Unveiling an extraordinary religious event, spectators worldwide are left in awe as the figures pile up.
Over the upcoming six weeks, an astonishing 400 million people are anticipated to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, also known as the festival of the Sacred Pitcher, along the riverbanks in Prayagraj.
Every twelve years, the festival gains the prefix "Maha," denoting its grandeur, as it's the most significant occurrence of the Kumbh Mela that takes place every three years in one of four cities. In Prayagraj, individuals will immerse themselves in the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the revered rivers—the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati—to purify their sins and draw nearer to "spiritual emancipation."
The Kumbh draws inspiration from Hindu mythology, taking shape around the legend of battles between demons and gods over a pitcher containing the elixir of immortality. During the fierce combat, four drops from the pitcher fell on Earth, finding homes in Prayagraj, Nashik, Haridwar, and Ujjain, the cities that in turn host the festival in rotation.
Indian Prime Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party leader Narendra Modi has extended an invitation to people from all corners of the world to partake in the ceremony, recognized by UNESCO in 2017 as an essential element of "intangible cultural heritage of humanity."
Authorities have marketed the event not just as a religious gathering but as an enthralling cultural spectacle, drawing in celebrities from both Bollywood and Hollywood in the past.
On Sunday, Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh’s saffron-clad leader made infamous for his incendiary discourse against Muslims, declared that millions of people had already taken a "dive in the sacred waters of the Sangam."
Formerly known as Allahabad, Prayagraj was renamed by Adityanath in 2018, a move seen as honoring the city's historical significance as a spiritual site for Hindu pilgrims.
This year's festivities have required years of planning and a substantial investment to construct facilities to accommodate the influx of visitors to Prayagraj, a city with a regular population of 6 million people.
Approximately 160,000 tents, 150,000 toilets, and a 776-mile (1,249-kilometer) drinking water pipeline have been installed at a temporary tent city spanning 4,000 hectares, roughly 7,500 football fields.
In 2013, numerous individuals were killed and injured in a crowd crush at a railway station while pilgrims gathered in the city. Such deadly incidents at religious gatherings in India are frequent, frequently highlighting a lack of sufficient crowd control and safety arrangements.
This year, officials assure enhancements in safety measures in Prayagraj to safeguard visitors, including a security ring manned by over 1,000 police officers surrounding the city.
Over 2,700 security cameras powered by artificial intelligence will be stationed around the city, with monitoring stations set up at critical places, as per the central government's reports.
Drones will offer surveillance from multiple angles, with underwater drones capable of diving up to 100 meters taking the lead in providing continuous supervision for the first time.
Authorities have added 3,000 special trains and 13,100 train services, while upgrading infrastructure such as fourteen new flyovers and underpasses, twelve new road corridors, 7,000 buses, 550 shuttle buses, seven new bus stops, and thirty pontoon bridges to improve connectivity, according to the Uttar Pradesh state government.
The event concludes on February 26.
To emphasize, the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, India, is projected to host an estimated 45 crore pilgrims, backed by rigorous safety measures and extensive infrastructure developments, all put in place to make certain the safety and comfort of devotees.
Due to the anticipation of the Maha Kumbh Mela, many people are planning their travels to Prayagraj. After immersing themselves in the Triveni Sangam, some devotees might choose to explore other cities in India that also host the Kumbh Mela, such as Nashik, Haridwar, or Ujjain.
