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Mahakumbh: No one will go hungry; over 200 institutions to serve free meals
Nearly 20,000 devotees will be served freshly cooked North Indian meals (Maha Prasad) every day after taking a holy dip during Mahakumbh 2025.
During the upcoming mega religious fair, Mahakumbh 2025, lakhs of people will enjoy freshly cooked, hot meals every day, free of cost, with over 200 religious institutions setting up camps to serve food to all visitors.
Sharing details, additional district magistrate (ADM) Mahakumbh, Vivek Chaturvedi, said, “A large number of religious organisations voluntarily provide free meals to all. It is part of their social responsibility. In the past, religious institutions have served food to lakhs of devotees at no cost, and this year’s Kumbh will be no different.”
Swami Chidanand Saraswati, president and spiritual head of Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, shared, “Our camp will be at Aral Ghat on Naini Road. We will establish a large Anna Kshetra, where our workers will cook and serve food. Initially, we will feed boatmen and sanitation workers, who will be under tremendous pressure. Thereafter, the service will be extended to the general public.”
ADM Chaturvedi added, “Voluntary organisations and religious institutions take immense pride in setting up langars for distributing free meals to devotees. It reflects their sewa bhav (spirit of service) towards society at large. Sewa Ashram and hundreds of other organizations have pledged support to provide meals to the sea of devotees taking the holy dip in the Ganga.”
Nearly 20,000 devotees will be served freshly cooked North Indian meals (Maha Prasad) every day after taking a holy dip during Mahakumbh 2025. Devotees will receive hygienically prepared roti, sabzi, rice, and dal at the banks of the river Ganga, served to them on platters.
Akshaya Patra Foundation and Hare Krishna Movement (ISKCON Bengaluru) are shipping giant mobile kitchens, cooking vessels, and utensils to Prayagraj, the host city of the world’s largest spiritual congregation. These organisations, supported by ISKCON Bengaluru and their followers, are funding the expenses for this initiative.
“We will provide delicious and nutritious meals to about 10,000 pilgrims near Parade Ground through mobile kitchens,” said Swami Anant Virya Das, public relations head of Akshaya Patra Foundation, during a two-day visit to the state capital. “Another 10,000 devotees will be served rice, dal, roti, and vegetables at a grand kitchen in Sector 7, Naag Vasuki, managed by Hare Krishna Movement (ISKCON Bengaluru).”
He added, “We will begin distributing prasad from January 10. Like in 2019, this year too we will organise a grand event featuring Srimad Bhagavatam discourses, daily Vedic yagnas, Maha Prasad, Harinam Sankirtan, Bhajan Sandhya, and Ramlila performances during the Kumbh Mela.”
Along with these, the state food and civil supply department will also set up 160 fair price shops across all sectors of the Mela area, where free rations will be distributed twice, in January and February 2025. As part of this, five warehouses will be established for storage, with the state government committing over ₹43 crore for this initiative.
Mela ADM, Vivek Chaturvedi, had earlier said that many devotees, known as Kalpvasis, stay at the Mela for several days and prepare their own food. So, these 160 ration shops will serve their needs, offering new ration cards and supplies, while five warehouses will support stock management and prevent shortages.
