Kumbh Mela: a Hindu place of pilgrimage
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what happens at the Kumbh Mela and the experience of different Hindus.
Key learning points
- The Kumbh Mela is the largest gathering of people on earth.
- The Kumbh Mela is a festival that happens every twelve years in India. It shows harmony of different Hindu traditions.
- Many Hindus will bathe at the meeting point of the rivers. Others will learn from the sadhus and sadhvi that attend.
- We can better understand Kumbh Mela by speaking to different Hindus.
Keywords
Kumbh Mela - a Hindu festival drawing large numbers of pilgrims
Dharma - acting with compassion for the good of humans and all living things
Sadhu/sadhvi - a Hindu man or woman who has chosen to lead a life of meditation away from others
Moksha - the end of the cycle of rebirth; becoming one with Brahman or God
Common misconception
The Kumbh Mela is simply about sadhus and crowds at the Ganges.
The Kumbh Mela is a spiritual pilgrimage linked to the sacred rivers and sacred time. Hindus may bathe in the river, speak to and learn from the wisdom of sadhus and sadhvus. They may also offer acts of service to other pilgrims.
Teacher tip
Compare a local stadium/venue capacity with the numbers present at the Kumbh Mela, so that pupils can gain an understanding of the large size of this festival. You might like to give the case studies to pupils so they can read them and use them to analyse for the final task.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the River Ganges also known as?
Q2.Why do Hindus believe the River Ganges is sacred?
Q3.What does ‘moksha’ mean in Hinduism?
Q4.Why do some Hindus scatter ashes in the River Ganges?
Q5.What is Varanasi?
Q6.The story of Mother Ganga teaches Hindus to respect .
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the Kumbh Mela?
Q2.Where does the Kumbh Mela take place?
Q3.Why do Hindus go to the Kumbh Mela?
Q4.How often does the Kumbh Mela take place?
Q5.What do some Hindus do at the Kumbh Mela to practise dharma?
Q6.True or false? Only men can be Hindu religious leaders and teachers.
To help you plan your 6 religious education lesson on: Kumbh Mela: a Hindu place of pilgrimage, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 religious education lesson on: Kumbh Mela: a Hindu place of pilgrimage, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 religious education lessons from the Pilgrimage: why are people still drawn to ancient places? unit, dive into the full primary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.