Maha Kumbh 2025 culminates on February 26, and millions of pilgrims from around the world have taken a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj.
The grand festival, which began on January 13, ends with millions of devotees participating in the final Amrit Snan on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri.
The 45-day festival has gained global attention with its grandeur, scale and cultural significance. According to official data over 650 million have taken part in the largest religious gathering in the world.
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How world media reported Maha Kumbh 2025
The Wall Street Journal reported that the festival was attended by more pilgrims than the entire population of the United States. “India’s Maha Kumbh pilgrimage is drawing to a close after hosting more people than the population of the United States over six weeks,” the report said.
The New York Times called the festival a ‘mesmerizing spectacle’. “There are ash-smeared monks, naked ascetics, priests with vermilion paste on their foreheads, ordinary pilgrims, tourists with selfie sticks, awe-struck foreigners, entertainers, small vendors and big advertisers,” it reported.
“It is also a feat of urban planning, an overnight megalopolis built on land borrowed from the receding Ganges in the state of Uttar Pradesh, with tents, toilets, roads, streetlights and even automated ticket vending machines.”
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A report by The Guardian described Maha Kumbh as a ‘festival of festivals’ in the Hindu religious calendar. The report further detailed the essence of the festival and the significance of the holy dip at the Triveni Sangam.
CNN described the festival detailing the rituals, significance and large crowds of ash-smeared Naga Sadhus, or Hindu holy men. CNN also reported the grand scale of the event noting, “Around 160,000 tents, 150,000 toilets and a 776-mile (1,249-kilometer) drinking water pipeline have been installed at a temporary tent city covering 4,000 hectares, roughly the size of 7,500 football fields.”
News agency AFP reported that despite two deadly stampedes that killed dozens, the festival in the northern city of Prayagraj has been hailed as a triumph by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party. The event’s carefully cultivated image has been bolstered as a steward of Hindu resurgence and prosperity.
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While news agency Reuters praised the ‘a tech-savvy Maha Kumbh’ where 2,760 artificial intelligence powered CCTV cameras have been installed and technology is used to strengthen security in the premises. The massive festival has been branded as the ‘Digital Maha Kumbh’ by the Indian government.
Maha Kumbh Mela 2025
Pilgrims from across India and abroad are witnessing the largest spiritual gathering in the world, immersing themselves in the sacred tradition at the Triveni Sangam, where the holy Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers meet.
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The ‘Purna’ (complete) Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years in one of the four locations: Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain, where the nectar of immortality from mythological Samudra Manthan is believed to have fallen. However, the Maha Kumbh Mela is held only once in 144 years which happens during a unique planetary alignment, making it even more special.
(With inputs from agencies)