One of the world’s largest religious events is currently taking place, with astonishing attendance figures.
Millions of Hindu worshippers gather to bathe in sacred waters as the Maha Kumbh Mela, the world’s biggest religious festival, begins in Uttar Pradesh’s city of Prayagraj. Over the next six weeks, an estimated 400 million people will participate in this monumental event, which happens every 12 years under the “Maha” prefix, signifying its grand scale.
The festival rotates every three years between four cities—Prayagraj, Nashik, Haridwar, and Ujjain—drawing on Hindu mythology where gods and demons fought over a pitcher of immortality, spilling drops at these locations. In Prayagraj, devotees bathe in the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers, seeking purification and spiritual progress.
The Kumbh Mela is especially known for the presence of sadhus, ascetic holy men who renounce worldly life. They are a key attraction, clad minimally and covered in ash. On Tuesday, many sadhus participated in an early ceremonial bath. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reported that over 35 million people had bathed in the confluence that day alone.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leading the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has invited global visitors to the festival, which UNESCO recognizes as an intangible cultural heritage. The event is marketed not only as a religious gathering but also as a cultural extravaganza, drawing celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood.
In 2018, Chief Minister Adityanath renamed Prayagraj from Allahabad, reclaiming its spiritual identity and aligning with Modi’s vision of emphasizing Hindu heritage in India’s cultural narrative.
Extensive preparations have been underway for years to accommodate the millions of attendees. Over 4,000 hectares, a temporary city with 160,000 tents, 150,000 toilets, and a vast water supply network—equivalent to about 7,500 football fields—has been established.
Authorities have implemented strict safety measures to avoid tragedies like the 2013 crowd crash at a railway station. A security perimeter staffed by over 1,000 officers, 2,700 AI-powered security cameras, and aerial and underwater drones will monitor the festival.
Transportation has been enhanced with 3,000 special trains, 13,100 train services, 7,000 buses, and additional infrastructure like flyovers, road corridors, and pontoon bridges to manage the vast influx of pilgrims. The event will conclude on February 26.
There is no such religious event anywhere in the world. A group of Guyanese Hindus from Trinidad, the UK, the USA, South Africa, and many other countries are attending the Mela.