What is Kumbha Mela ? Why & Where is it celebrated ?

Answer 1

Kumbha Mela is one of the unbroken Indian traditions with the objective of bringing the Amrit (nectar) of spiritual discussion to the masses through discourses and Shastrarth (Spiritual debates) where the common folk got chance to meet and listen to great scholars. It is an Indian spiritual conference which takes place every 12 years and attracts people from all corners of India and abroad. There are Ardh-Kumbhas that occur every four years.
There are four locations for the Kumbha:
1. Prayag (at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati near Allahabad)
2. Haridwar (at the banks of Ganga)
3. Ujjaini (at the banks of Kshipra river)
4. Nasik (at the banks of Godavari river)

With over 70 million people, Kumbha Mela is the world's largest spiritual gathering.

Answer 2

Thousands of years ago, in the Vedic period, gods and demons made a temporary agreement to work together churning amrit (the nectar of immortality) from the Ksheera Sagara (primordial ocean of milk), and to share the nectar equally. However, when the Kumbh (urn) containing the amrita appeared, the demons ran away with it and were chased by the gods. For twelve days and twelve nights (equivalent to twelve human years) the gods and demons fought in the sky for possession of this pot of amrita. It is said that during the battle, drops of amrita fell at four places: Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. Thus, the Kumbh Mela is observed at these four locations where the nectar fell.