Kumbh Mela: the biggest, most colorful festival on Earth

Religious festivals around the world vary greatly - some are solemn, others vibrant - but few match the spectacle of the Hindu festival Kumbh Mela, which kicked off this month.

Known as the ‘Festival of the Pitcher’ (a literal translation of its name), Kumbh Mela is the largest religious pilgrimage on Earth. This year, the 2025 event is poised to break all imaginable records.

The Kumbh Mela rotates every three years between four sacred cities—Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik, and Prayagraj—with the Maha Kumbh Mela, the grandest celebration, occurring every 12 years in Prayagraj. This city, the largest of the four, will host this year’s festival through February 26.

The timing of Kumbh Mela is based on the Hindu lunisolar calendar, marking a special celestial alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Jupiter.

Prayagraj, formerly known as Allahabad, is in Uttar Pradesh at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers. This year, it’s expected to welcome a staggering 400 million people.

Among the enormous crowds are pilgrims of various faiths, men and women from every social class, and devout Hindus seeking spiritual growth.

The festival also draws key figures in Hinduism, such as ashrams (monastic residents), akhadas (monastic communities), sadhus (holy men), ascetics, and saints aspiring to higher spiritual states.

A gigantic campsite with 160,000 tents will span 4,000 hectares along the riverbanks. This sacred river is central to the festival, with all attendees ultimately bathing in its waters.

Hindus believe that immersing themselves in the sacred rivers cleanses their sins, bringing them closer to moksha (spiritual liberation) and freeing them from samsara, the cycle of reincarnation.

The festival, recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, has origins in ancient agricultural rituals. Farmers would soak seeds in the rivers before planting to ensure a good harvest, while others saw these rites as fertility rituals.

According to Hindu mythology, gods (devas) and demons (asuras) once allied to obtain the nectar of immortality, known as ‘amrita.’

However, the demons seized the amrita, contained in a pitcher (kumbha), from the hands of the god Dhanvantari. This led to a fierce battle between gods and demons in the heavens, lasting 12 divine days and nights—equivalent to 12 years on Earth.

The four sacred cities—Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik—became hallowed because drops of the amrita were said to have fallen on these locations during the celestial battle. Today, they are the rotational sites of the Kumbh Mela.

While the other cities hold great significance, Prayagraj becomes the epicenter of the Maha Kumbh Mela. Its scale, rarity, and spiritual depth make it a global marvel, producing countless awe-inspiring images as millions of pilgrims create history in 2025.

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