Mumbai, India: The Maha Kumbh Mela, a Hindu religious festival held in the northern city of Prayagraj, has been captivating the world with its incredible scale. Since its inauguration in mid-January, this event has surpassed all previous numbers, drawing in over half a billion devotees in just six weeks, according to officials.
The Maha Kumbh Mela is not just any ordinary festival, but a celebration of faith, culture and society. The government of Uttar Pradesh, the state where the festival is currently being held, proudly claims that this year’s event is the largest congregation in human history for a religious, cultural, and social event.
The festival has attracted people from all walks of life, including ordinary devotees, billionaires, politicians, Bollywood stars, and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi. People have come from afar to take a holy dip in the waters of the rivers Ganges and Yamuna, which Hindus believe will cleanse them of their sins and help them attain salvation. Others have come to witness the mesmerizing panorama of the religious spectacle that unfolds along the confluence of these two rivers, where Hindus also believe a mythical third river exists.
Among the first wave of pilgrims to attend the Kumbh Mela when it began in January was Deepinderr Singh Bindra, a resident of Gurugram in North India. He shares, “It was the culmination of my spiritual journey, following my visit to several Hindu pilgrimage sites in the last few years.” Bindra took an early morning dip on three consecutive days and found it to be an incredibly surreal and deeply satisfying experience.
For many devotees, the Maha Kumbh Mela holds even more significance this year, as it coincides with an alignment of planets and stars that only occurs once every 144 years. This unique occurrence has only added to the festival’s mesmerizing allure.
However, the festival was marred by a tragic stampede on January 29, which claimed the lives of 30 pilgrims who were trampled amid the rush to take part in the bathing on a particularly auspicious day. Despite this tragedy, the fervor of the devotees remained undeterred, and millions continued to pour into the vast temporary tented township that covers a stretch of 4,000 hectares along the riverbanks. This tented township includes roads, hospitals, toilets, and free community kitchens run by volunteers. A platform made of sandbags stretches along the riverbank, providing a safe space for devotees to take part in the ritual immersion.
For many, like Nikhil Shirodkar from Mumbai, attending the festival was not just about taking a dip in the river; it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that offered a chance to connect with age-old Hindu traditions. He shares, “I went more as a spiritual seeker and not with the belief that the dip cleanses one’s sins.” Shirodkar spent three days sleeping on the floor, like an ascetic, and also volunteered to help serve meals to people. “It was an eye-opener. Everybody was reaching out to each other. On the roadside, some would be serving tea, others biscuits, to the pilgrims who kept pouring in. It had an impact on my outlook,” he recalls.
For others, especially overseas visitors, the Maha Kumbh Mela offered a sense of curiosity and intrigue. Twenty-one-year-old Lucinda Pernell from Australia attended the festival while on a trip to India for a yoga camp. She shares, “It was overwhelming to see so many people, which a Westerner like me has never witnessed before. But I found it amazing. It was a kind of organized chaos, but what I will take back with me is that people respected each other. There was a strong sense of belief.” On an especially auspicious day, an estimated 35 million people took a dip in the waters of the river in Prayagraj – a number larger than the entire population of Australia.
Pernell also visited the camp for Naga sadhus, the ash-smeared and often naked Hindu ascetics who lead the religious spectacle armed with tridents. This is one of the most dramatic and awe-inspiring sights of the entire festival.
At this year’s festival, the sacred coexisted with high technology, as underwater drones and artificial intelligence systems were used to monitor the crowds and improve safety. The use of technology
