An Artist's View:
Mela - for creative work in the fields of music, the visual arts, and other media; to explore the applications of advanced technologies to artistic expression; and to present major contemporary works and extended duration art installations that eliminate the boundaries between artistic disciplines.
A Scholar's View:
The name "Mela" derives from the Sanskrit word, which has meanings of consonance, harmonizing, combining, gathering together, and is etymologically related to "milana", the verb: to tune.
A Musician's View:
Mela - the initials stand for Music Eternal Light Art.
A Parent's View:
It's about family and togetherness - something we can all do, it doesn't cost to get in, the music's great and the kids love it.
Our View
Mela is a celebration of shared community, cultural and spiritual values, encouraging people to come together freely in happiness and harmony for all.
No matter what your viewpoint, the Crawley Internatonal Mela has something for you. Join us on August 1 - 3 to experience it.
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Background Information - What is a Mela?
A Mela is simply a festival. But the tradition and meaning of Mela is ancient. Indian civilisation can be dated back to 10,000BC, using dates for astronomical events (Pleiades at winter solstice) described in the earliest Vedas or sacred scriptures. These also mark the origin of the pilgrimmage festival, or Mela. The oldest Mela, the Khumba Mela, is held once every 12 years at the junction of the three sacred rivers (Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati) and attended by more than 40 million people.
Mela today is a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic festival still rooted in events described in Vedas known as the Puranas.
Kumbha Mela, for example, derives its name from the immortal “Pot of Nectar” described in the Puranas. Kumbha in Sanskrit means “pot or pitcher’ so 'Kumbha Mela' literally means 'festival of the pot' - in this case a pot of nectar of immortality. The ods and demons assembled on the shore of the milk ocean that lies in the celestial region of the cosmos and made a plan to churn the ocean to produce the fabulous drink. They agreed to share it equally once it was produced.
For the task of churning the milk ocean, the Mandara Mountain was used as the churning rod, and Vasuki, the king of serpents, became the rope for churning. As the churning began, the Mandara Mountain began to sink deep into the ocean, at which time Vishnu incarnated as a great tortoise and supported the mountain on his back. With the demigods at Vasuki’s tail and the demons at his head, they churned the milk ocean for one thousand years.
The churning of the milk ocean first produced a deadly poison which Shiva drank without being affected. As Shiva drank the poison, a few drops fell from his hands and were licked up by scorpions, snakes, and similar other deadly creatures. After Shiva drank the poison, numerous opulent items were produced. First a surabhi cow appeared, who could yield unlimited quantities of milk. A white horse named Uccaihsrava was then produced, as well as a white elephant named Airavata. Then a valuable gem called the Kaustubha-mani appeared
Next came the Apsaras, beautiful dancing girls, and a host of other wonderful things appeared from the milk ocean. At last a male person named Dhanvantari appeared carrying the pot of immortal nectar in his hands. Seeing Dhanvantari with the pot of nectar, both the demigods and demons became anxious. The demigods, being fearful of what would happen if the demons drank their share of the nectar of immortality, forcibly seized the pot.
Wherever the demigods went with the pot of nectar, fierce fighting ensued. In an endeavor to keep the nectar from falling into the hands of the demons, the demigods hid it in four places on the earth, Prayag (Allahabad), Hardwar, Ujjain, and Nasik. At each of the hiding places, a drop of the nectar spilled from the pot and landed on the earth. These four places are since believed to have acquired mystical power.
Eventually, the demons overpowered the demigods and took possession of the nectar of immortality. To rescue the demigods from the hands of fate, Vishnu incarnated as a beautiful woman, Mohini-murti, and approached the demons. When the demons saw the charming beauty of Mohini-murti, they lost all composure. Seeing her slender hips and pleasing smile the demons completely forgot about drinking the nectar of immortality. While they were entranced by her beauty, Mohini-murti seized the nectar and returned it to the demigods, who drank it immediately.
This story, and many other themes from the Puranas, are the subject of face painting and rangoli, pictures produced from chalk or flower petals, at Melas and other Hindu festivals. Echoes of these can also be seen in many Buddhist mandalas.
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