The Kumbh Mela festival, the largest religious gathering in the world, has begun in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj.

No visit to the Kumbh Mela is complete without a dip in the sacred waters of the Triveni Sangam, where the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers meet.

Blinkit has launched a temporary 100 sq ft store at the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj to meet the essential needs of devotees, offering goods for puja, daily necessities, and Triveni Sangam Jal bottles.

Learn about the 8 best places to visit in Prayagraj during the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, including Triveni Sangam, Anand Bhavan, and many other places of interest.

Days before India started its mammoth Kumbh Mela festival, a video showing preparations for a nighttime light show surfaced in social media posts that falsely linked it to the six-week Hindu event. The video was in fact originally published by a US-based drone show company and shows a Christmas celebration.

Over the coming 45 days, an estimated 400 million Hindus are expected to come together for Maha Kumbh Mela. The festival is held every 12 years but the "Maha" or grand Kumbh Mela takes place only every 144 years, "marking the 12th Kumbh Mela and a special celestial alignment of the sun, moon and Jupiter", said The Guardian.

Over about the next six weeks, Hindu pilgrims will gather at the confluence of three sacred rivers where they will take part in elaborate rituals.