Ardh Kumbh or Kumbh – What’s in the name?

The Kumbh Mela 2019 got itself into a war of nomenclature – ‘Ardh Kumbh’ or ‘Kumbh’. The row began when Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath announced the renaming of what has traditionally been called the ‘Ardh Kumbh’ as the ‘Kumbh’. The term Kumbh was first mentioned in a chronicle called Khulasat-ut-tawarikh which was written by Sujaan Rai during the epoch of Aurangzeb. Subodh Mishra, from the Hindustan Times caught with various people at the fair to find out the effects of the name change.