The Maha (grand) Kumbh Mela is a vast gathering of about 200 million people: holy men, devotees and tourists, all coming together to celebrate a grand confluence of spirituality, faith, and culture. It takes place at the confluence of Hinduism’s most sacred rivers: Ganges, Yamuna, and the mystical Saraswati.
The Kumbh mela is held every 3 years rotating between four cities: Allahabad (Prayagraj), Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain. Allahabad’s Kumbh Mela is the biggest, called the Maha (Grand) Kumbh and comes around every 12 years. People come from all over to take a holy dip in the rivers, which is believed to cleanse sins and bring spiritual renewal. A visit to the Kumbh mela is humbling for the pilgrim, and a sensory treat for the ages for tourists with the hum of vedic hymns, mantras, drumbeats, conch blares, and bells casting a spiritual spell all around.
With thousands of devotees, millions of prayer lamps lighting the river, Naga Sadhus and pilgrims from all over the world, the Kumbh Mela will delight photographers and all those who want to see the world’s biggest religious congregation.
To accommodate the vast number of visitors, a huge temporary city is erected over 2,500 hectares on the sandy riverbanks, comprising of a wide range of tented accommodation from simple ones to the simply luxurious tents with all mod-cons.
