World's largest religious gathering in India underway as hundreds of millions visit 45-day festival

Fox News

08-02-2025

The Maha Kumbh Mela, or Great Pitcher Festival, is drawing hundreds of millions of pilgrims and tourists to India. The 45-day festival, which began Jan. 13, is the largest gathering of humanity in the world. It is expected to draw approximately 420 million.
That is about 200 times the number of Muslim pilgrims who participated in the annual Hajj in Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia, last year. It is so large it can be seen from outer space.
According to Hindu scriptures, gods and demons once churned the cosmic ocean in search of the nectar of immortality. During this struggle, drops of nectar fell at four sacred sites. The spiritual Hindu festival takes place once every 12 years at one of those four locations.
This year, it is being held in the city of Prayagraj in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This year's event is considered particularly special because it aligns with a rare, once-in-a-century celestial configuration.
Throngs of devotees have been descending on northern India to take a dip at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. Hindus, who account for nearly 80% of India's more than 1.4 billion people, believe a third invisible river, the mythical Saraswati, also meets at the confluence.
Legend holds that a dip in the holy waters will cleanse them of sins and grant salvation. Bathing occurs daily, but on the most auspicious dates, Naga Sadhus, Hindu ascetics, head into the holy rivers at dawn.
Ava Poonawala, a resident of Mumbai, India, made the journey not as a pilgrim, but to "witness the world's largest religious event in our lifetime," she explained to Fox News Digital. She took an early 6 a.m. dip just as the sun was rising.
After her chilly dip, she expressed feeling invigorated and at peace.
"Everyone seemed to be there with one purpose," she told Fox News Digital. "And that was spiritual awakening."
The Maha Kumbh Mela is a massive undertaking by any standard. To accommodate the tens of thousands of holy men, pilgrims and tourists, authorities have built a sprawling tent city on the riverbanks. It's equipped with more than 150,000 tents and toilets, 3,000 kitchens and 11 hospitals, as well as roads, electricity, water and communication towers.
It covers some 15 square miles. About 50,000 security personnel, supported by artificial intelligence-powered cameras, are stationed in the city to maintain law and order and manage the crowds.
"I was blown away by the incredible magnitude of this event," Poonawala told Fox News Digital. "It's just unimaginable how they put this all together."
A predawn stampede broke out at the festival last week, reportedly killing roughly three dozen people and injuring many more. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to "devotees who have lost their loved ones" without specifying the number dead.
Police reported the stampede occurred as hundreds of millions of pilgrims rushed to dip in sacred waters on the most auspicious day of the festival. Uttar Pradesh's chief minister said some devotees attempted to jump crowd management barricades, triggering the crush. The Kumbh's grand processions, which had been curtailed last week, have since resumed.
Prior to the stampede, the festival saw a brief but large fire, which was quickly extinguished.
For many, the marvel of the Maha Kumbh Mela lies neither in the religious nor spiritual experience, but rather the cultural extravaganza. It not only brings together ash-smeared monks, naked ascetics and priests dressed head-to-toe in saffron. It also attracts tourists with selfie sticks and awed foreigners.
Uttar Pradesh has gone to great lengths to promote this year's festival as a tourist event, offering luxury packages and experiences. The government even organized helicopters to shower flower petals on the saints and seers taking a holy dip. The state has allocated more than $765 million for this year's event.
The Kumbh has drawn people from all strata of society, whether it be billionaires like Laurene Powell Jobs, the wife of the late Steve Jobs, or athletes like Olympic boxer Mary Kom. Bollywood stars and celebrities like Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and his fiancée, actress Dakota Johnson, have descended on the festival.
Even royalty, like King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, have made an appearance. On Wednesday, exactly a week after the stampede, Prime Minister Modi arrived in Prayagraj to take a sacred dip.
The Kumbh Mela's popularity has steadily increased in size over the years as improved infrastructure and facilities have attracted more people. This year, for the first time ever, the massive event also boasts being plastic-free and eco-friendly. The festival is a significant test for India to showcase Hinduism and culture, as well as handle tourism and crowd management.
"The ground was buzzing at all hours, right through the night into the morning," Poonawala said. "It was so surreal with such purity. I can't even begin to explain it."