The Simhastha fair (Kumbh) at Ujjain is held on the bank of which river?

The Simhastha is the Kumbh Mela held at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on the bank of the Kshipra (Shipra) river. It takes place once every 12 years, when the planet Jupiter (Brihaspati) is in the zodiac sign Leo (Simha rashi). That is why the Ujjain Kumbh is called "Simhastha". The last one was held in 2016, and the next is due in 2028.

Ujjain is one of the four Kumbh Mela sites in India:

• Haridwar on the Ganga (Uttarakhand).
• Prayagraj at the Triveni Sangam of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati (Uttar Pradesh).
• Nashik-Trimbakeshwar on the Godavari (Maharashtra).
• Ujjain on the Kshipra (Madhya Pradesh).

According to Hindu mythology, during the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan), drops of nectar (amrit) fell at these four places, which is why they became sacred. Millions of pilgrims and sadhus gather for ritual baths, and the most important bathing days are known as Shahi Snan (now often called Amrit Snan). The Kumbh Mela was inscribed on UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017.

Ujjain itself is an ancient city, once known as Avantika. It is home to the Mahakaleshwar temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, and was an important centre of astronomy; the Tropic of Cancer passes close to it.

The Kshipra is a tributary of the Chambal river. It rises in the Malwa plateau and flows north to join the Chambal.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Narmada flows past Omkareshwar and Maheshwar, not Ujjain.
• ✗The Godavari is the river of the Nashik Kumbh.
• ✗The Chambal is the larger river that the Kshipra joins.