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One of the biggest religious scenes in the world is going on and the numbers are amazing


Millions of Hindu devotees are bathing in holy waters as the world's largest religious gathering begins in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Over the next six weeks, an astonishing 400 million people are expected to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, or the festival of Holy pepperon the banks of the river in the city of Prayagraj.

Every 12 years the festival has the prefix “Maha”, which means great, as it is the largest gathering of the Kumbh Mela which is held every three years in one of four cities.

In Prayagraj, devotees bathe in the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three holy rivers – the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati – to wash away their sins and take another step closer to “spiritual liberation”.

The Kumbh draws on Hindu mythology and the legend of demons and gods fighting over a pit containing the elixir of immortality. During the fight, four drops from the grass fell on Earth, in Prayagraj, Nashik, Haridwar and Ujjainwho hosts the festival in rotation.

A tent city was built to cater for the pilgrims which covers 4,000 hectares, about 7,500 football pitches. -Idrees Mohammed/AFP/Getty Images

A tent city was built to cater for the pilgrims which covers 4,000 hectares, about 7,500 football pitches. -Idrees Mohammed/AFP/Getty Images

Indian Prime Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Narendra Modi has invited people from all over the world to attend the festival, recognized by UNESCO in 2017 as “intangible cultural heritage” humanity”.

Authorities are promoting the event not only as a religious gathering but as a cultural spectacle that has attracted Bollywood and Hollywood stars in the past.

About 400 million people are expected to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela in the next six weeks. - Adnan Abidi/Reuters

About 400 million people are expected to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela in the next six weeks. – Adnan Abidi/Reuters

SundayYogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh's saffron priest turned chief minister is famous for his inflammatory rhetoric against MuslimsMillions of people have already claimed to have “taken a dip in the holy waters of the Sangam”.

Formerly known as Allahabad, Prayagraj was renamed by Adityanath in 2018, a decision said to recognize the city's identity as a spiritual destination for Hindu pilgrims.

Ditching the name Allahabad, given to the city by the Mughal emperor Akbar, was a symbolic move in line with Modi's ambitions to transform India from a secular, pluralistic state to a a country of the Hindu religion and for the Hindu religion.

This year's festival has taken years of planning and millions of dollars to build facilities to bring visitors into Prayagraj, a city normally home to 6 million people.

Devotees cross the pontoon bridge as they arrive to dive into the Sangam at Mahakumbh Nagar in Prayagraj, India on January 12, 2025. - Deepak Gupta/Hindustan Times/ Getty Images

Devotees cross the pontoon bridge as they arrive to dive into the Sangam at Mahakumbh Nagar in Prayagraj, India on January 12, 2025. – Deepak Gupta/Hindustan Times/ Getty Images

About 160,000 tents, 150,000 toilets and a 776-mile (1,249-kilometer) drinking water pipeline were installed in a temporary tent city covering 4,000 hectares, about the size of 7,500 football fields.

In 2013, dozens of people were killed and injured in the pressure of a crowd at a railway station while pilgrims were gathering in the town. Such deadly incidents at religious gatherings in India are not uncommon, often reflecting a lack of adequate crowd control and safety measures.

This year, officials say extra safety measures have been put in place in Prayagraj to protect visitors, including a security ring with checkpoints around the city manned by more than 1,000 police officers. working

People offer prayers at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj, India, on January 13, 2025. - Adnan Abidi/Reuters

People offer prayers at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj, India, on January 13, 2025. – Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Over 2,700 security cameras power with artificial intelligence will be located around the city, monitored by hundreds of experts in key locations, according to the central government.

Aerial drones will provide surveillance from above and for the first time, underwater drones capable of diving up to 100 meters will be deployed to provide round-the-clock coverage, the government said.

It is expected that a large number of pilgrims will travel to the area by train, so authorities have added 3,000 special trains and 13,100 rail services.

Fourteen new overpasses and underpasses, 11 new road corridors, 7,000 buses, 550 buses, seven new bus stops, and 30 pontoon bridges were also added to improve connectivity, according to the report. State Government of Uttar Pradesh.

The festival ends on February 26.

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