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India kicks off massive Hindu festival for 400 million pilgrims

The holy festival of Maha Kumbh Mela is celebrated once every 12 years, with devotees taking a dip in the waters where the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers merge.

India kicks off massive Hindu festival for 400 million pilgrims

Hindu devotees pray before taking a dip at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the first day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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PRAYAGRAJ, Uttar Pradesh: India is expecting about 400 million Hindu pilgrims to descend on its northern city of Prayagraj to bathe in sacred waters as the holy festival of Maha Kumbh Mela begins. 

The 45-day pilgrimage, which dates back thousands of years, is touted as the world’s largest religious event.

It is celebrated once every 12 years, when devotees gather to take a holy dip in the waters where the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati merge.

The point where the three rivers meet is considered the holiest in the Hindu faith, and submerging oneself there is believed to cleanse sins and bring salvation.

Organisers spent months preparing and arranging logistics for the festival, which runs from Monday (Jan 13) to Feb 26.

Pilgrim Gaurang Kansara said: "This is a very important religious festival. The government’s preparations for the last three months for this festival and the publicity it has done for Kumbh have created an atmosphere of celebration.”

PILGRIMAGE OF STAGGERING PROPORTIONS

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-majority party returning to power in last year's general elections, and with a Hindu monk leading the state of Uttar Pradesh where the event is held, the government has pulled out all stops for the festival.

For months, an army of workers toiled round the clock to get Prayagraj ready, channelling local rivers and widening roads.

A separate administrative district has been set up just for the event, with a sea of 160,000 tents erected along the banks of the Ganges river for devotees to live in.

Hindu devotees leave after bathing at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the first day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Jan 13, 2025. (File Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia)

About 30 new bridges have been built, and around 7,000 saffron-coloured buses will be ferrying devotees to the banks of the river.

The government said it has set up clear signages in multiple languages to prevent chaos and crowd rushes.

Around 13,000 trains have been earmarked to bring devotees to Prayagraj from all parts of India, with special teams liaising with Kumbh pilgrims.

Aside from locals, pilgrims around the world are also expected to fly to India to attend the event.

"We are going there to keep our Hindu traditions alive. This generation only goes to resorts and hill stations for vacations. They have no idea about the places of worship and pilgrimage sites we have here,” said pilgrim Manoj Kumar.

HEIGHTENED SECURITY

Security in and around pilgrimage sites have been ramped up, and teams have conducted mock drills over the past month.

Nearly 3,000 security cameras with facial recognition technology are being used at entry and exit points, authorities said.

About 40,000 security personnel will be deployed – including a team of officers on horses to ensure round-the-clock crowd management.

A devotee takes a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers, during the "Maha Kumbh Mela", or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, January 13, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis)

For the first time, underwater drones will also be used to monitor crowds taking a dip in the sacred waters of the Ganges.

Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India.

With all the preparations, the state's chief minister Yogi Adityanath said this year's Kumbh will help set a new tone for Hindu gatherings in India, which is the most populous nation in the world.

Festivities kicked off with a light and sound show that featured 2,000 drones.

The previous event at the site, the Ardh-Kumbh, or half Kumbh in 2019, attracted 240 million pilgrims, according to officials.

State authorities hope to rake in US$25 billion in revenue through this year’s mammoth event. 

Experts said the government will also be hoping the festival brings attention to religious tourism, especially given the Modi administration’s focus on constructing temples and prioritising its Hindu rightwing agenda in the last few years.

Source: CNA/dn(ca)
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