The much-awaited Maha Kumbh Mela has officially commenced in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, drawing millions of pilgrims

Experience the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 in Prayagraj through stunning drone footage capturing millions of devotees and vibrant cultural performances.- Watch Video on English Oneindia

The BJP felicitated sanitation workers at the Maha Kumbh Mela by garlanding them and giving them copies of the Constitution.

Over 2.5 million devotees participated in a holy dip at Triveni Sangam during Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. With 70 million total participants by January 16, prohibitory orders have been enforced until February 28 to ensure peace amid upcoming religious festivals and examinations.

Discover the top 10 things to explore in Prayagraj during Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, from Triveni Sangam to Anand Bhavan and historical landmarks.

India began on Monday its Maha Kumbh Mela, or Great Pitcher Festival, which is expected to draw more than 400 million visitors to the northern city of Prayagraj over six weeks, making for the largest gathering of humanity in the world.

Over the coming 45 days, an estimated 400 million Hindus are expected to come together for Maha Kumbh Mela. The festival is held every 12 years but the "Maha" or grand Kumbh Mela takes place only every 144 years, "marking the 12th Kumbh Mela and a special celestial alignment of the sun, moon and Jupiter", said The Guardian.

Unlike the regular Kumbh Mela, which rotates every three years across Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik, and Prayagraj, the Maha Kumbh is unique to Prayagraj and occurs once every 12 years.

It’s late evening in the city of Prayagraj and the roadside vendors selling snacks are packing up their wares to shut for the night.

By Saurabh Sharma PRAYAGRAJ, India (Reuters) -Naked Hindu ascetics smeared in holy ash charged into the waters of sacred rivers in India on Tuesday, part of a large crowd of 35 million devotees who took the holy dip on the second day of the Maha Kumbh Mela,

Millions of Hindu pilgrims gathered on Tuesday at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Sarasvati rivers to take part in the first holy bath of the Kumbh Mela, the world's largest religious gathering.