My MahaKumbh Prayagraj Experience

 

Mahakumbh trip, Varanasi and Prayagraj  Jan 23-26^th, 2025

Enough cannot be said about the Mahakumbh currently going on in Prayagraj. It all started with a bit of curiosity about 10 days back on Kumbh from a Vaastu person who said he was going there. Thanks to YouTube personalization, videos kept popping up on Mahakumbh and the significance.  Piqued my curiosity and I convinced Ramesh that we should go. This is once in 144 years and therefore once in our lifetime experience ! I checked out  a few places, but nothing was available. Then Mohanji’s video explaining the significance and the story of Shankaracharya  and the Kumbh popped up on my feed – towards the end he invites to come and stay in his village. Mohanji Village was available and we booked it.

Next was flight tickets which were exorbitant (or so we thought at that time). We booked from Bangalore to Varanasi, stay the night in Varanasi and next day drive to Prayagraj and return by the direct flight. And thus started our journey.

We left on 23^rd and reached Varanasi and checked in to the Hotel Pearl Courtyard which was 100 m from the Kashi Viswanath temple. On the flight I told myself to go with the flow, whatever happens is meant to be, to not talk too much, to experience and not to do check box sightseeing. We had booked a Sugam darshan online at 3pm. Left the hotel at 245 ate a dosa at a corner shop and started towards gate No. 4 which was 100 m away. The road was absolutely packed with crowds thronging. On top of that bikes and vehicles were allowed on the road which made it even more difficult. A sea of humanity which gets pushed to the side every time a vehicle tried to pass. Made it to gate No. 4 and got inside the temple. Inside was well organized and quieter. We stood in the queue for an hour and had a 2 sec view of the lingam – I almost missed it. Felt blessed that the priest threw a garland which fell around my neck. We came out and meditated for a few minutes and then went towards Visalakshi temple. The road was narrow with shops on either side and quite dirty. There were inscriptions in tamil on the walls of the temple connecting the trio – Kanchi Kamakshi, Kasi Visalakshi, and Madurai Meenakshi. Getting out was a nightmare as there were crowds from all the roads trying to go in different directions. Made it out somehow and reached back the hotel at 6pm.

We sampled street food – the famous Malaiyo (available only 2 months of the year), Rabdi malai, samosa, tamatar chaat and spinach chaat. Cannot leave Varanasi without the famous Benarasi sarees – so bought some sarees and dresses in the opposite silk house

                The famous Malaiyo                     Hot Samosas                             Malai Rabdi

   

Strangely all this eating didn’t cause any problems to my stomach. Overall Varanasi streets are quite dirty and disorganized. The sounds, sights and smells are an assault on your senses. And can really bewilder you if you are not used to this.

Morning we left at 630 am - First mistake of leaving so late at 630 am. Stopped at Shakti Bhandar for breakfast which was the second mistake. Lot of traffic as we reached closer. People were walking from 15 kms before because buses were not allowed. However the vehicles were going in a disciplined manner – no honking, keeping to lanes with walkers on one side, bikes next and then the cars. People were walking this 15 kms in the hot sun, carrying their luggage and children while we were cribbing inside an AC car that it was taking so long to reach !

                                          Some views closer to Prayagraj

                               

We finally reached the Arail ghat point but the police were not allowing us through without a pass which we didn’t have. We resigned to walking the 4 km to Mohanji village but managed to get an auto to take us there. On the way saw the boats in the Ganges river going towards Sangam and somehow my heart felt full and excited.

Reached there at 2.30 and the first thing I see on walking is Shirdi Saibaba statue and hanuman and ganesha  and lingam statue. Felt happy as I pray to Saibaba and Anjaneya daily. A good sign ?

                 Saibaba temple at Mohanji Village          Ramesh, me and Jayanthi

                            

After a simple but wholesome lunch of chapathi, dhal, cabbage sabji and rice we dumped our luggage in the tent. The tents with attached bathrooms were decent. We left at 4pm to explore. There are multiple pontoon bridges that you cross to get to the other side. We were near the 26^th one. We walked a lot taking in the sounds and reached a place where the evening aarthi was being done. Watched that and headed to lete hanuman temple but saw the huge queues there and decided to skip. Walked back and ended up doing 15 kms walking ! Very tiring and a lot of dust.

 Night view from the opposite side of the Ganges               Sunset on the Ganges

Amazing the number of people there at Kumbh, the number of tents, the number of spiritual campuses – this is the largest spiritual festival / gathering in the world. What drives people to withstand such harsh conditions to come here to take a dip – what faith drives these people. People are walking 15 to 20 km carrying bags, children, old people to reach this place. Staying in not so great conditions living on annadanam and vying to take a dip in the Holy Ganga.

On 25^th woke up at 530, had a bath, attended the morning aarti and then the vishnu sahasranamam chanting and the rudram chanting. Meditated for some time and then had breakfast of idli chutney sambar which was excellent. I started to feel that we should go to Triveni Sangam earlier than later. We had told the boatman 3pm but called him to say we are coming earlier and left at 1 for the Sangam. Walked about 4 km of which we were lucky to get an auto for a km. Arail ghat was a huge crowd and we took some time to find the boat man.

                                                                                   Arail Ghat               

Good thing is life jackets were being provided and it was just 3 of us in the boat.  It took 45 mins to reach the Sangam in the middle of the river. Many boats heading out and returning – it was such a festive atmosphere. The air was vibrant and energetic and so many people taking a dip peacefully and happily, helping each other.

                                                    The Ganges and Yamuna joining point                                  

We could clearly see the Ganga and Yamuna joining points as one was green in colour and the other was brown in colour. The govt had organized floating platforms with changing rooms.  Our boatman manouevered the boat close as possible, almost back to back with other boats. The only words I can use is “organized chaos”. We jumped on each of the boats and reached the platform. Lot of people milling around getting into the water and changing. We left our bags and walked into the water through the platform on other side. Water was quite shallow and we walked about 100 ms before it came till knee level.

                                   

 Water was very cold and it took me some time to splash it on myself and then put my head in. Managed 3 dips, one for myself and family, one for ancestors and one for the gurus. I was wondering how people were able to get into the water when it was so cold. Faith pushes them I think.

                                                       Jayanthi and me taking a dip in the Sangam      

We walked back and changed in the changing room and came back to the boat very refreshed.  Back to the shore by which time hair had dried nicely and then took  1 hour to walk back to Mohanji village.                      

Since we had had no lunch had nice hot tea with Chole Bhatura, vada and pesarattu. Felt really satisfied and happy. Went for the satsang where I sang two songs Later we met a person from Malaysia and ended up chatting with him for more than an hour. Jayanthi’s Acharya said that this place which is after the Sangam and in the land of Someshwar temple was more powerful than the actual sangam and it is good to take dips here.

Left early in the morning for the airport dropping off Jayanthi on the way. We could not see any of the temples or the Akhadas but were very happy that we got to do the Sangam dip comfortably which was the main thing. 

My thoughts

As I reflect on this largest gathering ever on earth of 400 million people over 40 days, I am amazed at the faith of the people in spirituality and Gods and feel happy that we are still connected to our culture as a nation. Overall the place I felt was vibrant and pulsating with energy. It  felt lovely to be in the company of people all aligned to a single purpose, trying to draw upon the possibility of spiritual upliftment. this is what they call "Satsang" I suppose. If I had known earlier I would have come here to stay for a week and imbibe and immerse more. But at least I got to do this much.

Lets look at the enormity of the event and the amazing organization behind the scenes.

• The Mahakumbh in Prayagraj is a MasterClass in organization. And I think the world and especially people in India need to know about it and feel proud. Let me go through the data first
•  A total of 160000 tents in tent city Hosting 2 million people at a time; Tent city 4000 hectares
• There are 30 pontoon bridges built in the last 3 months
• 4000 boats have been given licence; Safety inspection and lifejackets by govt - Approx. 40000 life jackets
• 4.25 lakh electrical connections; 85 sub stations; 128 transformers; 50000 street poles; 7000 led lights; 85 back up generators
• 12 km of ghats; 5 lakh metric tonnes of sand to create sangam area
• 50000 Police personn
•  2750 cc tv cameras; 328 AI enabled cameras; 20 high surveillance drones; Underwater drones; 4 anti drone systems
• 150000 toilets
• About 300 tonnes of sand had been put in the middle of the ganges to facilitate the floating platforms.

What about the cleanliness, crowds, sanitation, food ?

1.    Cleanliness – Inspite of so many people at one place, the entire area was quite clean. No spitting, no litter, no food junk anywhere. No urinating anywhere. No throwing foodstuff and flowers on the ground. Considering 40 million people walking this 10 sq kms everyday for 40 days this is a phenomenal achievement for India

2.    Toilet facilities – were excellent. We had to use one of the common ones and it was quite clean. Tented places have their own toilets. Wondering how they are managing the sewage.

3.   Spiritual organizations – Amazed at the number of spiritual organizations that were here. They had their own campuses and were self contained. And everyone of them had devotional music going on and serving  annadanam

4.    Spirituality and fun – At the same time there was a festive atmosphere with people just having fun. People have come in groups – I met one which had 21 family members that were here for Mahakumbh

5.   What drives these people – What is this faith and the yearning for something better, a devotion so strong that makes them brave the difficulties of walking many kms carrying their luggage and children in the hot sun without food or water. It was so humbling to see this.

6.    Policemen helpful – The policemen were polite and went out of their way to help and direct at great hardships to themselves

7.    Boats at sangam – Absolutely no fighting for space, peacefully everyone did their dips - no fighting, but organized chaos

8.    Food appearing magically – don’t see provisions coming in- there are extremely few cafes or food stalls. I think one of the reasons the place is clean. However every spiritual organization was providing Annadanam and water. Anybody who is hungry or thirsty can walk into any tent area and ask for food and he/she will be food. No one is going hungry or thirsty.

9.    Water and sanitation facility – There was enough drinking water available in the tent area. Sanitation in terms of toilets almost 150000 portable toilets were available everywhere and the surprising thing was they were quite clean considering the volume of people using it.

10 Ganges very clean – When taking the dip I found it was muddy but that’s it. No particle matter, no food, no flowers etc. After taking it in a bottle and keeping it for a day it was  crystal clear water

11 Triveni sangam – To reduce congestion at the nose point of the Sangam, the government had deposited over tonnes of sand in the middle of the sangam and installed floating platforms there. They also gave specific licenses to 4000 boatmen with mandatory lifejackets for people, so that they could take people to these platforms. This is a great idea and avoided the crowds.

The entire place was vibrant, energetic and  festive and an amazing  spiritual festival. So many people of all walks of life united with a single purpose and an unwavering faith and wanting to touch or reach out to that little bit more of the spiritual elixir. I came away deeply touched, humbled and proud of our culture and depth of spirituality.

Hints to make your trip better

1. Flight tickets better from Varanasi or Lucknow but at the end of the day I fell it is better to book direct to Prayagraj and back because you have to brave the traffic from Varanasi to Prayagraj which is unpredictable.

2. If you do decide to go to Varanasi or Lucknow and travel here by car then leave at 4 am or before and don’t stop for breakfast on the way

3. Everything takes time, so ensure you have given yourself enough time. Going to Triveni Sangam and coming back to your tent is about 3-4 hours

4. You will walk a lot, and I mean a lot. We ended up walking 15 km first day and 10 km next day.  So get good walking shoes or good slippers

5. Wherever you are moving around you don’t easily get food. So have a small back pack with water, snacks and banana

6. Its hot during day and cold at night so plan your wardrobe acc.

7. Be prepared for crowds everywhere but unless you are going to Sangam area, it is not the jostling unable to breathe sort of crowds. If you are visiting any temples plan to do so early in the morning before 530am or at night around 10pm

8. Pontoon bridges are one way so you will end up walking more on your return especially if there is a VIP visiting maybe about 2-3 km more

9. The Triveni Sangam with floating platforms are really well thought out. You need to walk to Arail Ghat and a little further from there where you will find boats. Typically Rs 1500 for 3 people with the boat dedicated to you. Fix beforehand if possible. He will take you to the middle of the river where it is easy to have the dip, change and return. Not crowded at all.

10. Connectivity and power – Not a problem at all. But carry a battery pack.

Things to do and See

 Many things to do and see in Prayagraj. However  don’t get distracted by trying to see these during Mahakumbh. The purpose is to have a dip and imbibe the energy of the place.  Do these only if you have time after your dips in the Sangam.

1.    Vasuki temple -The Nagavasuki temple is an important Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vasuki, king of snakes. It is believed to relieve Kaal Sarpa Dosha astrological difficulties. The temple's origins trace back to Lord Vasuki resting here after churning the ocean of milk in vedic times. 

2.    Lete hanuman temple - It is said that after the victory over Lanka, when Hanumanji was returning, he felt tired on the way. So at the behest of Sita Mata, he lay down here on the banks of the Sangam. This temple is believed to be at least 600-700 years old

3.    Someshwar temple -Someshwar Mahadev Mandir situated in Arail village is one of the eight important tirthsthalas of Prayagraj. This temple finds mention in the Padma Purana, Shiva Purana and is worshipped by all the devotees who participate in the Kumbh.

4.    Adi shankara temple - Shankar Viman Mandapam. Located north of the Triveni Sangam on the right banks of river Ganga, this four story temple is built in memory of Adi Shankaracharya.

5.    Treta yuga tree - The Akshay Vat is a sacred banyan tree that is said to be from the Treta Yuga. According to legend, Sita Devi offered oblations to Dashrath Maharaj under this tree. When Lord Rama arrived, he asked for a witness, and the tree was the only one to speak. The tree was blessed to have great importance in the future.

6.    Adi Beni Madhav temple - Lord Vishnu’s and Mother Lakshmi’s temple. The place hosting 115 million parthiv Shiva lingams (Shiva lingams made from soil from a holy river bank that are ) en route to the Adi Beni Madhav temple.

7.    Akhadas - In each Mahakumbh, there is a special group of Akhadas that are given the first priority in many aspects. These Akhadas are the traditional religious sects of sadhus that bring them together, impart knowledge, help people realise the spiritual energy inside them, and much more. Back in the day, when India fought against invaders and looters, it is said that the Sadhus of these Akhadas fought tooth and nail to protect the Hindu faith.