Maha Kumbh Mela: The World's Biggest Festival

Dozens of people were killed in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela Hindu festival in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday morning, as they made their way to bathe in sacred waters. It is not the first time that deaths from such crushes have taken place at the religious event, with 42 people having been similarly killed on a train platform in 2013. 

The Maha Kumbh Mela takes place once every 12 years and is one of the world’s biggest spiritual gatherings. This year marks a particularly important event, as the grand Kumbh Mela only takes place once every 144 years, according to the alignment of Jupiter with the sun and the moon. It will take place over 45 days in the city of Prayagraj, at the site where the Ganges, Yamuna and Sarasvati rivers meet. This is important as Hindu pilgrims wash in the waters in order to absolve themselves of their sins. Other Kumbhs are held in the cities of Haridwar in the state of Uttarakhand, Nashik in Maharashtra and Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.

As the following chart shows, the festival is a major logistical feat. Data published by the Times of India shows how organizers expected a footfall of 400 million attendees this year - a leap up from 2019, when the smaller “Half Kumbh” took place (happening every six years) with an estimated 250 million worshippers. This year, some 160,000 tents are expected to be used, as well as 67,000 streetlights, 400 km of new roads and 30 pontoons. 

In terms of security, nearly 40,000 police personnel and guards were set to be deployed and around 2,300 CCTV cameras were planned to be installed. Authorities had also expanded the steps leading down to the river, or ghats, from 8 km to 12 km. As this chart shows, the 2025 festival is twice as expensive, rising from 3.7 billion rupees (approximately $43 million) in 2019 to 7 billion rupees ($81 million) in 2025.