Mahakumbh 2025 highlights: More than 2.5 million devotees visit Mela

The Uttar Pradesh council of ministers will hold a meeting at the ongoing Mahakumbh in Prayagraj on January 22.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath and several of his ministerial colleagues are also likely to take a dip at the Sangam on the occasion.

In Shiv Nagari at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, 12 Jyotirlingas made from 7 crore 51 lakh Rudraksha beads are attracting devotees from far and wide, PTI reported.

Constructed in Sector 6 of the Maha Kumbh, each Jyotirlinga stands 11 feet high, 9 feet wide, and 7 feet thick, with a garland of 7 crore 51 lakh Rudraksha beads draped around it. These beads were collected by begging and walking through 10,000 villages.

The process of initiation of sadhus as Naga ascetics has kick-started in Mahakumbh-2025.

Juna Akhada, the largest Hindu monastic order in terms of count of sadhus, inducted 800 Naga sadhus into its rolls by giving them religious initiation in Sector 21 of the Mahakumbh tent city on Saturday, HT reported.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said the footfall figures for the ongoing Mahakumbh are scientifically accurate and the data is derived from advanced technology, with 3,700 cameras deployed for daily headcounts. READ MORE

In an official communication on Friday, Additional Commissioner of Police, Prayagraj announced prohibitory orders under Section-163 of Indian Civil Security Code, 2023 (also called Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023), ANI reported.

Mahakumbh 2025 Live: A national-level Khadi exhibition was inaugurated at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj on Friday, showcasing Khadi products and other items created in village industries.

The 152 stalls will be present till February 26.

Mahakumbh 2025 Live: Akashvani's Kumbhvani news bulletins to be broadcast in Mahakumbh Nagar three times a day, at 8:30-8:40 am, 2:30-2:40 pm, and 8:30-8:40 pm, providing updates on various activities related to the Mahakumbh Mela.

Devotees can also tune in to the Kumbhvani news bulletins on the 103.5 MHz frequency in Prayagraj, on the NewsonAIR app, the Waves OTT platform and Akashvani's official YouTube channel, stated a release by the ministry of information and broadcasting.

Mahakumbh 2025 Live: Former diplomat and author Amish Tripathi, known for his fictional books on Indian mythology and mythological characters, recently met Elon Musk at SpaceX. He was part of a delegation of prominent Indians in an event led by the UK-headquartered policy and events platform India Global Forum (IGF). Read more.

Mahakumbh 2025 Live: IMD scientist Dr Soma Sen Roy told ANI that fog conditions are are expected to persist till January 20 in Prayagraj where the Mahakumbh is being held.

She added that after Monday, the temperatures are likely to rise in Prayagraj.

Mahakumbh 2025 Live: Renowned spiritual leader Morari Bapu arrived in Prayagraj to participate in the Mahakumbh and stated that he was excited for the spiritual gathering.

"I am very happy and I have arrived for 'Katha' at the Mahakumbh. The arrangements for the Mahakumbh are very good. I am very excited as it is a very big festival for the 'Sanatan Dharma' and the spiritual world," he told ANI.

Mahakumbh 2025 Live: UP government data shows that till Friday the Mahakumbh recorded a footfall of more than 73 million pilgrims. On Saturday, more than 2.5 million devotees visited the Mela till 4 pm.

Mahakumbh 2025 Live: More than 2.5 million devotees have visited the Mahakumbh being held in Prayagraj on the sixth day of the auspicious festival, as per data collected till 4 pm as quoted by ANI.

The data shows that more than 1 million Kalpvasis and 3.5 million devotees took a dip at the Triveni Sangam on day 6 of the festival.

Mahakumbh 2025 Live: 12 Jyotirlingas made from 7.51 crore Rudraksha beads have become the centre of attraction at the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj.

The structures made in Shiv Nagari stand 11 feet high, 9 feet wide, and 7 feet thick, with a garland of 7 crore 51 lakh Rudraksha beads draped around it.

A devotee named Mauni Baba told PTI, "With the aim of eradicating terrorism and protecting Bangladeshi Hindus, an iron Shivling was made, and Rudraksha beads were then placed on it."

He added, "Years ago, I had resolved to establish a Jyotirlinga made of Rudraksha. For the past 37 years, I have been making Shivlings out of Rudraksha and worshipping them. White, black, and red Rudraksha, ranging from one Mukhi to 26 Mukhi, have been used in the Jyotirlingas here."

Mahakumbh 2025 Live: ISKCON (The International Society for Krishna Consciousness), in partnership with the Adani Group, is providing meals to nearly one lakh people daily at the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

ISKCON's kitchen prepares food for 30,000 - 35,000 people in one session, and more than one lakh people are served food in three sessions a day, the Director (CSR) Madhukant Das told PTI.

Mahakumbh 2025 Live: After taking a dip in the Triveni Sangam, defence minister Rajnath Singh congratulated UP CM Yogi Adityanath for the “efficient” way in which he conducted the Mahakumbh.

“Today, after taking a bath in the Sangam, I feel very fulfilled. This festival is a festival of Indian culture and spiritual experience of Sanatan Dharma, which is based on the ancient vedic astronomical event. Here people of different castes and race from all over the country and the world come here with the feeling of oneness,” he told ANI.

Mahakumbh 2025 Live: On Thursday, chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and Uttar Pradesh DGP Prashant Kumar conducted a visit to the Mahakumbh area to ensure that security arrangements were adequate.

The chief secretary said that though arrangements and facilities during the previous festivals were commendable there was a need for further refinement, especially considering PM Modi would also visit the area.

During the review of security arrangements, they all emphasised the need for an adequate police presence at all locations, including the fair area, and directed that police personnel must report to duty on time to ensure seamless security measures.

After taking a holy dip at Triveni Sangam at the Mahakumbh Mela, defence minister Rajnath Singh offered his prayers and performed Ganga Aarti in Prayagraj. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi and other party leaders were also present there with him.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh has reached Prayagraj to participate in the 2025 Mahakumbh Mela.

Allahabad High Court judge Justice Shekhar Yadav, whose speech at a VHP event last month sparked a controversy, has opted out of a seminar on the Ram Temple movement in the Mahakumbh Mela area on January 22.

According to the organisers, Justice Yadav expressed his inability to attend the "Rashtriya Sangoshthi: Ram Mandir Aandolan aur Gorakshpeeth" seminar, saying January 22 is a working day.

Mahamandaleshwar Narayanand Giri Maharaj of Niranjani Akhada, known as “Golden Baba” caught the attention of scores of devotees by wearing jewellery weighing over 6 kilograms, a news agency ANI report said.

Speaking to the news agency, the Swami, who hails from Kerala, said that these jewels are dedicated to various Hindu deities, including Narsimha, Murugan, Nataraj, Bhadrakali, etc.

His pieces include rudraksha, coral, crystals, moonga, and other precious stones like ruby, sapphire, and emerald, which are used during puja (worship). His jewellery also includes the Shri Yantra symbol.

More than 1.98 million pilgrims visited the Mahakumbh Mela on its sixth day, on Saturday, till 10, as per the official data released by the Uttar Pradesh government.

As per the data, over 10 lakhs Kalpvasis and 9.84 lakhs, pilgrims took a dip at the Triveni Sangam on the sixth day of the Mahakumbh Mela.

National Conference Farooq Abdullah told news agency ANI, “It is a good thing. It has been organised for centuries... My greetings to those who are there to take a holy dip in the Holy Ganga.”

Defence minister Rajnath Singh will take part in the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj on Saturday.

"Today, 18th January, I shall be in Prayagraj to participate in Mahakumbh 2025. The Mahakumbh is a celebration of India's rich spiritual and cultural heritage. Looking forward to join this holy confluence," Singh posted on X.

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Saturday hailed the Uttar Pradesh government’s preparedness and safety measures for the Mahakumbh Mela.

"The Maha Kumbh is being organised with all preparedness and safety under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. It should be a case study on the arrangements by the government in one of the largest gatherings of humans. We saw how in the past the Kumbh was organised...if we talk about the Kumbh before this, the way the stampede happened in 2013 and the then government treated it with insensitivity. After independence, when the first Kumbh was organized, looking at the arrangements of the Kumbh, the then government was indifferent towards the arrangements of the Kumbh," the Union Minister was quoted as saying by ANI.

The spiritual head of the Rishikesh-based Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Swami Chidanand Saraswati, along with Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati offered prayers and performed ‘Havan’ at the 2025 Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj.