New Delhi:
The world’s largest religious event is going to start in Prayagraj on Monday. Mahakumbh 2025, the great festival of Sanatan faith, is about to begin. It is estimated that about 35 crore devotees from across the country and the world will come to Prayagraj in this event which will last for about one and a half month. These devotees will take bath in nectar in the holy confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. Along with this, lakhs of devotees will also perform Kalpavas, the ancient tradition of Mahakumbh on the banks of Sangam.
What is mythological belief?
According to mythological belief, devotees will regularly observe Kalpavas on the banks of Sangam for one month. For this, Prayagraj Fair Authority has made special arrangements under the guidance of CM Yogi. Kalpvas will start from Paush Purnima on Monday.
Apart from being the biggest event of Sanatan faith, Mahakumbh is also the carrier of many Sanatan traditions. Out of this, an important tradition of Maha Kumbh is to perform Kalpavas on the banks of Sangam. According to classical belief, Kalpvas is performed for a whole month starting from Paush Purnima till Magh Purnima. In this Mahakumbh, Kalpavas will be performed on the banks of Sangam starting from 13th January till 12th February.
According to the scriptures, during Kalpvas, devotees stay on the banks of Sangam for a month with regularity and determination. During Kalpvas, devotees take bath in Ganga all three times, do chanting, penance, meditation, worship and satsang. About 10 lakh devotees are expected to perform Kalpvas in Mahakumbh 2025.
Arrangement of 1.6 lakh tents
Prayagraj Fair Authority has made all necessary arrangements with the inspiration of CM Yogi to carry out Kalpvas, the special tradition of Maha Kumbh. About 1.6 lakh tents have been installed for the Kalpa residents in the fair area from Jhunsi to Phaphamau on the banks of Ganga.
Toilets with electricity and water connections have been constructed for the tents of all these Kalpavasis. About 650 kilometers of temporary roads made of checkered plates and 30 pontoon bridges have been constructed to provide easy access to the Kalpawasis to their tents.
Budget of Rs 7000 crore
Before the start of the major bath in Maha Kumbh-2025 to be held in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh said that this 45-day mega event to be held around the Sangam (Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers) will attract 35 crore devotees. Hope to attend. Singh said that on the day of Mauni Amavasya, an estimated 4-5 crore devotees are expected to reach Prayagraj and participate in the bath.
Singh said that the state budget for Mahakumbh is around Rs 7,000 crore. He said, ‘The previous Kumbh was known for cleanliness. This time it is cleanliness, safety and digital Kumbh.
Estimate of 11 crore more devotees
Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh said, ‘Kumbh took place in 2019. This is Mahakumbh and in the last Kumbh, 24 crore devotees had come whereas this time more than 35 crore devotees are expected to come.
The Chief Secretary said, “Arrangements are also being made accordingly. The area of the fair has increased by about 25 percent. This time the fair is being organized in about 4,000 hectares, whereas in the last Kumbh it was organized in an area of about 3,200 hectares.
Comparing it with the 2019 Kumbh, Singh said, ‘This time we have divided the Mela area into 25 sectors, whereas in 2019 it was in 20 sectors. The length of the ghats has been increased from eight kilometers (in 2019) to 12 kilometers (in 2025). The parking area has also been increased to 1850 hectares this time compared to 1291 hectares in 2019.
Double the expenditure, claim of better arrangements
He said, ‘When you compare the work done in 2013 and 2019, you will see a lot of change in it and this time you will find a lot of improvement in it, because in terms of money also, last time we spent about Rs 3,500 crore and this time This is double and we are spending around Rs 7,000 crore.”
Singh said, “Indian government departments have also invested a lot. You will also see improvement in railways and national highways.
When asked about the arrangements for Mauni Amavasya, he said that the largest number of devotees always come on Mauni Amavasya during Kumbh.
He said, “This time during Mauni Amavasya (from January 25 to January 30), an estimated 4-5 crore devotees are expected, whereas in 2019 this figure was 3-4 crore.”
No VIP protocol on shower dates
The Chief Secretary said that there are six important (major Snan) dates on which there will be more devotees and more crowd. Therefore, in those days, as a precaution, the state government does not give any VIP protocol to anyone.
He said, “Therefore, we request all VVIPs not to come during those six days. We try to invite them on days which are not major bathing days.
Singh said, ‘The estimated number of Kalpavasis in Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 is 15-20 lakh, whereas in Kumbh Mela 2019 it was 10 lakh.’
According to him, the number of pontoon bridges will increase to 30 in 2025 which was 22 in 2019. The Chief Secretary said that the length of roads in the fair area has been increased from 299 kilometers to more than 450 kilometers.
Deployment of 45 thousand policemen
On the security aspect, he said, ‘There are more than 55 police stations, and around 45,000 policemen are being deployed on duty there. Projects have also been approved to continuously monitor social media, so that no one can do mischief. “If anything untoward is happening on social media, it should be identified, isolated and dealt with.”
Singh said, “Meetings were held on every large scale at the state level with the institutions of the Government of India. There is excellent coordination between the institutions of the central and state governments. The State Disaster Management Authority is already working, NDMA is also working.”
He said that ‘Aapda Mitra’ has been trained.
Installed more than 3000 cameras
Commenting on the digital aspect of Maha Kumbh, the Chief Secretary said, ‘Before the last Kumbh, we had set up Integrated Control and Command Centers (ICCCs) there. This time it has been further strengthened and more than 3,000 cameras have been installed throughout the Kumbh area.”
When asked about the visit of foreign citizens and ambassadors to the Maha Kumbh Mela, he said, ‘In the last Kumbh, people from 55-60 countries had come, because just before the start of the Kumbh, there was a Pravasi Bharatiya Divas program in Varanasi, so from there. Many people had come. Apart from this, one day we organize a visit to the embassies. That tour is being organized on January 30.
