The 'Mahamaham' festival, celebrated once every 12 years at a sacred tank in Kumbakonam, is held in which state?

The Mahamaham (also spelt Mahamagam) is a sacred bathing festival held once every 12 years at the Mahamaham tank in the temple town of Kumbakonam, in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. It is often called the "Kumbh Mela of the South".

The Mahamaham is held in the Tamil month of Masi (February-March), on the day of the Magam (Magha) star, when the planet Jupiter (Guru) is in the zodiac sign of Leo (Simha) and the full moon is in the Magha nakshatra. This alignment occurs once every 12 years. According to belief, on this day, the nine sacred rivers of India, the Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Narmada, Godavari, Krishna, Tungabhadra, Kaveri and Sarayu, come to the Mahamaham tank to bathe and wash away the sins that people have left in them. So bathing in the tank on this day is believed to be equal to bathing in all these rivers and to wash away all sins.

The Mahamaham tank is a large tank covering about 6 acres, surrounded by 16 small shrines (mandapams) and steps leading down to the water. On the day of the festival, lakhs of pilgrims bathe in the tank, and the images of the deities of the temples of Kumbakonam, such as the Adi Kumbeswarar, Kasi Viswanathar and Sarangapani temples, are brought to the tank for a ceremonial bath (theerthavari). After bathing in the tank, devotees also bathe in the river Kaveri. The last Mahamaham was held in 2016, and the next is due in 2028.

Kumbakonam, a town between the Kaveri and Arasalar rivers, is famous for its many temples, and its name is linked to the legend of the divine pot (kumbha) of nectar. In years when it is not the Mahamaham, a smaller festival called Masi Magam is held every year.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Kerala celebrates temple festivals such as the Thrissur Pooram.
• ✗Karnataka celebrates the Mahamastakabhisheka at Shravanabelagola every 12 years.
• ✗Andhra Pradesh celebrates the Pushkaralu river festivals every 12 years.