Mahakumbh Nagar, Feb 26 :
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims converged at the Triveni Sangam on Mahashivratri on Wednesday, the final day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh dubbed as the world’s largest religious gathering.
Chimes of cymbals, holy chants and kaleidoscopic colours of India fused into each other at the holy confluence site on Mahashivratri to take a dip on the final day.
Amid chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from across the country took the holy dip at the Triveni Sangam. According to government data, by 2 am on Wednesday, over 11.66 lakh devotees immersed themselves in the Sangam on Mahashivratri, which marks the last day of the Kumbh. The number surged to 25.64 lakh in the next two hours and 41.11 lakh by 6 am. By 10 am, 81.09 lakh people had taken the final ‘snan’ at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.
Maha Kumbh, the spectacle that takes place once in 12 years, began on January 13 (Paush Purnima) and saw grand processions of Naga Sadhus and three ‘Amrit Snans’. The mega religious gathering has drawn a record over 64 crore pilgrims so far.
Being the last auspicious ‘snan’ of the Maha Kumbh, a large number of devotees had
Millions Flock For Final
begun to gather on the banks of the Sangam from close to midnight, and while some camped and waited patiently to take the dip at ‘Brahma Muhurt’, scores of them performed the bathing rituals much before the appointed time.
Mahashivratri commemorates the divine union of Shiva and Parvati and holds special significance in the context of the Kumbh Mela. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva played a crucial role in the Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean), which led to the emergence of the Amrit Kumbh (nectar pitcher), the very essence of the Kumbh Mela.
CM Yogi Adityanath’s Greetings
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath extended his wishes and prayers to devotees on the occasion of final day of the gathering and Mahashivratri. He began monitoring the arrangements at the Kumbh Mela at 4 am from Gorakhpur with senior government officials.
“Heartfelt greetings to all the revered sadhus, saints, kalpvasis, and devotees who have arrived today to take a dip of faith at the Triveni Sangam! May Lord Shiva, the ruler of the three worlds, and the sacred Mother Ganga bless everyone with well-being, this is my prayer. Har Har Mahadev!,” he posted on X.
The state government arranged for showering of petals over devotees from a helicopter at the Kumbh. Twenty quintals of flower petals were showered on the devotees in five rounds.
Colours of India Converge
Billed as the world’s largest spiritual gathering on earth, the mega religious festival on its last day attracted pilgrims from all four corners of the country.
Rajvir Singh Jhala (20), a BBA student from Rajkot took the holy dip right at the Sangam nose, as did his mother and other family members who arrived in Prayagraj from Gujarat in a bus on Wednesday night.
“Lord Shiva for me means ‘Shunyata’, one must feel that he or she is nothing in front of him. Besides, one must have goodness inside. If one has dirt inside, washing oneself in holy Sangam will not even cleanse any sin,” Jhala said right after his ‘snan’.
As pilgrims milled around and took the holy dip at various ghats at or near the Sangam, security personnel kept a vigilant eye, not allowing crowding at any place for a long duration, as they sought to manage the sea of pilgrims pouring into the mela grounds. Pilgrims also came from West Bengal, Karnataka, Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, covering literally the length and breadth of the country.
A group of devotees also came from Nepal to witness the Maha Kumbh on its closing day and take the holy dip on Maharashivratri. Pinki Devi from Kolkata who performed the bathing rituals around 3.30 am was ecstatic that she could take the dip on the auspicious day. Chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ or ‘Jai Mahakal’ rang throughout the Mela ground.
Total devotees exceed population of all countries except two
The Uttar Pradesh government said the total number of visitors to the fair exceeds the population of all countries in the world except India and China, both of which have populations exceeding a billion.
The Maha Kumbh has witnessed six special bathing dates — Paush Purnima on January 13, Makar Sankranti on January 14, Mauni Amavasya on January 29, Basant Panchami on February 3, Maghi Purnima on February 12, and Mahashivratri on February 26 — including three ‘Amrit Snan’.
Given the scale of the event and the sheer volume of attendees, authorities had enforced a “no vehicle zone” in the mela area and Prayagraj besides implementing strict crowd control measures and logistical support to facilitate a seamless culmination of Maha Kumbh 2025.
Deadly stampedes
A stampede on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya last month led to the deaths of at least 30 people and left 60 injured, according to the government data. Another 18 people died this month during a stampede at the main railway station in New Delhi when surging crowds scrambled to catch trains to Prayagraj.
The deaths have taken the sheen off the government’s claims of stellar management of the event. But the twin tragedies failed to deter millions who continued to pour into the sprawling temporary township along the banks of the river. Organisers now face the massive task of cleaning the site up after the festival ends and pilgrims go home.
