The 2025 Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela was the most recent iteration of the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage festival that marked a full orbital revolution of Jupiter around the Sun. It was scheduled from 13 January to 26 February 2025, at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was the world's largest gathering, and according to data released on 26 February, more than 660 million (66 crores) people had taken a dip in the river[1][2], although this number is a cumulative count of daily attendees inflated by repeat bathers.[3] This event marked the completion of a 12-year Kumbh Mela cycle and was officially termed a Maha Kumbh Mela, spanning 45 days.[4]
The Kumbh Mela had been organised for many centuries with its commencement date unknown. As per astrological calculations, the 2025 edition was unique since the constellation alignment seen was witnessed once in 144 years.[5][6][7][8] The site of each Kumbh Mela was decided by the astrological alignment of Jupiter, the Sun and the Moon.[9][10] The Kumbh Mela had been recognised as part of Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.[11]
Financials
The budget for the event was about ₹63.82 billion (US$730million) and it is estimated that the event will generate a revenue of more than ₹2 trillion (US$23billion).[12][13]
Infrastructure
Night time view of the tents in the Kumbh Mela area
The Government of Uttar Pradesh have set up a temporary city covering 4,000 hectares (40km2) to accommodate the pilgrims attending the event. To expand the available land, four dredging machines were used to reclaim 26 additional hectares (0.26km2), significantly increasing the capacity to three times more than in 2019 Prayag Ardh Kumbh Mela. Prayagraj is also embracing smart city technologies to enhance urban living. The total length of the ghats is 12km (7.5mi), and the surrounding area has been divided into 25 sectors. About 150,000 tents were established to provide accommodation. Nearly 83 projects were completed at a cost of ₹14.28 billion (US$160million) for the event.[14]
Transport
Parking facilities cover an area of 1,850 hectares (18.5km2). The total road length within the area was increased over 450km (280mi) to improve accessibility.[6]Indian Railways has announced an increase in the number of coaches in key trains, such as the Prayagraj Express and Lucknow Mail, to accommodate the expected influx of pilgrims during the Mahakumbh 2025.[15] Indian Railways operated special trains to various railway stations in the area. About 360 trains including 190 special trains, 110 regular trains and 60 MEMU trains to cater to the pilgrims on the day of Mauni Amavasya on 29 January 2025.[16][17] Prayagraj Airport (IATA Code:IXD) is another way to reach out to 2025 Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela from other parts of India with daily flights from all major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, etc. [18]
Health and sanitation
The Prayagraj Mela Committee set up 150,000 toilets and urinals in the Maha Kumbh area, and a monitoring system was launched to track sanitation levels in toilets. About 10,000 sanitation workers were engaged for cleaning activity.[19] One cleaner was allocated for every ten toilets with a supervisor monitoring a batch of ten such personnel.[20] The Uttar Pradesh State Government deputed 500 dedicated Ganga Praharis for cleaning the river during Maha Kumbh.[21] During the Mahakumbh, the CPCB released a report stating that the water quality at the Maha Kumbh was found unfit for dips.[22] Health camps and medical support: Mobile health units and emergency medical services are deployed to handle any health emergencies.
The state government allocated ₹1.31 billion (US$15million) for the fire department. The Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services Department deployed 351 firefighting vehicles and 2000+ personnel across 50+ fire stations and 20 fire posts.[6][26][27] It also deployed four articulating water towers to enhance fire fighting capabilities. These towers can extend 30m (98ft) horizontally, and 35m (115ft) vertically, and are designed to handle large fire events. Video recorders and thermal imaging cameras were deployed for real-time monitoring and precise firefighting.
The organising committee set up ten lost and found centres across various sectors to reunite missing individuals with their families. These centres use digital registration to keep track of people, with details on missing individuals displayed at all centres. Regular audio announcements, and messages across social media platforms were used to spread information on lost individuals.[28] A mobile application was launched which provided information to the pilgrims.[29] Artificial intelligence tools and chatbots were used to assist tourists and pilgrims.[30]
Amrit Snan
Amrit Snan at Kumbh Mela
Amrit Snan (transl.Nectar Baths) or Shahi Snan are being held as follows:[31][32]
Concludes the Maha Kumbh Mela; another important bathing day
Incidents
On 19 January a fire caused by an exploding gas cylinder destroyed at least 18 temporary tents at the festival grounds. No injuries were reported.[33]
On 15 February an SUV carrying pilgrims from Chhattisgarh heading to the festival collided with a bus in Prayagraj, killing all ten people aboard the SUV.[34]
On 22 February, an SUV carrying pilgrims from West Bengal crashed into a truck near Dhanbad while traveling to the festival, killing six people and injuring two others.[35]
On 24 February, 6 pilgrims were killed and 2 injured after a minibus they were taking from Gokak turned upside down.[36]
On 29 January 2025, a crowd crush at the festival grounds left at least 30 people dead and 60 others injured.[37] A second crush in the following hours killed seven people including a three-year-old child.[38] The official death toll count has been disputed, with reports suggesting the actual number of fatalities being higher than the government's figure. A report by the Indian media watchdog Newslaundry based on hospital and police records claims the death toll to be at least 79.[39] These discrepancies have led to criticism of the government's handling of the incident and calls for greater transparency.[40] Later on 15 February, a crowd crush at New Delhi railway station left 15 people dead after trains carrying pilgrims to the festival were delayed.[41]
Attendance
The 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela made preparations for the attendance of up to 40 crores (400 million) visitors.[23] The fair is over with surpassing the 400 million attendance expected.[42] As of 12 February 2025, the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj has seen an unprecedented number of devotees participating in the sacred bathing rituals. By 6 AM on 12 February, over 73 lakh (7.3 million) devotees had taken the ritual dip at the Triveni Sangam and other ghats during the Maghi Purnima Snan.[43]
While the attendance figures "implausibly imply that half of all Indians made the pilgrimage"[44], they were actually counted in terms of cumulative attendance, not unique visitors, meaning that repeat bathers inflate the count.[3] The Times of India estimated that on an average day, there were 50-60 lakh (5-6 million) devotees staying at Kumbh Mela plus 10-15 lakh (1.0-1.5 million) temporary visitors, for a total of 65-70 lakh (6.5-7.0 million) per day.[45] Attendance numbers were computed from a mix of manual counts, train arrivals, satellite imagery and camera footage.[46]
A delegation of 118 diplomats, including the Heads of Mission, their spouses, and diplomats from 77 countries, visited the Mahakumbh at Prayagraj on 1 February 2025.[54]
Arrival of President Droupadi Murmu
President Droupadi Murmu on 10 February visited the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj and took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam. After taking the dip, she offered prayers at Triveni Sangam—which is a confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati.[55]
On 5 February 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Prayagraj to participate in the ongoing Kumbh Mela. As part of the sacred rituals, he took a dip in the Triveni Sangam. His visit was marked by grand ceremonial events and prayers,[57][58] and a boat ride to the Sangam with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.[59] The visit was widely covered by media outlets.[57][58][59] Since Modi arrived after the 29 January stampede that killed dozens, opposition parties have blamed the tragedy on mismanagement and accused his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of hiding the real death toll.[60]
↑ Ghosh, Dilip (11 February 2025). "Dilip Ghosh". Facebook. Mahakumbh is not just a holy bath, it is a great awakening of Hindutva in India. Which will enrich and strengthen India in the next multiple years and monitor anti-India forces.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
