World’s biggest congregation of mankind is set to become bigger as the Maha Kumbh begins from Jan 13, 2025. As the congregation promises an immersive experience of religion, heritage & tradition, TOI gives a lowdown on the mega event…
Nomenclature
Allahabad City was renamed Prayagraj in Oct 2018. UP govt also changed the Kumbh nomenclature the same year. Before that Ardh Kumbh was celebrated every six years , Kumbh in 12 years and Maha Kumbh once in 144 years. Now, Ardh Kumbh is known as Kumbh and Kumbh as Maha Kumbh.
Kumbh Mela District
UP govt has declared the Maha Kumbh area in Prayagraj as the state’s 76th district. The new district will remain in existence for 4 months — Dec to March. It will comprise four tehsils of Sadar, Soraon, Phulpur, and Karchana, along with 67 villages and the entire Parade area. It will have a DM, 3 ADMs, 28 SDMs, 1 tehsildar and 24 naib tehsildars. The entire district has 56 police stations, 155 police outposts, 1 cyber cell thana, 1 Mahila thana, 3 jal police stations and 3 anti-human trafficking units.
Also read: Inspired by Maha Kumbh, Akharas embrace digital technology to streamline management
Healthcare Of Pilgrims
Elaborate arrangements have been made to provide proper healthcare facilities to devotees during Maha Kumbh. Indian Army doctors will also provide services free of cost.
100 beds’ hospital set up at Parade Ground.
2 more hospitals with 20 beds each and smaller hospitals with 8 beds have been prepared.
2ICUs with 10-bed each have been set up by the Army Hospital and will have doctors on duty 24 hours a day. In total, there will be 291 MBBS doctors and specialists, 90 Ayurvedic and Unani specialists, and 182 nursing staff.
5 lakh devotees will be examined by ophthalmologists while 3 lakh pairs of glasses will be distributed among devotees during Netra Kumbh.
3 lakh people were examined, and 1.5 lakh pairs of glasses were given in first Netra Kumbh in 2019, entering the Limca Book of World Records.
150 doctors and 400 additional medical professionals will offer services at Netra Kumbh.
Guinness Records
UP aims to set 4 world records at Maha Kumbh.
FIRST record will focus on the largest synchronized sweeping drive, with 15,000 participants coming together to carry out a coordinated cleaning effort.
SECOND record will aim at the largest e-vehicle parade, featuring 1,000 e-rickshaws and e-vehicles for ecofriendly pilgrimage.
THIRD record will be a re-attempt to create the most handprint paintings within 8 hours, involving 10,000 participants.
FOURTH record will be the largest river-cleaning drive, involving 300 volunteers across multiple locations in Prayagraj.
A Subject Of Study
Described as the biggest congregation of pilgrims on earth by UNESCO in 2017, leading global institutes, including the Harvard University, London School of Economics and Political Science and Journal of Travel Medicine from Oxford University’s academic research platform have taken a deep dive to understand the various facets of Kumbh.
The Biggest Challenge
Crowd management: Managing the sea of devotees is no mean feat, specially on the main snan days at the 9 ghats. The turnout is expected to be bigger than in 2019 Kumbh. The akharas vie for the dip at the Sangam point of the two rivers. In the past, this ‘fight’ for the dip had once turned ugly in Kumbh.
Infrastructure Push
Maintaining 24×7 power and water supply is crucial as besides common visitors who would occupy 1.6 lakh tents, 100 dormitories having 250 beds, a tent city for dignitaries, VIPs and a judges colony with 108 units will be erected.
Heightened Security
To ensure safety of crores of devotees who will attend the Maha Kumbh, the state govt has put in place elaborate security arrangements in the mela area.
10 companies of PAC, SDRF, NDRF and 141 security personnel and guards to be deployed on 700 boats.
2,750 CCTV cameras, including AIbases ones, to be installed.
20 advanced drones and counter-drone technology and software to neutralise illegal drones.
50 seat call centre for Maha Kumbh Mela Helpline 1920.
2 floating rescue stations at Sangam and VIP ghats AI tools and chatbots to provide real-time assistance.
Underwater drones and sonar technology to ensure security of pilgrims.
Fund Boost
The central govt has earmarked a special package of Rs 2,100 crore while the state govt will spend around Rs 7,000 crore for Maha Kumbh. The govt recently released the first installment of 1,050 crore.
Green Maha Kumbh
The entry, exit routes linking Maha Kumbh Mela to the city have been beautified with ornamental plants. A high-density oxygen forest is being developed in Saraswati hi-tech city, designed to function as both an oxygen bank and a city forest.
1.5 lakh saplings have been planted on Mela campus & in Prayagraj.
10,000 saplings being planted along Ganga, with attention to beautification of Pakka Ghat and Jhunsi, Arail & Phaphamau.
2,500 saplings being planted in Karchana range, stretching from urban area of the Maha Kumbh Mela to Hi-Tech City.
3,000 Arjun plants being planted along left bank of Ganga.
Railway & Air Connectivity
Over 13,000 trains and 250 flights will connect devotees with Maha Kumbh. A total of 48 platforms, 21 FOBs and 554 ticket vending kiosks/counters have been constructed to manage passenger rush.
Saffron Buses To Ferry Pilgrims
UPSRTC will run saffron colour buses to ferry devotees from UP and adjoining states. The colour will help passengers identify the buses.
Kumbh Connectivity & Parking
20 lakh private vehicles.
120 large parking spaces, covering an area of around 1,850 hectares, are being built.
5 lakh private vehicles (four-wheelers) can be accommodated in parking lots. Most of the parking lots being created in Jhusi, Arail and Phaphamau.
Special QR codes to be used to allow entry to vehicles in Kumbh area.
Digital Lost & Found Centres
In a first, the lost and found centres will use AI tools and social media platforms
10 digital lost & found centres in mela area.
328 AI-enabled cameras to monitor crowd.
Mahaprasad & Gifts
Devotees will be given ‘Mahaprasad’ of Bade Hanuman temple which will include saplings of Sapt Rishi forest. Sandalwood, Rudraksha plants will be gifted to all the VIPs and prominent seers as a souvenir.
A ‘Sangam’ Of Famous Artists
Shankar Mahadevan, Kailash Kher, Sonu Nigam, Vishal Bhardwaj, Richa Sharma, Jubin Nautiyal and Shreya Ghoshal will perform at the grand event. They will perform at the specially built Ganga Pandal on the mela campus. In addition, actor and BJP MP Hema Malini will present dance drama ‘Ganga Avtaran’, Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan will perform ‘Shiv Tandav’ and actor Ashutosh Rana, will present ‘Hamare Ram’.
Uttar Pradesh police implement measures to keep Kumbh campus drone-free
After intercepting two drones flying over the Mela campus and issuing notices, Mela police made it clear on Sunday that strict action will be taken against violators. The police have deployed a strong anti-drone system at the campus and intercepted two drones in the past 48 hours that were flying without permission.
Read more: Uttar Pradesh police take steps to make Kumbh campus drone-free
40 crore devotees to visit Maha Kumbh: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced that the 45-day Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj is expected to attract 40 crore devotees, with arrangements being made to accommodate up to 100 crore people. The event will feature extensive facilities, including 12 km of ghats and a sprawling 10,000-acre area.
Maha Kumbh 2025: Postal department to offer doorstep services
For the first time, the postal department has launched an innovative service for Maha Kumbh devotees allowing them to access their accounts from the camps on the mela campus. Devotees can call the helpline number, after which postal workers will visit the camp to assist with monetary transactions.
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