... resulting in a Rs 2 trillion economic spinoff.
The 45-day Maha Kumbh Mela, formerly known as Purna Kumbh, begins today, January 13, 2025 on the banks of the Sangam in Prayagraj, with approximately one million devotees expected to take part on its first day ahead of Makar Sankranti.
The Uttar Pradesh government forecasts 400 million visitors between January 13 and February 26, preparing for a logistical challenge of massive proportions.
Although some estimates remain more conservative, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state officials project that Maha Kumbh 2025 could generate Rs 25,000 crore (Rs 250 billion) in government revenues and result in a Rs 2 trillion economic spinoff.
The event is expected to benefit local self-help groups, artisans, hoteliers, homestay owners, restaurant operators, and food vendors, with major brands such as Dabur, Mother Dairy, and ITC anticipated to spend Rs 3,000 crore.
Official estimates are that the 2019 Kumbh saw participation of 240 million devotees, while the 2013 Purna Kumbh at what was then known as Allahabad had 120 million visitors.
The 2016 Kumbh at Ujjain had 75 million devotees visit it.
The Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in UP has launched 549 projects, ranging from infrastructure to sanitation, for the Maha Kumbh worth Rs 6,900 crore (Rs 69 billion).
In 2019, it had launched 700 projects at a cost of Rs 3,700 crore (Rs 37 billion).
The state government has made elaborate arrangements to ensure that the Maha Kumbh Mela passes off without any untoward incidents.
The successful management of the fair is a crucial part of its narrative to build brand UP to achieve its objective of becoming a $1 trillion economy.
Its success will add to the Adityanath government's commitment to cultural revival, with the construction of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor and the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
According to Adityanath, only 283,000 tourists visited Ayodhya in 2016, which increased to 134.4 million for 2024 until September because of the construction of the temple, and the final figure for the year would likely be nearly 160 million.
Similarly, the annual tourist footfall in Varanasi earlier was 5 million, which increased to 60 million after the construction of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor.
However, Kumbh Melas have been known to witness tragedies -- the Kumbh Melas of 1954, 1986 and 2013 saw stampedes that killed dozens.
The state administration has made arrangements to ensure that Maha Kumbh 2025 replicates the success of 2019 Kumbh.
Six days of the shahi snan, including January 13 and February 26, will be crucial for crowd management.
Another success of the 2019 Kumbh was its efficient sanitation with 122,500 toilets, 20,000 dustbins and 160 waste transport vehicles.
It also successfully experimented with odour dispelling solution, first tested during the 2018 Magh Mela; manufactured daily on site by student researchers during the 2019 Kumbh, 65,000 litres of solution was manufactured daily.
The Maha Kumbh tent city, spread over 4,000 hectares has been declared the 76th district of UP for the duration of the religious fair.
It will have 56 police stations and 133 police posts.
The tent city will have 67,000 streetlights, 7000 saffron-coloured buses to ferry devotees, 1,249 km long water pipelines, 300,000 saplings planted, 16 ghats, including temporary ghats stretching for 12 km, provisions for uninterrupted power supply, 100 special trains will connect Prayagraj with the rest of the country during the duration of the festival and the number of flights to the city, and parking bays for aircraft are being increased at Prayagraj airport.
As many as 329 AI cameras are being installed for security, including a total of 10,000 CCTV cameras. The opening ceremony will feature 2,500 Make in India drones.
The state government has put up 160,000 tents, including 2,200 luxury tents. Prayagraj also has 218 hotels, 204 guest houses, 90 dharamshalas and several homestays.
There are also high-end alternatives on the banks of the river with tariffs of up to Rs 80,000 a day, such as the Dome City spread over 3.25 acres on the Arial Ghat.
The congregation is celebrated four times over a course of 12 years over four locations Haridwar (on the banks of the Ganga), Ujjain in MP (on the banks of the Shipra river), Nashik in Maharashtra (on the banks of the Godavari), and the most sacred of the four in Prayagraj at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.
The Imperial Gazette of India, 1883, mentioned the Magh Mela of 1882 in Allahabad, where it said a million devotees participated.
According to colonial records, the government's income from Ardha Kumbh of 1900 was Rs 26,621 against an expenditure of Rs 38,400.
The 1906 Purna Kumbh earned Rs 62,480 against expenses of Rs 92,024. As many as 3 million people participated in the 1906 Purna Kumbh.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
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