Millions of Hindu devotees and religious figures from across India converged on Prayagraj to commence the Maha Kumbh Mela, a significant religious gathering.
Over the following six weeks, pilgrims will congregate at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers, participating in rituals aimed at achieving moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
Here’s an overview of the festival:
Hindus hold rivers in high regard, especially the Ganges and Yamuna. Devotees believe immersion in these waters purifies them, ending reincarnation, particularly on auspicious festival days. The Maha Kumbh Mela, or pitcher festival, occurs every 12 years.
The festival involves ritual bathing by sadhus (holy men) and pilgrims at the sacred river confluence, a tradition dating back to at least medieval times. Hindus believe the mythical Saraswati river once flowed through Prayagraj, joining the Ganges and Yamuna.
Daily bathing occurs, but on auspicious days, monks participate in dawn immersions. Many pilgrims attend the entire festival, practicing austerity, giving alms, and bathing daily at sunrise.
“We find peace here and achieve salvation from the cycle of life and death,” stated pilgrim Bhagwat Prasad Tiwari.
The festival’s origins stem from a legend of Vishnu obtaining a golden pitcher of immortality from demons. A few drops are believed to have fallen in Prayagraj, Nasik, Ujjain, and Haridwar – the four Kumbh Mela locations.
The Kumbh Mela rotates among these four sites approximately every three years, determined astrologically. This year’s event is the largest. The 2019 Ardh Kumbh (Half Kumbh) drew 240 million visitors, with about 50 million bathing on the busiest day.
Officials anticipate at least 400 million attendees in Prayagraj over the next 45 days— exceeding the U.S. population. This is significantly more than the 2 million Hajj pilgrims to Mecca and Medina last year.
The festival presents a challenge for Indian authorities in terms of religious showcasing, tourism, and crowd management.
A vast riverside area has been transformed into a temporary city with over 3,000 kitchens and 150,000 restrooms. Spread across 15 square miles, this city includes housing, infrastructure, communication towers, and 11 hospitals. Murals depicting Hindu scriptures adorn the city walls.
Indian Railways has added over 90 special trains for approximately 3,300 trips during the festival, supplementing regular services.
Approximately 50,000 security personnel— a 50% increase from 2019— are deployed for crowd control and law enforcement. Over 2,500 cameras, some AI-powered, monitor crowd movement, feeding data to control rooms for rapid response to prevent stampedes.
Past Indian leaders utilized the festival to strengthen ties with the Hindu population (nearly 80% of the country). Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it’s become integral to Hindu nationalism. Modi’s party views Indian civilization as inseparable from Hinduism, although critics point to Hindu supremacy in the party’s ideology.
Uttar Pradesh, led by Adityanath (a prominent Hindu monk and politician in Modi’s party), allocated over $765 million to the event, using it to boost their image, with billboards and posters showcasing them and government policies.
The festival is expected to bolster the Bharatiya Janata Party’s support. However, past Kumbh Melas have faced controversies.
Modi’s government renamed Allahabad to Prayagraj, part of a nationwide name-changing initiative, before the 2019 festival and election. In 2021, the government refused to cancel the Haridwar festival despite a COVID-19 surge, fearing religious backlash.