JAIPUR: Modern facilities armed with basic amenities will be available at the Kumbh Mela, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, to be held in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj from January 15 to March 4, 2019, UP minister Srikant Sharma said.
This time, the Mela will be spread over an area of 45 km from the earlier 20 km radius.
Speaking to reporters here, Sharma noted that 3,000 tents having the capacity of accommodating 6,000 people, 1.42 lakh toilets, more than 40,000 LED lights, modern control and command centre and 1,400 CCTV cameras to monitor the crowd were some of the key facilities planned for the Maha Kumbh.
"Elaborate arrangements are being made for the Maha Kumbh. People from 192 countries will participate in the event organised by the Uttar Pradesh government. We are inviting people from across the country to attend the function for which arrangements are being made on a large-scale," he said.
The Uttar Pradesh power minister also met Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh and invited him to the Mela.
The Kumbh Mela draws lakhs of pilgrims over the course of approximately 55 auspicious days to bathe at the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.
The Mela is celebrated four times over a course of 12 years.
The geographical location of Kumbh Mela covers four locations in India with the mela site rotating from Haridwar (Uttarakhand) on the Ganga, Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) on Shipra, Nashik (Maharashtra) on Godavari to Prayagraj at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.