Impressive worldwide: the greatest religious spectacles in progress

Impressive worldwide: the greatest religious spectacles in progress

In New Delhi, millions of Hindu believers have started to clean themselves in holy waters, while the greatest religious festival of the world is heralded in the north-Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In the next six weeks, an estimated 400 million people will be at the Maha Kumbh Mela, the festival of the holy vessels Participate in the city of Prayagraj.

The greatest religious meeting in the world

Every 12 years the event is called "Maha", which means "big" because it is the largest assembly of the Kumbh Mela, which takes place every three years in one of the four cities. In Prayagraj, the faithful in Triveni Sangam Baden, the confluence of three holy rivers - the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati - will be cleaned and get a step closer to the "spiritual liberation".

mythological background

The Kumbh Mela emerged from Hindu mythology and tells of a struggle between gods and demons around a vessel with the elixir of immortality. During this struggle, four drops fell from the container onto the earth in Prayagraj, Nashik, Haridwar and Ujjain , which alternately present themselves as venues for the celebrations.

official invitation and cultural importance

India's Prime Minister and Fii's of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Narendra Modi, invited people from all over the world to participate in this unesco-based festival, which was recognized in 2017 as a "intangible cultural heritage of humanity". The authorities apply not only as a religious assembly, but also as a cultural spectacle, which has attracted both Bollywood and Hollywood stars in the past.

organizational measures and safety precautions

On Sunday, Yogi Adityanath, who, as a priest in Safran, explained to Uttar Pradesh's priest that millions of people had already taken a “bath in the sacred waters of the Sangam”. Formerly known as Allahabad, Prayagraj 2018 was renamed Adityanath to emphasize the spiritual identity of the city for Hindu pilgrims. This renaming reflects Modi’s endeavor to transform India from a secular, pluralistic state into a nation of Hinduism.

infrastructure and number of visitors

This year the festival required years of planning and millions of dollars to build facilities for the influx of visitors to Prayagraj, a city that is usually inhabited by 6 million people. Around 160,000 tents, 150,000 toilets and a drinking water pipeline of 1,249 kilometers in length were set up in a temporary tent settlement on an area of 4,000 hectares, which corresponds to the size of 7,500 football fields.

safety precautions and transport offers

In 2013 there were tragic incidents in which Dozens of people at a mass panic the city flowed together. In order to avoid such incidents, additional security measures were taken this year. This includes a security ring with control points around the city, which is occupied by over 1,000 police officers.

technological innovations for surveillance

About safety cameras , which are used to monitor the city, although Hundreds of experts at key locations keep an eye on the situation. In addition, drones for air monitoring and underwater drones are used for the first time, which can dive up to 100 meters deep.

improved transport connections

A large part of the pilgrims are expected to arrive by train. For this reason, the authorities have set up 3,000 special trains and 13,100 train services. Likewise, 14 new overpasses and underpasses, 11 new street corridors, 7,000 buses, 550 shuttle buses, seven new bus stops and 30 ponton bridges were installed to improve the connection. The festival ends on February 26th.