The largest spiritual gathering in the world, the Maha Kumbh Mela officially commenced early Monday. The 45-day event is expected to welcome 1.5 crore people and on the first day itself, around 60 lakh pilgrims had taken dip in the holy water, despite the cold weather. Scroll on to see what the first day of the Maha Kumbh 2025 looked like.
Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 Begins With Paush Purnima
Amid chants of bhajans and slogans, the Maha Kumbh Mela started on Monday on the occasion of Paush Purnima in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. As per the Hindustan Times, by 9:30 AM, more than 60 lakh devotees have taken the holy dip, the first major bathing ritual or ‘Shahi Snan’ at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mystical Saraswati rivers.
It is believed that this Maha Kumbh is very auspicious as the Paush Purnima this time marks a rare celestial alignment that occurs only once every 144 years! That’s why lakhs of devotees flocked to the mela to offer prayers, take a dip in the holy water, and participate in auspicious rituals.
For the safety of the people, NDRF teams and Uttar Pradesh Police’s water police units have been stationed across the mela grounds. More than 10,000 police personnel have also been deployed across the venue. Also keeping in mind the heavy vehicular traffic, the state’s traffic police has also devised extensive plans to ensure smooth traffic flow.
More than 50,000 QR codes have been set up on electricity poles across the 25 sectors of the Maha Kumbh area to help pilgrims identify their locations. This will also help them lodge complaints about electricity-related issues.
Devotees From Around The World Are Flocking To The Triveni Sangam
Not just India, but devotees from all over the world have arrived in Prayagraj to participate in Maha Kumbh Mela. Many foreigners were seen taking a dip in the holy river early on Monday as part of the rituals, despite the freezing cold weather. According to NDTV, devotees from Spain, Brazil, Portugal, and even South Africa have arrived to take part in this spiritual mela.
Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, also arrived to participate in the Maha Kumbh Mela. She is accompanied by a 40-member team and will stay at the Niranjini Akhara camp till January 15. Before arriving in Prayagraj, she visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi on Saturday.
Are you planning to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela? Let us know in the comments.
Cover Image Courtesy: X/@MDigitalBharat
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