Kumbh Mela or Kumbha Mela, a major pilgrimage and festival in Hinduism, commenced in India today, marked by a ceremonial dip taken by tens of thousands of Hindus who seek to purify themselves of their sins.
The Kumbh Mela festival, signifying the ‘great’ Kumbh, will run until February 26 in Prayagraj, a city located at the confluence of three rivers: the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Devotees performed their ritual bathing at 3:20 AM local time at Triveni Sangam, the sacred meeting point of the three rivers.
In Hindu tradition, ‘Kumbh’ denotes a pot of nectar, while ‘Mela’ translates to a fair or gathering. It is believed that during a cosmic conflict between the gods (Devas) and demons (Asuras) over the nectar of immortality (Amrit), drops of this nectar fell at four significant locations in India: Haridwar, Prayagraj, Nashik, and Ujjain. These sites have since been deemed sacred, and the Kumbh Mela serves as a commemoration of this mythological event.
The festival is traditionally credited to the 8th-century Hindu philosopher and saint Adi Shankara, as a part of his efforts to start major Hindu gatherings for philosophical discussions and debates along with Hindu monasteries across the Indian subcontinent.
The adherents hold the belief that immersing oneself in the holy rivers during the Kumbh Mela cleanses the spirit, absolves sins, and bestows spiritual liberation. Although the Kumbh Mela is observed annually, the Maha Kumbh is regarded as the most significant, taking place once every twelve years in Prayagraj.
Previously referred to as Allahabad, Prayagraj was renamed by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, in 2018. This change was intended to acknowledge the city’s status as a spiritual hub for Hindu devotees.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited individuals from across the globe to participate in the festival, which was designated by UNESCO in 2017 as an “intangible cultural heritage of humanity.”
This year, the event is anticipated to draw approximately 400 million devotees, setting an all-time record as the largest-ever gathering of humanity.
With an such enormous anticipated attendance, security measures have been intensified, incorporating drones and AI-powered cameras, as reported by local media. Law enforcement and security organizations have utilized tethered drones and underwater drones for monitoring purposes.