Have you ever been part of the world’s largest religious and cultural gathering, an extraordinary event that takes place once every 144 years?

The Maha Kumbh Mela happens to be this spectacle. Held once in every 144 years owing to the rare alignment of Jupiter, Sun and Moon. It is believed that this rare astronomical alignment turns the confluence of rivers(Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati) in Prayagraj(UP) holy. People from across the globe travel here to wash away all their mortal sins in these rivers.

The Maha Kumbh mela originates form the Puranas, describing gods and demons battling for the pitcher of “Amrit”, with Lord Vishnu securing it from the demons. During this battle between gods and demons in space, four drops of “Amrit” falls into the earth across four places. These places are Haridwar, Nashik, Ujjain and Prayagraj. The rivers at these four religious sites turn out to become holy, as a result of the astronomical alignment of Sun, Moon and planet Jupiter.

The religious site chosen for Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 is Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. More than 80 crore people participate in this event to attain peace in their lives by washing away all their sins in these rivers. Some pilgrims even walk all the way from their hometown to attend this event. Any pilgrim who attends the festival never goes hungry, as there is someone or the other who sponsors food everyday for the pilgrims. In this selfish world we live in, people who come here show compassion and kindness, the basic principles of humanity and Hinduism.

We also get to see some interesting people here known as Sadhus and Babas who have dedicated their entire lives to the Celestial Deities. They are completely secluded from the outside world and are least interactive. Consider yourself lucky if you’re blessed by one of these real Sadhus. Fun fact is that there’s even a Computer baba and an IIT baba! How’s that for exciting?