Maha Kumbh blends Tradition with Technology
Biggest Gathering of Humans on Planet
By Kul Bhushan
As the sun rises feebly over the misty horizon, in bone-chilling wind and freezing temperature, clad in minimum clothes, millions of pilgrims took a holy dip in icy-cold waters of the holy Rivers of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati at Prayagraj, India. Rose petals rained from the sky to welcome them. Over 17 million – repeat over 17 million – pilgrims took the holy dip on 13 January 2025 to start the biggest human gathering on this planet, the Maha Kumbh Mela which can be seen from space.
Maha Kumbh Mela 2025. Pic – ETV Bharat
Maha means great and Kumbh means a pitcher while mela is a fair. This humungous gathering happens every twelve years when the planet Jupiter is in Taurus, and the Sun and Moon are in Capricorn. The Kumbh is held at Prayagraj every twelve years, but this year’s Kumbh is special as it happens after 144 years. If you take this holy dip during this celestial period from 13 January to 26 February, moksha or eternal life is yours, believe the Hindus.
Three Rivers
No wonder 450 million devotees from all across India and many countries are expected to perform this ritual along with saints, sadhus, monks, gurus, singers, artists, scholars, and, of course, tourists.
The entire venue was given a fresh artistic look with ‘wall art’ all over by hundreds of art students and artists depicting religious and environmental themes.
Prayagraj where three holy rivers converge has been upgraded, transformed, beautified, enlarged and digitised with a budget of $813 million. A temporary tent city has sprung up to accommodate the visitors and the saints. Spread over 10,000 acres, the city can accommodate one million guests with increased bathing space on the banks with 30 new pontoon bridges for smooth movement of pilgrims and traffic.
Luxury Tents
In addition to the existing hotels, most visitors stay in tents which start at Rs 1,500 per night for basic tents going up to Rs 100,000 for luxury tents with all modern facilities. Some ‘dome tents’ with a 360-degree view are also available for Rs 125,000 on special bathing days. A few private boats are on offer with a hole in the deck allowing for a private dip!
To reach Maha Kumbh, 13,000 trains and 250 flights have been organised, 100 parking lots for half a million vehicles, 50,000 police force for security, a special mobile app – KumbhSahAIyak with maps plus other information, a FM station for all the latest local news and much more have been created.
All Comforts
Basic amenities like 24-hour power supply, clean drinking water, hygienic toilets, waste treatment, seven layered digital security, solar-powered thematic lighting on major roads with loudspeakers, over 30,000 CCTV cameras and 1,000 AI face recognition cameras, overhead and underwater drones to monitor security, medical care with a fully equipped hospital, clinics and health centres, fire stations, fire-fighting staff and vehicles, lost and found computerized centre, numerous ‘war rooms’ for monitoring crowd movement, traffic and security, expansion of railway stations and airport, parking for 5,000 buses and vehicles, changing tents near bathing areas, around 150,000 smell-free toilets – blue for men and pink for women,10,000 sanitation workers with three primary schools for their children… the list goes on and on. Around $185 million has been earmarked for waste management.
The mastermind behind all this planning and execution is the chief minister of India’s largest state Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, a saffron clad monk, who also heads the spiritual Gorak Nath monastery in Gorakhpur.
Over two dozen global institutions, including Harvard and Stanford, will study Maha Kumbh organization and operations as an event of this scale has never occurred with at least a million daily and an estimated 30 million on its holiest day, 4 February. A total of 450 million people are expected over 45 days. Of course, the media is all over. Major Indian TV channels have set up camp offices for non-stop coverage. Global media, print media, news agencies and most of all social media are all hyperactive. Influencers, vloggers and bloggers are uploading posts and videos going viral.
Business Billions
Maha Kumbh is also a humungous business since it is estimated to generate $23 billion, yes $23 billion. All these millions are also consumers and need at least the basic goods plus some clothing and other items. No wonder the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) giants are spending millions to produce, transport and promote their products as they gear up for massive sales from street stalls, shops, hotels and restaurants.Read More… Become a Subscriber
Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 17 January 2025
An Appeal
Dear Reader
65 years ago Mauritius Times was founded with a resolve to fight for justice and fairness and the advancement of the public good. It has never deviated from this principle no matter how daunting the challenges and how costly the price it has had to pay at different times of our history.
With print journalism struggling to keep afloat due to falling advertising revenues and the wide availability of free sources of information, it is crucially important for the Mauritius Times to survive and prosper. We can only continue doing it with the support of our readers.
The best way you can support our efforts is to take a subscription or by making a recurring donation through a Standing Order to our non-profit Foundation.
Thank you.
