Millions of pilgrims and tourists are attending the Maha Kumbh Mela, or Great Pitcher Festival, in India. This 45-day event, which began January 13th, is the world’s largest human gathering, anticipated to attract around 420 million people.

This significantly surpasses the number of Muslim pilgrims at last year’s Hajj pilgrimage; its scale is even visible from space.

According to Hindu texts, the festival commemorates a mythical event where gods and demons churned the cosmic ocean for the nectar of immortality, with drops falling at four sacred sites. This spiritual gathering occurs every twelve years at one of these locations.

This year, it’s held in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, and is particularly significant due to a rare celestial alignment.

Devotees are flocking to northern India to bathe at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, where Hindus believe a third, mythical river, Saraswati, also meets.

Legend says bathing in these waters cleanses sins and grants salvation. Daily bathing occurs, with Hindu ascetics (Naga Sadhus) participating at dawn on auspicious days.

Mumbai resident Ava Poonawala attended not as a pilgrim, but to witness this global event. She took an early morning dip and felt invigorated and peaceful afterwards.

Poonawala noted a shared sense of spiritual awakening among attendees.

The Maha Kumbh Mela’s infrastructure is immense, with a vast tent city featuring over 150,000 tents and toilets, 3,000 kitchens, 11 hospitals, and extensive utilities.

Spanning 15 square miles, around 50,000 security personnel, aided by AI-powered cameras, manage crowd control.

Poonawala expressed amazement at the event’s scale and organization.

A stampede at the festival last week resulted in approximately three dozen deaths and numerous injuries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to bereaved devotees.

Police reports indicate the stampede occurred as millions rushed to bathe on a particularly auspicious day, with some devotees attempting to breach crowd control barriers. Grand processions, briefly suspended, have resumed.

A brief, but significant fire occurred earlier, but was quickly extinguished.

Beyond the religious aspects, the Maha Kumbh Mela’s diverse attendees are remarkable. It brings together various religious figures and tourists from around the world.

Uttar Pradesh actively promoted the festival as a tourist event, offering luxury packages and even helicopter flower showers for holy bathers. Over $765 million was allocated for the event.

Attendees have ranged from Laurene Powell Jobs to Olympic boxer Mary Kom, along with Bollywood celebrities and even King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan. Prime Minister Modi also participated in a holy dip.

The Kumbh Mela’s growth reflects improved infrastructure and facilities. This year, it’s also notably plastic-free and eco-friendly, serving as a significant display of Hinduism, cultural management and tourism capabilities.

Poonawala described the event’s vibrant and surreal atmosphere.