In traditional Hindu religious practice, the large Kumbh Mela pilgrimage at a given sacred river site is held regularly once in how many years?

Introduction / Context:
Kumbh Mela is one of the largest spiritual gatherings in the world, where millions of Hindu pilgrims assemble on the banks of sacred rivers to bathe and perform rituals. Competitive examination questions often test the periodicity of this important religious fair, because knowing the correct time interval helps students connect religious traditions with historical and cultural facts of India. This question is asking specifically about the full Kumbh Mela at a particular site, not the smaller Ardh Kumbh or other related events.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Kumbh Mela is held at four main locations: Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain.- The question asks for the interval in years at which the major Kumbh Mela returns to the same location.- The answer options include 5, 7, 10 and 12 years, plus a mention of 6 years in one of the options.- We assume the question focuses on the standard full Kumbh Mela cycle recognised in Hindu tradition.

Concept / Approach:
The key idea is to recall the time cycle associated with different types of Kumbh gatherings. The full Kumbh Mela is linked to specific planetary positions, especially the movement of Jupiter and the Sun, which results in a cycle of approximately twelve years. In addition, there are Ardh Kumbh Melas which occur roughly every six years between two full Kumbh Melas at some locations. Maha Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj is associated with a much longer cycle of about one hundred and forty four years. Therefore, for a general question about Kumbh Mela periodicity, the recognised correct interval is twelve years at each site.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Identify the event: the question refers to the standard Kumbh Mela at a given sacred river site.2. Recall that the full Kumbh Mela returns to the same location roughly every 12 years based on traditional astrological calculations.3. Compare this information with the options given: 5, 7, 10, 12 years and one option referring to 6 years as Ardh Kumbh.4. Recognise that 6 years corresponds to Ardh Kumbh Mela and not the full Kumbh Mela.5. Conclude that the correct time interval for the major Kumbh Mela at one site is 12 years.

Verification / Alternative check:
Historically, you can cross check this by looking at known dates of Kumbh Melas at Haridwar or Prayagraj across decades. If you list the years, you will observe a gap of approximately twelve years between two full Kumbh Melas at the same place. The Ardh Kumbh events occur in between, roughly every six years, which confirms that six years refers to a smaller version of the festival, not the main Kumbh Mela about which the question is asking.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
- Every 10 years: there is no traditional ten year Kumbh cycle recognised in Hindu religious calendars.- Every 7 years: seven years does not correspond to any standard Kumbh related interval.- Every 5 years: five years is also not part of the established cycles of Kumbh or Ardh Kumbh Melas.- Every 6 years, which is the Ardh Kumbh Mela: six years refers to the half Kumbh celebrated between two complete Kumbh Melas, so it is not the correct answer for the main event.

Common Pitfalls:
Many learners confuse Ardh Kumbh Mela with the full Kumbh Mela. Because Ardh means half, its six year interval is exactly half of the full twelve year cycle. Examinations frequently include six year options to create this confusion. Another common mistake is to assume that the time interval might be a round number like five or ten years just because such numbers are easy to remember, but that is not how the religious and astronomical tradition defines the event. Always connect the interval with the idea of Jupiter taking around twelve years to complete one revolution of the zodiac, which underlies the timing of Kumbh Mela.

Final Answer:
The Kumbh Mela at a given sacred river site is held once every 12 years.