Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 17 (ANI): As the Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj is now in its full splendour, devotees from India and abroad are immersed in partaking in an experience that has unique and lasting impact. Foreign devotees have called attending the Maha Kumbh Mela an “amazing and fantastic experience” and stressed that the “devotion and tradition in this land is very strong.”
Foreign devotees also visited the sacred akhadas of Naga Sadhus to seek their blessings. Speaking to ANI, Esther, who travelled from Mexico to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, said, “I feel joyous. I think I have been connected to the enjoyment and the great vibes that people have coming here. Also taking water from the Ganga River and it’s amazing. I mean the devotion and the tradition in this land is very strong. The culture is very ancient and it’s still going on, which is very interesting and I believe it’s magnificent. Everything we’ve seen the forts, the the festival, the Ganga, everything, the devotion is, is really great.”
She said that she has so far learnt the chants of Lord Shiva. Esther said that she planned her trip to Prayagraj as soon as she got to know about the Maha Kumbh Mela. She said, “We planned our trip to be here. We as soon as we knew. All our trip was based on staying in here for this day, which is something that we will cherish forever.”
She said, “The chants of the Om Namah Shivay, the ones that we learned so far. And we hear all night people chanting, which is very nice too. So yes, we are connected to the people. We feel very happy. We’re just smiling. People want to take pictures with us, which we always try to because they talk to us and they get near us, which is very nice.”
Maha Kumbh is one of the largest and most significant religious congregations in the world, held every 12 years at one of four locations in India. The Maha Kumbh 2025, which is Poorna Kumbh, will take place till February 26, 2025.
Mayi, who came to Prayagraj from France, called it an “fantastic experience. About her experience on attending Maha Kumbh Mela, she said, “I’m very excited. I was very excited to be able to go to the river and get the holy water and splash it all over it, and I think that this tradition is really amazing. I think it’s the only one in the world as far as I know, and I’ve been reading and it’s been a fantastic experience for us actually and as Esther said, we planned everything around coming to Allahabad and to be here for one day and a half and be able to see and to experience and to be able to meet the people.”
“We’ve been meeting lots of people. We’ve been walking around and taking pictures and talking to people when we can or with the signs and well it’s really precious. It’s something it’s a jewel. It’s something really precious, very, very. It produces lots of feelings, deep in the heart. I think all this spirituality and all this love for life and to share, etc, it’s been great, excellent,” she added.
About the weather in Prayagraj, Mayi said, “Very warm inside. Yeah, we had lots of haze, but the sun comes out and it’s been very very warming.” She said that they won’t be able to come back for the same experience as 144 years are far away and expressed hope that the tradition carries on.
She said, “We won’t be able to come back for the same experience. 144 years are far far away, but well, I hope the tradition carries on. So, I think it’s beautiful to be able to keep things like that. It’s very important not only for India but for the world. Even this is a world heritage.”
Esther and Mayi along with other devotees even chanted “Radhe Radhe.” More than 3 million devotees took part in the holy dip at Triveni Sangam on the fourth day of the Maha Kumbh in the holy city of Prayagraj.
According to the data released, by 6 pm on Thursday, over 3 million people visited the Maha Kumbh and took a holy dip at the Sangam, with more than 1 million Kalpvasis and 2 million additional pilgrims. Over 70 million devotees have participated in the world’s biggest religious congregation; over 35 million on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on January 14. (ANI)
