India hosts Kumbh Mela, World’s biggest religious gathering

Organizers of India’s Kumbh Mela are preparing to host 400 million devotees during the six-week Hindu festival that starts Monday and is expected to be the largest human gathering in history.

Pilgrims will travel from across India and beyond to participate in elaborate rituals, prayers, and religious processions featuring elephants, horseback parades, and chariots.

The mass Hindu mela, or fair, runs from Jan. 13 to Feb. 26 along the riverbanks of Prayagraj in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

Organizers say the scale of preparations for the Kumbh Mela is akin to setting up a country from scratch.

The arrival of the members of an akhara or sect of sadhus for the upcoming "Maha Kumbh Mela" in PrayagrajReuters

Mind-Boggling Numbers

Around 150,000 toilets have been constructed, along with community kitchens capable of feeding up to 50,000 people at a time.

The last celebration at the site, the “ardh,” or half Kumbh Mela in 2019, drew 240 million pilgrims, according to the government.

This year, authorities are preparing for up to 400 million attendees—more than the combined population of the United States and Canada.

Mela authorities and police have set up a network of "lost and found" centers and created a special Kumbh phone application to help reunite lost pilgrims with their families.

Sacred Bathing

The Kumbh Mela, or “festival of the sacred pitcher,” is held at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Sarasvati rivers.

A central part of the rituals is bathing in the holy rivers, with the dawn charge often led by naked, ash-smeared monks.

The arrival of the members of an akhara or sect of sadhus for the upcoming "Maha Kumbh Mela" in PrayagrajReuters

Hindus believe immersing themselves in the waters cleanses them of sin, breaks the cycle of rebirth, and leads to salvation.

Many pilgrims embrace a life of simplicity during the festival, vowing non-violence, celibacy, and offering alms while focusing on prayer and meditation.

Cosmic Battle

The festival’s roots lie in Hindu mythology, which describes a battle between deities and demons over a pitcher, or kumbh, containing the nectar of immortality.

During the cosmic fight, known as "Samudra Manthan" or the “churning of the ocean,” four drops of nectar were spilled.

The arrival of the members of an akhara or sect of sadhus for the upcoming "Maha Kumbh Mela" in PrayagrajReuters

One drop landed at Prayagraj, where the Kumbh is held every 12 years. The other drops fell in Nashik, Ujjain, and Haridwar, cities that host smaller Kumbh festivals in intervening years.

The mythological battle is mentioned in the Rig Veda, an ancient sacred Hindu text. One of the earliest historical accounts of the festival comes from Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar Hiuen Tsang, who attended in the seventh century.

The arrival of the members of an akhara or sect of sadhus for the upcoming "Maha Kumbh Mela" in PrayagrajReuters

Key Dates

Bathing takes place every day, but on the most auspicious dates, it is known as Shahi Snan, or “royal bath.”

Ceremonies include the visually spectacular “aarti,” where priests perform rituals while holding flickering lamps. Devotees also release a sea of twinkling “diya” prayer lamps, crafted from baked flour and burning mustard oil or clarified butter.

Key dates include Jan. 13, the start of the mela coinciding with the full moon; Jan. 29, Mauni Amavasya, when celestial alignments are believed to purify the waters; and Feb. 26, Maha Shivaratri, the final holy bathing day.