Myth is the foundation of faith. For 45 days that ended last week, Prayagraj was the epicentre of faith, redemption and cultural unity. Over 66 crore Hindus from across the country and outside converged on the sandy shores of the spiritual city for a holy dip and to celebrate Hinduism’s sacred spirit during Maha Kumbh 2025.
There were a few calamities and controversies, media malice and marketing mania that were drowned in the ancient tides in which demons had perished from the wrath of gods. The drops of amrit or nectar that had fallen on the sacred sands in another age made this year’s Maha Kumbh Bharat’s ‘Azadi ka amrit kaal’—a festival of Hindus, for Hindus and by Hindus that symbolised cultural nationhood.
The spectacle was the world’s largest confluence of people at one spot, gathering to assert their cultural compatibility, belief and fellowship of purpose—4,000-odd castes, over 100 sects and thousands of sub-castes. If the president, vice president, prime minister and scores of Union ministers and chief ministers landed at Prayagraj to express their allegiance to a centuries-old tradition, so did crores of ordinary workers and volunteers from various political parties. Over 15 lakh kalpvasi devotees stayed for the entire duration on the river banks, engaging in prayer, penance and discourses.
The Maha Kumbh, which comes around once every 144 years, is rooted in Hindu mythology and determined by celestial alignments. It showcases a remarkable fusion of faith, politics and economic might, while exposing faultlines in India’s socio-political landscape. The 66 crore pilgrims—a number that’s double US’s population—enhanced Bharat’s global stature.
The 12-year cycle for a purna or full Kumbh rotates among four sites—Prayagraj (Allahabad), Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain—based on astrological combinations. Its religious significance lies in the promise of moksha or emancipation from the cycle of rebirths through ritual baths at auspicious moments.
With significance stretching beyond the 12-year cycle, the 2025 event represented an Indian cultural renaissance. Yet, the sideshow was partisan political messaging. The festival was an advertisement for the aggrandisement of identity, a congregation of individuals who wished to be conspicuous by their presence and association with Sanatan Dharma. The rich and famous from the worlds of cinema, art and business competed in the Olympics of Religion by posting their pictures on social media.
For the Sangh parivar, the mela’s massive attendance reflected the popular mandate for its aggressive promotion of Hindutva and reassertion of the Hindu way of life’s dominance. The BJP and its allies boasted about the ‘seamless’ execution of the project. Due credit was given to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The Maha Kumbh became a munificent kamdhenu. The state and the Centre invested a whopping Rs 7,000-plus crore in infrastructure spread over 4,000 hectares, 12 km of ghats, 360 special trains, and AI-driven surveillance. The UP government claimed that the state got additional revenue of over Rs 2 lakh crore. Local businesses like vendors to transport operators thrived. Tourism surged with international pilgrims arriving to save their souls. Thousands of satellites circling the planet captured the enormity of the event from above and astonished Western liberals who had written obituary of Sanatan unity.
There were political controversies too. Many opposition leaders were either absent or highly critical of Yogi’s arrangements. Akhilesh Yadav took a jab, calling Adityanath “Ravan” for overhyping attendance figures. Mamata Banerjee’s “mrityu Kumbh” remark after the stampede drew the ire of the BJP, which accused the INDIA bloc of mocking Hinduism. Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, abstained from getting their feet wet, reflecting a strategic retreat from overt religious symbolism in a polarised electoral landscape. The Kumbh became a litmus test for political positioning ahead of future elections. It also created yet another extremely profitable business venture in the form of cultural, spiritual and religious tourism.
The Kumbh mela stretches back millenniums. It’s rooted in mythology, has been shaped by history and influenced by various ruling powers, including the British during their 200-year colonial rule. Its scale, economic potential and the occasional violence, particularly among armed ascetic groups, exasperated British administrators. An early documented British encounter with the Kumbh mela occurred in 1796, when Captain Thomas Hardwicke reported a violent clash in Haridwar that claimed 500 lives, prompting the deployment of a British unit armed with cannons to restore order.
By the early 19th century, the colonisers saw in the mela both a challenge and an opportunity. As British control solidified after the 1857 Indian Rebellion, the festival’s management became formalised. The revolt marked a turning point—the Prayagwal Brahmin priests, who depended on pilgrimage revenues, had supported the uprising and were persecuted by the British. Allahabad became a key centre of conflict.
The 1858 Kumbh mela was not held due to such disturbances. There was no explicit ban, but gathering became practically impossible amid the unrest and subsequent crackdown. Any large assembly of Indians was viewed with suspicion as a potential source of further dissent.
At the first Kumbh under direct British supervision in 1870, the Raj had introduced a pilgrim tax to maximise its economic potential. It initially generated substantial revenue, but eventually faced resistance. During the 20th century, the Kumbh became an arena of anti-colonial sentiment. During the Second World War, in 1942, the British government banned the sale of railway tickets to Allahabad for the Kumbh due to rumours of possible Japanese bombing. This effectively curtailed attendance.
After India’s gained independence, state governments assumed responsibility for organising the fairs. The 1954 Allahabad Kumbh, the first major post-independence event, saw a tragic stampede killing over 800 people despite employing modern crowd management techniques inspired by the colonial framework. Later Kumbhs improved on the framework. Today’s Kumbh melas—such as the 2013 event with 12 crore attendees, or the 2025 one which attracted more than six times the number—reflect a blend of traditional spirituality and modern logistics. It’s an art mastered by the Yogi government.
For Bharatiyas, the Kumbh mela is the pinnacle of spirituality. It’s also a cultural canvas to showcase Bharat’s heritage through processions, discourses and interactions with venerated masters. After the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and redevelopment of Varanasi, the successful conclusion of the 2025 Maha Kumbh has bridged the ancient and the modern as a living symbol of nation’s cultural homogeneity.
The Saraswati, which is the third confluent river at Prayagraj, is a mythical or subterranean river. This time, it’s as if it rose up, called forth by the energy of a resurgent Bharat as Hinduism’s mantra of political and popular purity. It blessed the converging ideas of ancient and contemporary India on a sacred and sentient shore.
Prabhu chawla
prabhuchawla@newindianexpress.com
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