[An image of Prayagraj, India, where the event is held. Photo Credit to Unsplash]

The Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela, which began on January 13, 2025, concluded on February 26th.

This sacred Hindu festival,held once every 12 years in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India, stands as the largest such gathering of people in the world. 

An estimated 663 million devotees from across the globe gathered to celebrate the event.

They converged at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers to perform ritualistic baths that they believe cleanse sins and help in attaining salvation, or the release from the cycle of birth and death. 

The Kumbh Mela is rooted deeply in Hindu mythology, symbolizing the eternal struggle between good and evil.

According to tradition, during a cosmic battle between gods and demons over the elixir of immortality, drops of the potion fell to four locations on earth—Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain.

These places have since become rotational venues to host the Kumbh Mela, while the Maha Kumbh Mela takes place in Prayagraj. 

The festival provides an opportunity for sadhus—holy men—, ascetics and spiritual leaders to congregate.

In recognition of its cultural and spiritual significance, UNESCO added Kumbh Mela to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017. 

This year’s festival was especially special due to a rare celestial alignment that transpires once every 144 years, adding to the spiritual atmosphere and resonance.

The event attracted more pilgrims than the entire population of the United States, setting a new record.

Over the course of six weeks, nearly half a billion people participated in the festival, with about 15.3 million people gathering on one day at peak attendance. 

This massive crowd consisted of religious devotees as well as international visitors from various countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Notable attendees included Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, who took a holy bath at the Sangam, and King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, as well as celebrities like Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

The Uttar Pradesh state government established a special administrative district to oversee the festival’s logistics.

Preparations for the large-scale festival included the construction of 175,000 tents, 150,000 toilets, 30 floating bridges and the installation of 70,000 streetlights.

For the event, nearly 50,000 security personnel were deployed, and crowd monitoring systems utilizing AI-powered cameras were implemented to ensure safety and order. 

Despite these measures, a tragic crowd crush occurred on January 29th, during the Amrit Snan on Mauni Amavasya, considered the most auspicious day of the festival. 

The accident took place in the early morning when a barrier broke, and a surge of devotees rushed to the bathing ghats.

The massive number of attendees hindered any efforts made to manage the situation, resulting in multiple fatalities and numerous injuries. 

The 2025 Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela was executed mostly successfully, preserving the celebration of this ancient tradition for the future.