Over 500 Million Have Been To The Maha Kumbh In Four Weeks

India-West News Desk

LUCKNOW – More than 500 million people have participated in the Maha Kumbh festival over the past four weeks, according to authorities.

The six-week gathering has drawn a diverse mix of attendees, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, government officials, business leaders such as Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, and international artists like Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

Describing it as “the largest congregation in human history for any religious, cultural, or social event,” the Uttar Pradesh government expects attendance to reach between 550 million and 600 million by the festival’s conclusion.

Spanning 9,900 acres, the festival site was set up as a temporary township. The previous Kumbh Mela in 2019 recorded 240 million attendees, less than half of this year’s turnout.

The largest gathering occurred on January 29, when 80 million devotees visited the site. A stampede that day resulted in multiple fatalities. While officials reported 30 deaths, some sources suggest the toll exceeded 50.