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India history and geography

Source: Wikipedia: India History

Mahamaham is a Hindu festival celebrated every 12 years in the Mahamaham pond located in the South Indian town of Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, India. Hindus consider taking a holy dip at the Mahamaham tank on the day of Mahamaham as sacred. The last Mahamaham was celebrated on February 22, 2016 with over a million people from various places taking the holy dip in the Mahamaham tank. The ceremony is observed during various times like equinoxes, commencement of an era (Yuga) and its ending, eclipses and Makara Sankranti. The ceremony is usually performed in sacred places like temples, rivers and tanks.

As per legend, after the end of each era (yuga), the whole world immerses in a deluge on account of the wrath of Hindu god Shiva for the sins committed by humans in earth. Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, recreated the world during the start of current Kali Yuga . Shiva declared that after the end of previous era, a divine pot would reach a holy spot. As the divind pot reached Kumbakonam, Shiva, in the form of a hunter, broke the pot with an arrow. The pot broke into many parts and scattered around, which became the cause for so many temples in the town. Brahma prayed to Shiva to allow pilgrims to visit the tank during the sacred occasion. Lord Shiva accepted the demand and is believed to arrive along with Vishnu and other celestial deities at the centre of the tank.

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The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.

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Full-text: Kumbakonam.

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