From the spiritual to the spectacular, the ongoing festival in Prayagraj is a once-in-a-lifetime experience like none other.

The event is deeply rooted in Hindu mythology and centres on the belief in the purifying power of sacred rivers. Pilgrims bathe in these rivers, believing the ritual cleanses their sins and brings them closer to spiritual liberation.

Officials had been preparing for months for the world’s largest religious festival, with around 400 million Hindu pilgrims expected to take part

The Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, to be held at the famous Sangam in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26, 2025, is expected to be an amazing fusion of technology and tradition.

A senior police officer said at least 30 people died as a crowd panicked at the Hindu Kumbh Mela mega-festival in the northern city of Prayagraj.

The Kumbh Mela happens every 12 years at Sangam, the confluence of three sacred rivers - the Ganges (Ganga), Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. Hindus believe that bathing in the sacred waters will cleanse them of sins and help them attain salvation.

Stampede breaks out at Kumbh festival in India

The Hindu festival that turned deadly in northern India on Wednesday is a religious gathering with deep spiritual meaning for devotees who come by the millions to take a cleansing dip in waters they consider sacred.