people gather peacefully. This resurgence of Hindutva is a guide to making Bharat Mata once again supremely glorious.