Maha Kumbh 2025: Dip of faith, flood of devotees... Devotees gathered in Maha Kumbh, and amazing pictures from the Sangam coast

The divine and grand Maha Kumbh Mela has begun in the Sangam city of UP. The Maha Kumbh, which will continue till February 26, has already started with Paush Purnima. This time, more than 40 crore devotees are expected to participate in the Maha Kumbh. A huge crowd of devotees has been gathering in Prayagraj since the first day of the Maha Kumbh. Thousands of devotees are taking a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam. This is the holy confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and 'mysterious' Saraswati.

In a rare coincidence after 144 years, the Maha Kumbh was inaugurated with the first dip on Paush Purnima at Sangam at midnight on Sunday. The Maha Milan of opposite thoughts, opinions, cultures, traditions, and forms on the banks of the Triveni of Ganga, Yamuna, and invisible Saraswati will continue for 45 days. It is estimated that 45 crore devotees, saints, devotees, Kalpavasis, and guests from the country and the world will take a dip in this Amritmayi Maha Kumbh.

Fog and tremors left behind, wave of faith ahead

The thick fog and the shivering tremors were left miles behind in front of faith. At midnight, a crowd of lakhs of devotees thronged the Sangam. There was no place left to stand anywhere. The first dip of Paush Purnima started at midnight itself. With this, Kalpavas also started with yagya rituals for a month by decorating altars of chanting, penance, and meditation on the sands of Sangam.

People from 183 countries are expected to come.

The tradition of the Kumbh bath, which started ages ago with a few drops of nectar spilled from the urn that came out during the churning of the ocean, has started today. This time people from 183 countries are expected to come to the Maha Kumbh. Grand preparations have been made by the Yogi Adityanath government for the welcome and hospitality of these foreign guests.

For the first time, 10 lakh square feet of walls were painted.

The central and state governments want to present the Maha Kumbh, which is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List, in a wonderful form to the world community. More than 800 cultural programs will be held daily in the fair area. For the first time, 10 lakh square feet of walls have been painted. According to the information, the maximum focus in Kumbhnagari has been kept on Sector 18. A VIP gate has also been built here. Flags of 72 countries are installed at this point, whose representatives are also coming to attend the fair. At the same time, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself has made preparations to welcome them.

Police stations built in every sector

Police stations have been built in every sector of Kumbhnagari to keep the security system tight. Also, fire brigade teams have been deployed. A total of 56 temporary police stations have been built in Kumbhnagari. 37 thousand policemen have been deployed, who have been trained to deal with all kinds of emergencies. Things like getting lost amidst the huge crowd in Kumbh Mela are common, but special preparations have been made for this too. This time 15 lost and found centers have been made to help the devotees.

This arrangement was made in 2013

Let us tell you that Maha Kumbh is being held in Prayagraj after 12 years. A budget of Rs 1214 crore was allocated for the 2013 Kumbh Mela. During that time 160 km long roads were constructed. 35 thousand toilets were constructed for cleanliness. According to the data, during the 2013 Kumbh Mela, about 70 lakh devotees came to the city, but this time 45 crore devotees are expected to come.

Mythological importance of Kumbh

According to astrologers, Kumbh is held when Jupiter enters Aquarius and the Sun enters Aries. Due to Triveni Sangam, Maha Kumbh of Prayag has more importance among all the fairs. It is said that during the churning of the ocean between the gods and demons, the Amrit Kalash came out as the 14th gem, and there was a struggle between them to acquire it. To save the Amrit from the demons, Lord Vishnu took the form of Vishwa Mohini and gave that Amrit Kalash to his vehicle Garuda. When the demons tried to snatch that Kalash from Garuda, some drops of Amrit fell in Prayagraj, Nashik, Haridwar, and Ujjain. It is said that since then Kumbha Mela has been organized at these places every 12 years.

The centuries-old tradition of Maha Kumbh at Sangam

There is no written evidence regarding when the Maha Kumbh started. However, the earliest written evidence of this fair is found in the writings of Buddhist pilgrim Hiuen Tsang. He has described the Kumbh Mela held during the reign of Emperor Harshvardhan in the sixth century. At the same time, a Greek envoy who came to the court of Emperor Chandragupta 400 years before Christ also mentioned a similar fair in his article.