Mahakumbh 2025 has started in India with millions of devotees talking dip in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. The event has hogged limelight of the international media too as they have heaped praises on the grand scale it is being organised.
Kumbh Mela 2025 begins in India with millions of devotees taking holy dips in Uttar Pradesh’s Parayagraj as they seek absolution of their sins. The Kumbh Mela is special as it comes after every 12 years, making it a rare occasion in the Hindu culture. This year’s occasion is special as the Mahakumbh Mela takes place after 144 years, which marks the 12th Kumbh Mela with a special celestial arrangement of the moon, sun, and Jupiter. The mega-religious event has hogged the limelight from the international media as well, given its grandeur and the scale at which it is organised.
The Guardian calls it ‘festival of festivals’
In its coverage of Mahakumbh Mela, The Guardian calls it the “festival of festivals” as it says, “It is attended by a vibrant mix of sadhus or holy men, ascetics, pilgrims and tourists.” The Guardian further reports, “The scale and grandeur of this year’s festivities is expected to exceed all previous iterations, in a nod to the Kumbh Mela’s religious but also political significance.”
CNN describes Mahakumbh’s grand scale
The CNN in its report on Mahakumbh Mela describes the scale at which the festivity has been organised as it mentions, “Around 160,000 tents, 150,000 toilets and a 776-mile (1,249-kilometer) drinking water pipeline have been installed at a temporary tent city covering 4,000 hectares, roughly the size of 7,500 football fields.”
The CNN’s report further elaborates as it quotes the central government saying, “Over 2,700 security cameras powered by artificial intelligence will be positioned around the city, monitored by hundreds of experts at key locations.”
BBC mentions the mythological stroy behind Mahakumbh
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) mentions the mythological story which is considered the source of the Mahakumbh Mela. The report from the BBC says, “Its origin is rooted in a mythological story about a fight between the gods and demons over a Kumbh (a pitcher) of nectar that emerged during the churning of the ocean.”
It added, “As the two sides fought over the pot of elixir that promised them immortality, a few drops spilled over and fell in four cities – Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. As the fight went on for 12 celestial years – each equal to 12 years on Earth – Kumbh Mela festival is held every 12 years in the four cities. An ardh or a half Kumbh is organised halfway between two festivals.”
The New York Times calls Mahakumbh ‘stunning’
The New York Times also underscores the grand scale of the Mahakumbh Mela as it reports that the scale of the Maha Kumbh Mela is astonishing. It added, “This year, the city, home to about 6 million residents, is preparing to host 300 to 400 million people.”
