THE MAHA KUMBH MELA, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, began on Monday in Prayagraj in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, with millions of Hindu devotees taking a ritual dip at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers.
Organisers expect around 400 million people to attend the six-week festival, which will continue until 26 February.
Pilgrims began arriving in the early hours to bathe in the sacred waters, a ritual believed to cleanse sins and bring salvation. "I feel great joy. For me, it's like bathing in nectar," said 45-year-old Surmila Devi. Reena Rai, a businesswoman from Madhya Pradesh who travelled nearly 1,000 kilometres, said, "As a Hindu, this is an unmissable occasion."
The Kumbh Mela is deeply rooted in Hindu mythology, symbolising the celestial battle between gods and demons over a pitcher of the nectar of immortality. The festival rotates among four cities—Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik—every three years. The Maha Kumbh Mela, held once every 12 years in Prayagraj, is considered the most auspicious.
On Monday, over 2.5 million pilgrims were expected to bathe, followed by the "royal bath" on Tuesday, reserved for ascetics.
Saffron-clad monks, ash-smeared ascetics, and devotees chanting "Har Har Mahadev" and "Jai Ganga Maiyya" filled the riverbanks.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi described the event as a "divine occasion" bringing together "countless people in a sacred confluence of faith, devotion and culture."
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath invited people to "experience unity in diversity" at the "world's largest spiritual and cultural gathering."
Massive security and infrastructure for the festival
The scale of the event is immense, comparable to the combined populations of the United States and Canada.
Festival spokesperson Vivek Chaturvedi said, "Some 350 to 400 million devotees are going to visit the mela, so you can imagine the scale of preparations."
Security measures include 40,000 police officers on duty and AI-equipped surveillance cameras for continuous monitoring Read More….
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