Maha Kumbh Mela: It was Exciting to be a Part of the Historic Celebration of Human Congregation
The Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, which started Jan 13in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, and is scheduled to conclude on Feb 26. The mela happens once in 12 years because of a key planetary alignment when Jupiter enters Aries and the Sun is in Capricorn thus marking the most sacred time for the Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj, where millions take a dip in the confluence (Sangam) of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mystical Saraswati rivers.
This celestial configuration is believed to enhance the spiritual energy of the location, making it an ideal time for devotees to seek liberation (moksha) and cleanse their sins. Also, as per the legendary myth behind this event is the churning of the pot (kumbh) by the devas and the asuras and when Lord Vishnu carried the pot to heaven, drops of the elixir fell on the Kumbh Mela’s four earthly sites (Haridwar, Nashik, Prayagraj, and Ujjain). At the climactic moment of each mela, it is believed that the rivers at those holy sites transform into vessels of that primordial nectar of immortality that convey benefits to pilgrims.
This year’s festival is particularly significant, occurring once every 144 years, and has attracted an estimated 550 million pilgrims till date from around the world.
My own excitement to be a part of this historic celebration of human congregation was quite palpable, and since festivals are a huge part of my travel bucket list, off I went.
In all my solo trips, usually I set a goal to get to talk to as many strangers as possible. Try to get a connect to the local culture, food, people etc. and absorb the vast diversity of the country. And every time, it gives me such a proud and immense satisfaction to be a part of this fascinating land – our own India.
So, I started off by chatting with a senior citizen right on the plane who grew up in Prayagraj, and explained so much in detail about her childhood. I met a fellow traveller in the hotel, we both explored the markets together, was almost tempted to hop on to a three-way bike ride with her at 5am in the morning, but then changed plans. A local young guide, who was a lawyer by profession and the eldest and a bread winner of his family who explained in detail about the mind boggling cases that come to one of the largest courts in the world, Allahabad high court. The auto rickshawala who was so happy to show around and talk about his small kids, the hotel manager who was so happy to share his growing up years in Ayodya and Varanasi, and many more.
The next morning when I set out to the Kumbh mela area, I had to keep my expectations very low. By then, a very interesting and common theme with everyone that I had met thus far was emerging- that things change by the minute at the mela, and if I’m destined to take the ‘Snan” or the bath, I will. Which makes sense when so many people congregate at one place.
With mixed feelings of worry, nervousness and anxiety, I reached the mela area around 6 am. The morning fog was so thick that visibility was near zero. I proceeded to walk with the rickshawala, who was so sweet and promised to stay with me till I meet the guide. It took about two hours and we still couldn’t see the guide. The poor guy was also trying to locate me (smartly through google locator) , but the fog made it next to impossible.
By then, I had strange visions of people’s echoing through my ears about destiny and had almost given up, because I wasn’t sure how to proceed. The entire area was a vast 30 km, couldn’t follow anyone because there was no visibility either. It was a literally a blind spot.
I was almost thinking of making a u-turn then. My brain fog was on a heated competition with the natural one.
PIN ITBut, then the magical phenomenon happened in a flash. In less than five minutes, the literal and proverbial fog lifted. The guide met me, and it was all clear and journey onward from then. We walked 2 more hours but, reached the Sangam area and I finally took the dip in the water.
Overall, the experiences were extremely diverse. It was amazing to witness the high energy and ambience of the mela. Was just wonder struck at how even such a massive crowd had only one single pointed focus of taking the snan. And, how everyone was so disciplined in walking on the way to the river point, but sadly people were pushing around a lot just before they went to the dipping area. Considering the fact that a bad stampede incident had happened there recently, felt that the authorities could have managed it better. Otherwise, the arrangements for potable water, continuous cleaning efforts, police patrolling were all very good.
Most of all, the single most panoptic aerial view was exactly what was told to me repeatedly about Kumbh mela symbolizing the confluence of nature and humanity, and the balance between the seen and the unseen.
If something is meant to happen, it will certainly happen, no matter what. Go with the eternal flow of life.
Jayashree Srikanth lived in the United States for 16 years, then moved to Bangalore with her husband and two daughters. She is a proud homeschooler of a special needs kid, who has a successful art career and has won several awards including carrying the torch for the Rio Paralympics, in 2015. Her younger daughter graduated from UCLA and is now working for a healthcare startup in Chicago.