The Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, will see an estimated 400 million pilgrims from January 13 to February 26. Spanning 44 days, it features traditional spiritual practices, advanced security,

The Kumbh Mela festival, the largest religious gathering in the world, has begun in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj.

This year's Maha Kumbh holds even greater significance, as it aligns with unique celestial configurations that occur once every 144 years, amplifying its spiritual importance.

Over the coming 45 days, an estimated 400 million Hindus are expected to come together for Maha Kumbh Mela. The festival is held every 12 years but the "Maha" or grand Kumbh Mela takes place only every 144 years, "marking the 12th Kumbh Mela and a special celestial alignment of the sun, moon and Jupiter", said The Guardian.

The Maha Kumbh Mela, or the Great Pitcher Festival, will bring more than 400 million people to Prayagraj city in northern India over a period of six weeks starting Monday, making it the largest gathering of humanity in the world.

Maha Kumbh Mela or Great Pitcher Festival begins in India on Monday, a Hindu sacred event that will be the world's largest gathering of humanity as it showcases religion, spirituality, tourism and crowd management.

The primary aim of the program, according to Ramji Singh, an instructor at Seva Bharti schools in the Awadh region, is to save these children from falling into the trap of religious conversions.

The massive, fluted tree trunks are painted with bright colorful patterns signaling Prayagraj’s preparation for the 45-day Maha Kumbh festival, during which tens of millions are expected to visit. Hindu devotees will keep arriving in the north Indian city from across the country to bathe at the confluence of the Ganges,

Millions of Hindu pilgrims gathered on Tuesday at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Sarasvati rivers to take part in the first holy bath of the Kumbh Mela, the world's largest religious gathering.