Maha Kumbh festival witnesses 15 million people take holy dip on first day
Maha Kumbh festival witnesses 15 million people take holy dip on first day
Markedly, nearly 15 million take holy dip, six times more than expected
Devout Hindus march praising Lord Shiva, Mother Ganga
PM Modi says festival is celebration of faith and harmony
The Maha Kumbh Mela held every 12 years, attracts more than 400 million visitors, both Indians and tourists.
As per State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath 15 million devotees “earned the holy benefit of bathing in the uninterrupted and clean Triveni,” or the confluence of the rivers.
Officials had expected the first ritual dip to draw 2.5 million visitors, followed by a “royal bath” on Tuesday reserved for ascetics, in the belief that it absolves them of sin and confers salvation from the cycle of life and death.
As many as 40,000 police officers are on guard to provide security and help manage the crowds, while surveillance cameras equipped with artificial intelligence AI capabilities will ensure continuous monitoring.
Ascetic Hazari Lala Mishra who took the holy dip himself before sunrise, which is considered an auspicious time said
It’s the only festival for hermits and monks, and we wait for it desperately. It is our festival.
Amid public warnings to walk in lines without halting anywhere, droves of marchers headed for bathing positions to await sunrise at the confluence of the three holy rivers, the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical, invisible Saraswati.
Advancing toward the waters’ edge in the winter morning fog, they chanted invocations such as “Har Har Mahadev” and “Jai Ganga Maiyya” in praise of the Hindu deities Lord Shiva and Mother Ganga, who personifies India’s holiest river.
He feels excited but now scared because he didn’t expect this crowd,” said Priyanka Rajput, a fashion model from Delhi, the capital, who accompanied her mother. “This is her first Kumbh and he came here only because his mother is very spiritual.
The Kumbh originates in a Hindu tradition that the god Vishnu, known as the Preserver, wrested away from demons a golden pitcher that held the nectar of immortality.
In a 12-day celestial fight for its possession, four drops of the nectar fell to earth, in the cities of Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik, where the festival is held every three years in rotation.
The Kumbh held once in 12 years in this cycle has the prefix maha (great) as its timing renders it more auspicious and it attracts the largest crowds.
A showcase mix of religion, spirituality and tourism like no other in India, the event offers a test in crowd management for authorities in the world’s most populous country who must balance arrangements for millions while retaining its sanctity.
A temporary city sprawling over 4,000 hectares (9,990 acres)has sprung up along the river banks with 150,000 tents to house the visitors, and is equipped with 3,000 kitchens, 145,000 restrooms and 99 parking lots.
Authorities are also installing as many as 450,000 new electricity connections, with the Kumbh expected to consume more power than 100,000 urban apartments require in a month.
Notedly, Indian Railways has added 98 trains to make 3,300 trips carrying festival visitors, in addition to regular services to Prayagraj.
Uttar Pradesh is governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which hopes that a successful Kumbh Mela will burnish its efforts to reclaim and glorify India’s religious and cultural symbols.
That has been a plank for the party’s Hindu base promised since Modi swept to power nationwide in 2014.
PM Modi on X wrote
the Maha Kumbh embodies India’s timeless spiritual heritage and celebrates faith and harmony.
News Edit KV Raman
