"Maha" Kumbh Mela celebrations begin in India, over 400 million pilgrims expected

 The Kumbh Mela is held every three years at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the iconic river Saraswati. The Maha Kumbh Mela takes place once every twelve years. Report

Monday, January 13, 2025

New Delhi (Point News Today - 13th January, 2025) The celebrations of the “Maha” Kumbh Mela have begun in India, which has been described as the largest gathering of people in the world at a single place. Organizers say that about 400 million pilgrims are expected to arrive this year at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers between the second week of January and March. Along with religious rituals, the festival also provides entertainment for the people. The six-week-long Maha Kumbh Mela is held in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, in which Hindus living in India and other countries of the world arrive to participate.

The Indian Journal reports that more than 400 million devotees from India and around the world are traveling to the holy city of Prayagraj for the festival, where they will take a bath at the confluence of the three holy rivers of Hinduism, the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. The Kumbh Mela is held every three years in different cities on the banks of these holy rivers, but the Maha Kumbh Mela takes place once every twelve years. “Maha” means great in Hindi and this event attracts the most devotees as it is considered the most sacred and auspicious in this religious continuum. The festival is rooted in the Hindu belief that Lord Vishnu snatched the pot of nectar from the evil gods and a few drops of it fell on the ground of these holy cities. Hindu devotees believe that bathing in the confluence of these holy rivers during the Maha Kumbh Mela provides forgiveness of sins and liberation from the cycle of life and death. References to this festival are found in ancient Hindu scriptures as well as in the stories of travelers from other kingdoms.

The 7th-century Buddhist Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang mentioned the ritual of bathing at the confluence of rivers during his visit to Prayag in 644 AD. The figures for the festival are staggering, with an estimated 400 million pilgrims expected to arrive. Authorities have set up a new tented camp on 4,000 acres of land along the river banks, with more than 150,000 tents set up, along with 3,000 kitchens, 145,000 toilets and about 100 parking areas.

Lakhs of new electricity connections have also been provided as the festival will consume as much electricity as 100,000 urban apartments in the region use in a month. Around 100 special trains have also been added, which will run 3,300 times during the festival to ferry pilgrims to Prayagraj. The state police has deployed more than 40,000 personnel, drones and cybercrime experts for security, who will use artificial intelligence to monitor people. With such a large gathering, the festival is also a major test for the authorities in managing the movement of millions of people.

There is a risk of stampedes during the festival, where 26 devotees were killed during the last Maha Kumbh Mela in 2013. This time, more than 100 road ambulances, seven river ambulances and air ambulances have been prepared for emergencies. Officials say the state government has allocated about 64.5 billion Indian rupees for this year's event. UP Police Chief Prashant Kumar said that the safety and security of pilgrims is our priority. Hindus from India and around the world travel for the Maha Kumbh every 12 years. They come not only to participate in the rituals of the festival but also to see thousands of saffron-clad sadhus and yogis and themselves bathe in the rivers in near-freezing temperatures.

The successful holding of the festival will be seen as an encouraging achievement for the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP government at the state and national levels. Hardline Hindu leader and state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told local media that he was fortunate to host one of the most sacred festivals of Hinduism in his state. In 2021, the government of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to cancel the Kumbh Mela, even though the Corona epidemic was growing dangerously in India that year. At that time, millions of people gathered in Uttar Pradesh without masks and social distancing. Despite widespread fears and criticism that the festival would lead to a large-scale spread of the epidemic, critics called the decision to hold it an attempt to appease religious leaders in the Hindu-majority country.