The world’s largest spiritual and cultural gathering ‘Maha Kumbh 2025’ commenced on Monday in the holy city of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. Around 6 million pilgrims took the holy dip at Sangam till 9am, a government spokesperson said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath extended greetings to devotees. PM Modi in his post on X said, “A very special day for crores of people who cherish Bharatiya values and culture! Maha Kumbh 2025 commences in Prayagraj, bringing together countless people in a sacred confluence of faith, devotion and culture. The Maha Kumbh embodies India’s timeless spiritual heritage and celebrates faith and harmony.
Modi said, “I am happy to see Prayagraj abuzz with countless people coming there, taking the holy dip and seeking blessings. Wishing all pilgrims and tourists a wonderful stay.”
Ahead of the first snan (dip), Adityanath on Monday greeted everyone on Paush Purnima and said, “The world’s largest spiritual and cultural gathering ‘Mahakumbh’ is starting from today in the holy city of Prayagraj. All the revered saints, Kalpvasis, devotees who have come to experience unity in diversity, for meditation and holy bath at the confluence of faith and modernity are heartily welcomed. May Maa Ganga fulfill all your wishes.”
A unique view of spiritual exuberance and religious faith is seen at Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.
{{/usCountry}}A unique view of spiritual exuberance and religious faith is seen at Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.
{{/usCountry}}“A huge crowd of faith and enthusiasm was seen in the first bath itself, devotees were mesmerised by seeing the divinity of Maha Kumbh,” said Uttima Shukla, a teacher who went to Sangam to catch a glimpse of devotees taking bath on Paush Purnima.
“Along with becoming the path of chanting, meditation and salvation for lakhs of devotees not only from the country but also from abroad, the Maha Kumbh has become a medium to bind in the thread of unity,” Prayagraj resident Vivek Mishra said.
Indications of record crowd on the very first day
Day 1 of Maha Kumbh 2025 is set to witness a record footfall in Mahakumbhnagar. “These devotees looked very satisfied with the preparations of the Yogi government of Uttar Pradesh and were seen praising the double engine government openly after seeing the well-organised arrangements made for the Maha Kumbh festival,” a government spokesperson said.
The immense enthusiasm of the devotees on the first day shows that in the coming 45 days, Maha Kumbh 2025 may see a bigger crowd of devotees than what the Uttar Pradesh government anticipated.
Kalpvasis took a pledge to follow the rules of Kalpvas by taking bath
On the occasion of Paush Purnima, Kalpvasis take the holy bath in Sangam and follow the strict rules of Kalpvas. During this period, they pray for virtue, salvation and welfare of the whole world.
All the ghats were resonating with the chants of Har Har Mahadev, Jai Shri Ram and Jai Bajrang Bali. Day 1 saw a huge crowd from Prayagraj and surrounding areas, as well as states like Bihar, Haryana, Bengal, Odisha, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
Foreign devotees also became admirers of Maha Kumbh
A stream of devotees from the country and abroad was seen at Sangam Ghat. YouTubers from South Korea were seen capturing various shots of Maha Kumbh, while tourists from Japan were seen taking information from local guides after seeing the crowd. Devotees from various countries, including Russia and the US, too took a holy dip. Christina, who came from Spain, was also one of them who, after seeing the grandeur of Maha Kumbh, was in awe of the magnitude of the event. It is worth mentioning that the kind of crowd that is being estimated to gather in Maha Kumbh this year is more than the population of many countries in the world.