MAHAKUMBH 2025: Devotee count crosses 60 crore as final bath nears
Despite the 45-day religious gathering nearing its end on February 28, the rate of pilgrim arrivals showed no signs of slowing down. Officials estimated the total count could surpass 65 crore by the end of the event.
With just four days remaining before the conclusion of Mahakumbh 2025, a massive influx of devotees continued to flood Prayagraj on Saturday ahead of the final official bathing on Mahashivaratri, scheduled for February 26. The overwhelming footfall led to heavy traffic congestion at key entry points, including Dhoomanganj, Phaphamau, Jhunsi, and Naini.
By 8 PM on Saturday, the total count of devotees who had taken a holy dip in the Sangam waters since the beginning of the mela on January 13 crossed 60.74 crore.
The city witnessed long queues of four-wheelers from various states at entry points, with police struggling to manage the crowd and direct vehicles to designated parking areas. Shuttle buses ferrying pilgrims to the mela grounds were packed, forcing many devotees, including women, children, and the elderly, to trek 10 to 15 kilometres to reach Mahakumbh Nagar.
Despite the 45-day religious gathering nearing its end on February 28, the rate of pilgrim arrivals showed no signs of slowing down. Officials estimated the total count could surpass 65 crore by the end of the event.
Throughout Saturday, thousands of devotees carrying their belongings streamed into the mela area, while those returning from the holy dip were seen with fatigue on their faces, carrying jerry cans filled with Ganga Jal and adorned with ‘Chandan Tika’ on their foreheads.
Before the event began, the Yogi Adityanath government had projected an estimated footfall of 40 to 45 crore over 45 days. This number was surpassed on February 11, ahead of the Maghi Purnima bathing on February 12. The government later revised the estimate to 60 crore, a figure that was crossed on Saturday.
As per records, at 8 am on Saturday 33.10 lakh devotees had taken the holy dip which increased to 51.61 lakh at 10 am, 71.18 lakh at 12 noon, 89 lakh at 2 pm , 1.11 crore at 4pm and 1.43 crore at 8pm. On Friday, at 8 pm, 59.31 crore devotees had taken the holy dip since the commencement of the mela.
