Latest news Millions gather in India for the world's largest pilgrimage festival
Millions of people have gathered on the banks of the Ganges in northern India to mark the start of the world's largest pilgrimage festival. Around 15 million Hindu pilgrims entered the water at the confluence of the Ganges and the Jamuna River, which is also revered as sacred, on the first main bathing day of the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, wrote the head of the Uttar Pradesh state government, Yogi Adityanath, on the X platform. He estimates that the festival, which lasts more than six weeks, will attract up to 400 million people this time - which would be a record.
13.01.2025, 16:47
SDA
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of a "very special day" for millions of people. According to him, countless people gathered for the festival in the city of Prayagraj "in a sacred coming together of faith, devotion and culture".
Ritual ablutions
Hindu ritual ablutions are at the heart of the Kumbh Mela (jug festival). With these acts, the participants want to cleanse themselves of their sins and free themselves from the cycle of birth and death. Where the faithful perform their ablutions, the Ganges and Jamuna also flow together with the mythological river Sarasvati.
The Indian government promotes the Maha Kumbh Mela not only as the largest religious festival, but also as the largest peaceful gathering in the world. This year's edition is the great Kumbh Mela, which only takes place every twelve years.
According to a myth, drops of the "nectar of immortality" were spilled from a jar in Prayagraj and the towns of Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik when gods and demons fought over it. The festival takes place every three years in a twelve-year cycle at one of the four locations.
Pilgrims from all parts of the country, including sadhus or sadhvis, who are considered "holy men" or "holy women", as well as tourists from abroad travel to the Kumbh Mela.
Tent city on 40 square kilometers
For the festival weeks, the government of the megacity of Prayagraj has had a fully equipped tent city erected for the masses of pilgrims, this time covering an area of 40 square kilometers. Around 120 million people attended the Maha Kumbh Mela in 2013.
