Maha Kumbh ends 26-Feb with holy dip for Maha Shivratri

It’s Amrit Snan today Curtains come down on Maha Kumbh 2025 After a stampede last month, authorities have imposed much stricter crowd control measures on the mela ground and Prayagraj.

0nce in every 12 years,winds up today with a sea of devotees, including monks and pilgrims from different walks of life, taking the last holy dip at the at the Triveni Sangam and other ghats in Prayagraj on the occasion of Shivratri.

This year’s Maha Kumbh, with a rare celestial alignment that occurs in every 144 years, began on January 13 (Paush Purnima) and has attracted over 65 crore people at the religious site, a witness to elaborate processions of monks and three ‘Amrit Snans’.

A drone shot showing Sangam area on the occasion of Maha Shivratri festival during the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, in Prayagraj, Wednesday,

According to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, over 11.66 lakh devotees had already taken a bath in the Sangam till 2 am on Wednesday.

Government data showed that this number rose to 25.64 lakh within the next two hours, and then almost doubled to 41.11 lakh devotees by 6 am. Adityanath, who is monitoring the ‘snan’ (bath) since 4 am with senior government officials at his Lucknow residence, congratulated the people visiting Maha Kumbh. “Hearty congratulations to all the revered saints, Kalpvasis and devotees who have come to take a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam today on the holy bathing festival of Mahashivratri dedicated to the worship of Lord Bholenath in Maha Kumbh-2025, Prayagraj…..Har Har Mahadev!.” he wrote on X.
Considered world’s largest spiritual gathering, pilgrims poured from all four corners of the country including states like West Bengal, Karnataka, Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh among others on the closing day. There were also people who came all the way from Nepal to witness the Maha Kumbh on its final day.
A large number of devotees thronged the banks of the Sangam from close to midnight, and while some camped and waited patiently for the  final auspicious ‘snan’ of the Maha Kumbh, at ‘Brahma Muhurt’. A number of them also performed the bathing rituals much before the moment.
 

News Edit KV Raman