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

The Maha Kumbh Mela, or Great Pitcher Festival, is drafting hundreds of millions of pilgrims and tourists to India. The 45-day festival, which began Jan. 13, is the largest gathering of humanity successful the world. It is expected to gully astir 420 million. 

That is astir 200 times the fig of Muslim pilgrims who participated successful the yearly Hajj successful Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia, past year. It is truthful ample it tin beryllium seen from outer space.

According to Hindu scriptures, gods and demons erstwhile churned the cosmic water successful hunt of the nectar of immortality. During this struggle, drops of nectar fell astatine 4 ineffable sites. The spiritual Hindu festival takes spot erstwhile each 12 years astatine 1 of those 4 locations. 

This year, it is being held successful the metropolis of Prayagraj successful the bluish Indian authorities of Uttar Pradesh. This year’s lawsuit is considered peculiarly peculiar due to the fact that it aligns with a rare, once-in-a-century celestial configuration.

WORLD'S LARGEST RELIGIOUS GATHERING BEGINS IN INDIA, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF HINDUS EXPECTED TO ATTEND

Hundreds of boats and thousands of devotees on the banks of Prayagraj. (Ava Poonawala)

Throngs of devotees person been descending connected bluish India to take a dip astatine the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. Hindus, who relationship for astir 80% of India’s much than 1.4 cardinal people, judge a 3rd invisible river, the mythical Saraswati, besides meets astatine the confluence. 

Legend holds that a dip successful the beatified waters volition cleanse them of sins and assistance salvation. Bathing occurs daily, but connected the astir auspicious dates, Naga Sadhus, Hindu ascetics, caput into the beatified rivers astatine dawn. 

Ava Poonawala, a nonmigratory of Mumbai, India, made the travel not arsenic a pilgrim, but to "witness the world’s largest spiritual lawsuit successful our lifetime," she explained to Fox News Digital. She took an aboriginal 6 a.m. dip conscionable arsenic the prima was rising. 

After her chilly dip, she expressed feeling invigorated and astatine peace. 

"Everyone seemed to beryllium determination with 1 purpose," she told Fox News Digital. "And that was spiritual awakening."

Rudraksh Baba sets up campy astatine Prayagraj wearing thousands of beads. (Ava Poonawala)

The Maha Kumbh Mela is simply a monolithic undertaking by immoderate standard. To accommodate the tens of thousands of holy men, pilgrims and tourists, authorities person built a sprawling structure metropolis connected the riverbanks. It’s equipped with much than 150,000 tents and toilets, 3,000 kitchens and 11 hospitals, arsenic good arsenic roads, electricity, h2o and connection towers. 

It covers immoderate 15 quadrate miles. About 50,000 information personnel, supported by artificial intelligence-powered cameras, are stationed successful the metropolis to support instrumentality and bid and negociate the crowds.

"I was blown distant by the unthinkable magnitude of this event," Poonawala told Fox News Digital. "It’s conscionable unimaginable however they enactment this each together."

STAMPEDE THAT KILLED 121 IN INDIA WAS CAUSED BY SEVERE OVERCROWDING AND LACK OF EXITS, AUTHORITIES SAY

A predawn stampede broke out astatine the festival past week, reportedly sidesplitting astir 3 twelve radical and injuring galore more. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to "devotees who person mislaid their loved ones" without specifying the fig dead. 

Police reported the stampede occurred arsenic hundreds of millions of pilgrims rushed to dip successful ineffable waters connected the astir auspicious time of the festival. Uttar Pradesh’s main curate said immoderate devotees attempted to leap assemblage absorption barricades, triggering the crush. The Kumbh’s expansive processions, which had been curtailed past week, person since resumed. 

Prior to the stampede, the festival saw a little but ample fire, which was rapidly extinguished. 

A pistillate injured successful a stampede astatine the Maha Kumbh festival is carried retired by information officers astatine the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers, connected Mauni Amavasya, oregon caller satellite day, successful Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

AT LEAST 30 DEAD IN STAMPEDE AT THE MASSIVE MAHA KUMBH FESTIVAL IN INDIA, POLICE SAY

For many, the marvel of the Maha Kumbh Mela lies neither successful the spiritual nor spiritual experience, but alternatively the cultural extravaganza. It not lone brings unneurotic ash-smeared monks, bare ascetics and priests dressed head-to-toe successful saffron. It besides attracts tourists with selfie sticks and awed foreigners.

Uttar Pradesh has gone to large lengths to beforehand this year’s festival arsenic a tourer event, offering luxury packages and experiences. The authorities adjacent organized helicopters to ablution angiosperm petals connected the saints and seers taking a beatified dip. The authorities has allocated much than $765 cardinal for this year’s event. 

The Kumbh has drawn radical from each strata of society, whether it beryllium billionaires similar Laurene Powell Jobs, the woman of the precocious Steve Jobs, oregon athletes similar Olympic boxer Mary Kom. Bollywood stars and celebrities similar Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and his fiancée, histrion Dakota Johnson, person descended connected the festival. 

Even royalty, similar King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, person made an appearance. On Wednesday, precisely a week aft the stampede, Prime Minister Modi arrived successful Prayagraj to instrumentality a ineffable dip.

Saffron-clad priests astatine the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela. (Ava Poonawala )

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The Kumbh Mela’s popularity has steadily accrued successful size implicit the years arsenic improved infrastructure and facilities person attracted much people. This year, for the archetypal clip ever, the monolithic lawsuit besides boasts being plastic-free and eco-friendly. The festival is simply a important test for India to showcase Hinduism and culture, arsenic good arsenic grip tourism and assemblage management.

"The crushed was buzzing astatine each hours, close done the nighttime into the morning," Poonawala said. "It was truthful surreal with specified purity. I can’t adjacent statesman to explicate it."