Mainstream WeeklyIn an age where customs and traditions, faith and beliefs, everything is marketed, the tremendous hype created around the Mahakumbha Mela that took place in the months of January-February 2025 was unprecedented. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, claimed that this Kumbha happened on days of unique celestial alignment that occurs every 144 years, and this fair is a symbol of the greatness of Indian civilisation. While there are some textual references to the antiquity of the gathering in Indian epics, the actual known reference to the sixth century of the Common Era. The first Kumbh Mela event was organised in 1870, under British supervision. Mr Yogi claimed that the arrangements made for devotees are world class, full-proof and modern technology like AI has been used for mela management, indicating the emergence of Viksit Bharat. Or the idea of it.
A recent BBC report has said, that