Maha Kumbh Mela - Feb '25

I was neither following the Maha Kumbh Mela event nor keen to, though I knew that such an event was happening. But when I found that the news about Kumbh is all over – Insta, FB, News, corridor talks, café’s and so on, curiosity made me to get deep into this event and what I found intrigued me more :

• Kumbh Mela is celebrated every 12 years marking a full orbital revolution of Jupiter around the Sun. However Maha Kumbh, was very special due to a rare celestial alignment occurring once every 144 years. The rare celestial alignment involves all seven planets - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune aligning on one side of the Sun.

• Expected to be the largest religious and peaceful gathering in the world drawing millions of devotees, saints, and seekers from all walks of life.

• Triveni Sangam which is the confluence of 3 rivers – Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, was the centre of attraction for people to take a holy dip and the belief is that the dip purifies them and brings them closer to spiritual liberation

• Deeply rooted in Hindu Mythology

• To accommodate the massive influx of pilgrims, the government was planning temporary city spanning 4,000 hectares, featuring 150,000 tents and 12 kilometres of ghats, 30 pontoon bridges for people to move across the river, over 450 kilometres of roads being constructed, 360 special trains, increase in flight connectivity to  Prayagraj Airport offering flights to 23 cities with 117 weekly departures …

  
  

The above are just a few. With so much being said and done, I finally decided to make a trip to the Kumbh to experience the event.

And sheer coincidence, I got a call from Countryside Adventures Holiday for a trip to Kumbh. I do all my trekking trips with them and for a moment I thought they are pulling a fast one !! (what has adventure got to do with spirituality). But then since it was an organised trip (I don’t have to worry about the chaos) with known group of people I decided to do the trip.

Tour Date                    : 2nd Feb 2025 to 5th Feb 2025

Company                     : Countryside Adventure Holidays

As per Hindu mythology Kumbh Mela is celebrated to commemorate the story of the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan). During this event, gods and demons fought over the pot of amrita (nectar of immortality), which spilled at four locations - Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik. These sites became the holy sites for the Kumbh Mela, where devotees gather to seek spiritual liberation and bathe in the rivers, believing they can cleanse their souls. The Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 was celebrated at Prayagraj, Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh state of India.

The entire area was divided into two on either side of the Ganges. One side had the tent city, exhibition halls, cultural shows, food courts etc. On the other side the main attraction were the Akharas. Akharas are traditionally Indian institutions, also known as Akhadas, are essentially groups or monastic organizations of sadhus (ascetics). There were 14 Akharas  and they play a significant role in the Kumbh Mela, leading processions and rituals, and offering spiritual guidance to devotees. In essence, Akharas are vibrant and dynamic institutions that have played a crucial role in the development and preservation of Hindu traditions and practices.  I visited quite a few of these Akharas.

Our stay in the tent city ..

Glimpse of Maha Kumbh Mela ...

And some fun ..

My main focus of this trip was to photograph the sadhus having the holy dip on the auspicious day and  of course portraits. Unfortunately I couldn’t capture the holy dip due to the crowd and my low risk appetite !!

The Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 in Prayagraj exemplified a harmonious blend of spiritual devotion, cultural richness, and modern infrastructure, leaving an indelible mark on all who participated.

 The album can be viewed --> https://maha-kumbh-feb-25.gopsview.com/