An ascetic dances with another as Hindu holy man walk in a procession, a day before the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival, in Prayagraj.
Photos: Pilgrims Prepare For The Maha Kumbh Mela In Prayagraj
The six-week-long Maha Kumbh Mela has begun in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, with at least 40 crore people expected to gather over the next 45 days. Devotees will bathe at the confluence of three sacred rivers바카라”the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati바카라”believed to absolve sins and grant salvation, according to Hindu belief. The festival바카라™s roots lie in Hindu mythology, where Lord Vishnu wrested a golden pitcher containing the nectar of immortality from demons. While the Kumbh Mela rotates every three years between several holy cities along these rivers, the Maha Kumbh Mela occurs only once every 12 years. With crores of people expected, the festival presents a challenge for authorities to manage the movement of such a large crowd. Stampedes are not uncommon; twenty-six pilgrims were killed in one during the 2013 Maha Kumbh Mela. To handle the vast number of pilgrims expected to travel by train, authorities have added 3,000 special trains and 13,100 train services. According to the Uttar Pradesh state government, fourteen new flyovers and underpasses, eleven new road corridors, 7,000 buses, 550 shuttle buses, seven new bus stops, and 30 pontoon bridges have also been added to improve connectivity. Many pilgrims stay for the full festival, observing austerity, offering alms, and bathing at sunrise each day. Below are photos taken a day before the start of the 45-day Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
Prayagraj Mahakumbh 2025
| Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
A Hindu holy man sips tea at his makeshift living quarters at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers, a day before the official beginning of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival, in Prayagraj.
Kumbh Mela 2025: Sadhu's arrive in a procession at an akhara
| Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Hindu holy men arrive in a procession at an akhara where they will stay during the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival beginning on Jan. 13, at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers, in Prayagraj.
Kumbh Mela 2025: Devotees wearing the ceremonial costume of the Kathiawar region in Gujarat state
| Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Hindu devotees wearing the ceremonial costume of the Kathiawar region in Gujarat state, sing hymns at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers, a day before the official beginning of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival, in Prayagraj.
Kumbh Mela 2025: Sadhus of Panchayati Bada Udasin Akhara
| Photo: AP/Rajesh Kumar Singh
Sadhus or Hindu holy men of Panchayati Bada Udasin Akhara wave in front of Indian tricolor flag during a procession of the first 'royal entry' a day before the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
Kumbh Mela 2025: Foreign devotee Iryna Animists, centerwith Indian hindu devotees
| Photo: AP/Rajesh Kumar Singh
A foreign hindu devotee Iryna Animists, center, poses along Indian hindu devotees a day before the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj.
Kumbh Mela 2025: A devotee prays before taking a dip
| Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
A Hindu devotee prays before taking a dip at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the first day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj.
Kumbh Mela 2025: Devotees arrive for taking a dip
| Photo: AP/Rajesh Kumar Singh
Devotees arrive for taking a dip at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the first day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj.
Kumbh Mela 2025: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at Sangam
| Photo: AP/Rajesh Kumar Singh
District Megistrate Kumbh Mela, Vijay Kiran Anand, center, briefs the strategy to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, left, at Sangam during observation ahead of Mahakumbh festival in Prayagraj in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Kumbh Mela 2025: Women wait to join their family members after bathing at the confluence
| Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Women wait to join their family members after bathing at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers, a day before the official beginning of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival, in Prayagraj.
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Kumbh Mela 2025: A Hindu holy man smokes marijuana at his makeshift living quarters
| Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
A Hindu holy man smokes marijuana at his makeshift living quarters at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers, a day before the official beginning of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival, in Prayagraj.
Kumbh Mela 2025: Devotees arrive for taking a dip
| Photo: AP/Rajesh Kumar Singh
Devotees arrive for taking a dip at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the first day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj.
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