STORY: :: Thousands charge into icy waters to perform the holy dip ritual at India’s Maha Kumbh Mela festival
:: January 14, 2025
:: Prayagraj, India
:: Namrata Aggarwal, Hindi pilgrim from Gurugram
:: “It’s been a life-changing experience and once-in-a-lifetime experience. I will never forget this forever and it was very organized till the point we had to take the bath then it was maddening. But we finally did it.”
:: Amrit Abhijat, Principal Secretary of Urban Development
:: “All the devotees are taking holy dips quite peacefully. The bathing rituals of all the monastic congregations are at their peak with the prominent people already done with their holy dip. No untoward incidents or issues have been reported yet. More than 20 million people have bathed so far, which is a great accomplishment for our country and the government.”
The ritual dip is believed to absolve devotees of sin and confers salvation from the cycle of life and death. Held every 12 years, the Maha Kumbh Mela or Great Pitcher Festival attracts more than 400 million visitors, both Indians and tourists.
The Kumbh originates in a Hindu tradition that the god Vishnu, known as the Preserver, wrested away from demons a golden pitcher that held the nectar of immortality. In a 12-day celestial fight for possession, four drops fell to earth, in the cities of Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik, which host the festival every three years by rotation.
The Kumbh held once in 12 years in this cycle has the prefix maha (great) as its timing renders it more auspicious and it attracts the largest crowds.
