What is Maha Kumbh Mela? All you need to know about one of the world’s largest religious gatherings in India

More than 400 million people are expected to gather in Prayagraj over the next 45 days

A sadhu or a Hindu holy man blows a conch as devotees take a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers, during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, India. Reuters

More than 400 million people are expected to arrive over the next 45 days in what has been called the largest gathering of humans in the world. Reuters

A woman devotee at the festival. Reuters

A Hindu devotee prays before taking a dip. AP

Taking a dip during the festival is considered auspicious by Hindus. AFP

Vast crowds of pilgrims converge at Prayagraj in India on January 13, as the Maha Kumbh Mela opened. AFP

Rescue personnel ferry a boat for security measures at Sangam. AFP

Devotees cross pontoon bridges to take their holy dip. Reuters

The millennia-old Kumbh Mela, a sacred show of religious piety and ritual bathing, is held at the site where the holy Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers meet. AFP

A sadhu takes part in a religious procession. Reuters

Hindu devotees watch a laser show on the banks of the river Yamuna. Reuters

A sadhu offers prayers at Juna Akhara at Kumbh Mela. EPA

Holy men at a religious procession during the festival. Reuters

Millions of Hindus have arrived at Prayagraj in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh for the Maha Kumbh Mela, touted as one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.

Over the next three weeks, devotees and holy men will bathe at the confluence of three holy rivers – the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati – and take part in elaborate rituals. Hindus believe that a dip in the holy waters will cleanse them of their past sins and end their process of reincarnation.

When does Maha Kumbh Mela begin?

Maha Kumbh Mela begins on Monday and will conclude on February 26.

Traditionally, Kumbh Melas are held every three years on dates prescribed by astrology and cycle between four riverbank pilgrimage sites – Prayagraj, Haridwar (along the river Ganges), Nashik (along the river Godavari) and Ujjain (along the river Shipra).

The most auspicious of these occurs in cycles of 12 years and is called the Maha Kumbh Mela (“maha” meaning “great” in Hindi) and is only ever held in Prayagraj.

What happens at Maha Kumbh Mela?

The festival is a series of ritual baths by Hindu sadhus, or holy men, and other pilgrims in a ritual that dates to at least medieval times. Hindus believe that the mythical Saraswati river once flowed from the Himalayas through Prayagraj, meeting there with the Ganges and the Yamuna.

Bathing takes place every day, but on the most auspicious dates, ash-smeared monks charge towards the holy rivers at dawn. Many pilgrims stay for the entire festival, observing austerity, giving alms and bathing at sunrise each day. Devotional prayers, known as aartis, are sung and drums are beaten.

History and origin

The word “kumbh” is derived from “kumbha” or pitcher in Sanskrit, while “mela” stands for “fair”, literally making this the festival of the pitcher.

According to Hindu legend, the festival gets its name from the pitcher of amrit, or nectar of immortality, that was produced by the devas (gods) and the asuras (demons) together.

When the gods and demons started fighting over the kumbha with the elixir of immortality, the battle went on for 12 years. During the ensuing fight, Vishnu, the god of preservation, wrested a golden pitcher containing the elixir from the demons. Hindus believe a few drops fell on the cities of Prayagraj, Nasik, Ujjain and Haridwar – the four places where the Kumbh festival has been held for centuries

How many people are expected at Maha Kumbh Mela?

Indian authorities have said more than 400 million people, including tourists, are expected in Prayagraj over the next 45 days. That's more than the population of the US, and about 200 times the two million pilgrims who arrived in the Muslim holy cities of Makkah and Madinah in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage last year.

A vast ground spread over 40 square kilometres along the banks of the rivers has been converted into a sprawling tent city equipped with about 3,000 kitchens and 150,000 restrooms. Divided into 25 sections, the tent city also has housing, roads, electricity, water, communication towers and 11 hospitals.

Indian Railways has also introduced more than 90 special trains, aside from regular trains, that will make about 3,300 trips during the festival to transport devotees, according to the Associated Press.

About 50,000 security personnel are also stationed in the city to maintain law and order and crowd management. More than 2,500 cameras, some powered by AI, will send crowd movement and density information to four central control rooms, where officials can quickly deploy personnel to avoid stampedes.

State authorities said they have allocated more than $765 million for this year’s event.

Where is Prayagraj?

A metropolis in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Prayagraj is one of the oldest cities in India. Formerly known as Allahabad, the city had its Mughal-era name changed to Prayagraj in 2018, as decreed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

The current chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Adityanath is a powerful Hindu monk and a popular hard-line Hindu politician in Modi’s party.