Be ready to brave mammoth crowds (more than 40 crore people will be attending the festivities over the next few weeks) and the cold (temperatures dip till 7 degrees), but if you overcome that, the Maha Kumbh is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

At a confluence of holy rivers, Hindus believe that bathing during the Kumbh Mela washes away sins and breaks the cycle of rebirth. More than 400 million people will now descend on this Indian city.

The Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 will start from Monday, January 13 with the Paush Poornima Snan. This Maha Kumbh is more special for its unique babas who have been practicing rituals which have spiritual or societal significance.

Millions of Hindu pilgrims are gathering in India to bathe in sacred waters for the six-week-long Kumbh Mela festival -- from the very old to babies, cave-dwelling monks to science

The Maha Kumbh Mela, a once-in-a-144-year spiritual gathering event for Hindus, began on 13 January 2025 and will continue until 26 February 2025 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, on the banks of the Ganga River.

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.

More than 400 million Hindu pilgrims are expected to take part in the biggest gathering of humanity in history - India's Maha Kumbh Mela religious festival. DW follows one couple’s spiritual journey to wash away their sins in the river Ganges.