The quest of millions seeking salvation at the world’s largest religious festival has also been a golden opportunity for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to burnish Hindu nationalist credentials.
Undeterred by packed trains, sold-out hotels, stomach-churning faecal matter measurements in rivers used for ritual bathing, and two deadly stampedes that killed dozens, the Hindu faithful descended on Prayagraj for the six-week-long Kumbh Mela.
They were welcomed by the ubiquitous presence of Modi on giant billboards flanked by Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath, 52, the chief minister of India’s largest state of Uttar Pradesh, who is viewed by many as the prime minister’s potential successor.
Both men say the millennia-old festival which ends tomorrow has been the “grandest” yet, bolstering their portrayal of themselves as stewards of Hindu resurgence and national prosperity.
That is the take-home message for many pilgrims, who – at least according to figures from Adityanath’s state government – numbered more than 560 million.
“We are just thankful to Modi and Yogi for their great work,” said Satendar Singh, 60, who travelled from Bihar state to bathe where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers meet.
“Only they will return to power now, no one else can replace them.”
As well as Modi and Adityanath, a host of political leaders, business tycoons and Bollywood stars have made national headlines with a holy dip since the festival opened on Jan 13.
The festival’s success was paramount for Modi and Adityanath, whose fortunes are linked to support from India’s one-billion-plus Hindus.
Modi, elected for his third consecutive term last year, has championed a Hindu nationalist agenda intertwining the majority religion with politics and economy.
The Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years, is the biggest milestone on the Hindu calendar.
Modi, speaking before the festival, said previous governments “did not care” about the festival and pointed out that his administration “respects the culture and hence sees it as a responsibility to provide all the facilities for devotees”.
“Both Modi and Yogi are doing what no other government could do for us, and I just want them to stay in power forever,” said Sonu Sharma, 48, from Prayagraj.
“They are kings, and the only thing a good king wants is whatever his subjects need.”
But many among Prayagraj’s Muslim population viewed the festival with deep unease.
Many still use the city’s old name of Allahabad, given by a Muslim ruler more than 400 years ago, rather than the Hindu name of Prayagraj the BJP changed it to in 2018.
Unlike earlier editions, warnings by hardline Hindu groups deterred many Muslim shopkeepers and hawkers from entering the festival grounds.
Preacher Syed Farooq Ahmed, 55, whose family has lived in Prayagraj for generations, said he was “saddened” because division was “not the history of Allahabad’s shared cultural heritage”. — AFP
