Ten million Indians take holy dip on key day of Kumbh Mela festival
Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 15:46 GMT+7
LUCKNOW -- More than 10 million devout Hindus seeking absolution from their sins took a dip in holy waters in northern India during a span of four hours on Wednesday, authorities said, as they braced for millions more to swarm the site of the Kumbh Mela.
Authorities stepped up the numbers of police officers and put air ambulances on standby in the city of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh state on one of the holiest days of the Hindu festival, considered the world's largest gathering of humanity.
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| A devotee holds a child as they leave after taking a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers with the mythical invisible Saraswati river, to mark Maghi Purnima, one of the auspicious days during the 'Maha Kumbh Mela', or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, February 12, 2025. Photo: Reuters |
"There are more people in this city in one day than the population of many countries, and the numbers are swelling by the minute," Prashant Kumar, the state's chief of police, told Reuters.
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| Mounted police officers patrol as devotees gather to take a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers with the mythical invisible Saraswati river, to mark Maghi Purnima, one of the auspicious days during the 'Maha Kumbh Mela', or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, February 12, 2025. Photo: Reuters |
The numbers arriving had pushed infrastructure arrangements to the brink, making delays and traffic jams inevitable, he added. Media said vehicles were backed up for hundreds of kilometers from the edges of the city.
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| A devotee offers prayers as he takes a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers with the mythical invisible Saraswati river, to mark Maghi Purnima, one of the auspicious days during the 'Maha Kumbh Mela', or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, February 12, 2025. Photo: Reuters |
More than 10 million people had bathed by 8 a.m., authorities said, with more expected.
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| Devotees gather to take a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers with the mythical invisible Saraswati river, to mark Maghi Purnima, one of the auspicious days during the 'Maha Kumbh Mela', or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, February 12, 2025. Photo: Reuters |
The full moon on Wednesday, known as Magh Poornima, makes it one of the holiest days in the six-week-long festival, held at the confluence of India's three holiest rivers.
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| A helicopter drops flower petals on the devotees taking a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers with the mythical invisible Saraswati river, to mark Maghi Purnima, one of the auspicious days during the 'Maha Kumbh Mela', or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, February 12, 2025. Photo: Reuters |
Maintaining safety can prove a challenge at the festival, despite stringent precautions.
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| Devotees take a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers with the mythical, invisible Saraswati river, during the 'Maha Kumbh Mela', or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, January 13, 2025. Photo: Reuters |
More than 30 people were killed in a stampede on Jan. 29, officials said, as over 76 million flocked to the river for a 'royal dip', but did not deter a stream of notables, from India's president to ministers, film stars and the wealthy.
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| Devotees take a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers with the mythical invisible Saraswati river, to mark Maghi Purnima, one of the auspicious days during the 'Maha Kumbh Mela', or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, February 12, 2025. Photo: Reuters |
Hindus believe that a plunge in the waters where the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati meet will absolve them of sin but they consider this year's event even more significant as having the power to free them of the cycle of rebirth.
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| A man collects coconuts thrown in as offerings by devotees at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers with the mythical invisible Saraswati river, to mark Maghi Purnima, one of the auspicious days during the 'Maha Kumbh Mela', or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, February 12, 2025. Photo: Reuters |
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| A devotee dries sarees after taking a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers with the mythical, invisible Saraswati river, to mark Maghi Purnima, one of the auspicious days during the 'Maha Kumbh Mela', or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, February 12, 2025. Photo: Reuters |
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| An evening view of Arail Ghat on the banks of Yamuna River during the 'Maha Kumbh Mela', or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, February 10, 2025. Photo: Reuters |
