As the Maha Kumbh draws to a close its positive impact on India and Sanatan Dharma will endure for a long time. The global media has marveled at the largest gathering of a people ever witnessed in human history.
The Maha Kumbh is so massive it can be seen from space. American astronaut Don Pettit who is on an extended stay at the International Space Station, posted photos to social media platform X, with the caption: "the largest human gathering in the world is well lit". Humongous, Behemoth, Juggernaut, whatever adjective you use falls short of what the world has just witnessed. According to Deepak Kumar Sen, author of the Divine Kumbh, the first written evidence of the Kumbh Mela was mentioned in the travelogue of Xuanzangor Hsuan Tsang, a Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar, who travelled to India circa 630 AD, during the reign of the famous Hindu king Harshvardhan. In his eyewitness account, he wrote that, “half a million people had gathered on the banks of the Ganges at Prayagraj during the Hindu month of Magha for Kumbh Mela. The King, along with his ministers, scholars, philosophers, and sages, participated in the Mela celebrations, where he distributed gems and jewels, gold, silver, and even his clothes, in charity.”
American writer and humourist, Mark Twain wrote after visiting the Kumbh Mela in 1895:
“It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining. It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination, marvellous to our kind of people, the cold whites.”
In 2017, UNESCO placed the Kumbh Mela on its listing of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The budget for this year's festival was an estimated $800 million and analysts estimate it will boost economic growth by $30 billion to $35 billion in Uttar Pradesh
Logistics of planning
The logistics of planning the Kumbh Mela.
Spread over 4,000 Hectares(40 Sq. Km) roughly the size of 7,500 football pitches, a massive city was built under the direction of the revered chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath. The statistics are beyond phenomenal. 160,000 tents, 40 thousand police and security officers, 15,000 sanitation workers, parking for half a million vehicles, 30,000 floating pontoon bridges, 67,000 street lights, 150,000 toilets, 25,000 bins and 776 mile drinking water pipeline. Authorities have also installed 2,700 CCTV cameras across the grounds, all of which are integrated into an AI-powered surveillance system. They are monitored by hundreds of experts. This setup enables the real-time monitoring of crowds, with AI used to analyse live feeds from thousands of fixed and drone cameras positioned across key festival zones, including entry points, bathing areas and congregation spaces. Algorithms are used to measure the number of people in specific areas and provide information on crowd density. If density thresholds are exceeded, authorities are alerted and can respond on the ground, mitigating the risk of overcrowding and potential crushes. Underwater drones are also being used to monitor the riverbeds of the Ganges and Yamuna. The Yogi government has also built 14 new flyovers and 11 new road corridors, 7,000 buses, 550 shuttle buses and 3,000 special trains. The Kumbh is expected to require nearly 300 million rupees ($3.5 million) worth of power supplies, or more than the monthly average consumption of 100,000 urban apartments in a city.
The show stoppers
The Naga Babas were the real celebrities in this Mela. Their bodies covered in ashes and sometimes smoking Chilam - people sought spiritual insights from them. Some of the Babas were flamboyant characters like Rolls Royce Baba and Bicycle Baba. Hundreds of Akharas made up of Sadhus following a particular Guru added to the splendour of the event. Known as the Peshwai Processions: these grand processions mark the arrival of different Akharas or Monastic orders.The processions are vibrant and colourful, featuring decorated elephants, horses, and accompanied with music and dancing. In keeping with the Indian tradition of unity in diversity there was mutual respect between different theological groups. Among the Akharas was one called Kinnar Akhara. It is a transgender monastic order. While many religions are torn apart by the difficulty of acknowledging transgenders, in Hinduism they have been accepted as part of the community for thousands of years. There were women Akharas too. This is the greatness of Sanatan Dharma.
The crucible test of this mega event is if it passes off without any violence or conflict. If ever there was a miracle the Kumbh Mela bore witness to it. No violence, no stabbings, no assaults sexual or otherwise. On the contrary the festival oozed love and compassion. The unfortunate deaths of devotees trapped and at the Delhi railway station will remain a painful memory.
Biggest vegetarian and cross religious party
The world's largest gathering also witnessed the world's biggest vegetarian party. 500 million people were served vegetarian food completely free of charge by hundreds of organisations. The logistics of feeding 500 million people is beyond anyone's imagination and yet Hindu organisations made it possible. Caste was irrelevant at this Maha Kumbh. No one was denied access anywhere. One large sea of believers took the dip in the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati irrespective of who they were or where they came from. Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists also came to the Maha Kumbh in big numbers. Out of the 13 Akharas 3 are associated with Sikhism. They are Nirmala, Bada Udaseen and Naya Udaseen Akharas. These Akharas follow the teachings of Guru Nanak and are guided by the Guru Granth Sahib. It is believed that Guru Govind Singh sent Sikhs to Kashi and Prayagraj to study Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures. They came to be known as Nirmala meaning highly educated. The Udaseen (meaning neutral) was established by Baba Sri Chand son of Guru Nanak Dev. On 11th January a Nagar Kirtan and Gatka show was performed by the Nirmala Akhara Sadhus. These 3 Akhara revere Hindu scriptures like Bhagavad Gita. Also present were the Namdhari Sikhs who foster Hindu, Sikh brotherhood. On 29 January Harnam Singh Dhumma, leader of Damdami Taksal visited the Maha Kumbh. According to Harnam Singh, Sikh Gurus had also visited Prayaraj and Kashi. By the same taken almost all Hindus revere Sikh Gurus.
Prominent Jain Gautam Adani and family also took a dip in the holy waters. He sponsored a free food distribution which was undertaken by the Hare Krishna movement. The Buddhist King of Bhutan His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namguel Wangchuck also came to the festival. Around 600 Buddhists came from countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. On 5 February they had a grand procession at the Mela. This symbolic act emphasised Hindu-Buddhist brotherhood.
Thousands of people from the African continent as well as Europe and South America also came to the Maha Kumbh. Many global celebrities also came to the festival. Overall people from about 50 countries came to the Mela. Uniquely no one was asked to convert to Hinduism. The Kumbh Mela signifies the revival of Sanatan Dharma on the world stage.
On a personal level festivals bring joy and banish loneliness. These are crucial human psychological needs. Hindu Rishis realised this thousands of years ago. Finally the Kumbh Mela has proved that Indians are skilful organisers when the need arises in spite of the chaos of everyday life!