FILE PHOTO: Devotees gather to take a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers with the mythical invisible Saraswati river, to mark Maghi Purnima, one of the auspicious days during the "Maha Kumbh Mela", or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, February 12, 2025. REUTERS/Ritesh Shukla/File Photo
LUCKNOW (Reuters) - More than 500 million people have taken a "holy dip" in sacred river waters in north India over the last four weeks as part of the Hindu Maha Kumbh festival, authorities said on Friday, greater than the population of most countries.
Attendees at the six-week long event have ranged from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and federal ministers to industrialists such as Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and artists including Chris Martin from British rock band Coldplay.
It was marred, however, by a stampede on its most auspicious day that killed dozens as they gathered at the confluence of three holy rivers to take a dip - a practice believed to absolve sins and confer salvation from the cycle of birth and death.
"This participation marks the largest congregation in human history for any religious, cultural, or social event," the government of Uttar Pradesh state, where the festival is being held, said in a statement.
With 12 days still remaining, the total count of visitors to the festival is expected to "soar beyond" 550 to 600 million, it said.
The Kumbh Mela is held every three years but carries the prefix Maha, or great, every 12 years because its timing is considered more auspicious, attracting a larger number of worshippers.
The festival attracted around 240 million people in its previous edition in 2019 - half the number who have attended in 2025 so far.
It was organised in Prayagraj city at a 4,000-hectare (9,900 acre) temporary township created for the purpose - the size of 7,500 football fields.
The highest number of devotees - 80 million - flocked to the festival on January 29, when the stampede occurred. While officials said 30 people were killed in the incident, sources said the death toll was more than 50.
A panel has been formed to conduct an investigation into the stampede and is expected to submit its report this month.
(Reporting by Saurabh Sharma, writing by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
