Mahakumbh Mela 2025 Live Updates: Kicking off Day 2, Akharas participate in 1st Amrit Snan on Makar Sankranti

On the second day of the Mahakumbh Mela 2025, Uttar Pradesh DGP Prashant Kumar told ANI, "Since Sadhus from several Akharas take a holy dip today, it is called Amrit Snan. The 8th Akhara is taking a holy dip right now. Our officers and jawans are on duty to ensure everything is under control. Around 12 PM, 1.60 crore people have taken a holy dip. We are continuously monitoring the situation. Police response vehicles and Ambulances were present at the spot. Through thermal images, we were able to control the crowd during night. Devotees are peacefully taking a holy dip at several places in the state on the occasion of Makar Sankranti..."

The first day of the Mahakumbh saw over 1.65 crore devotees taking a dip in Sangam, while the second day of the festivities commenced with the 'Amrit Snan', with over 1 crore devotees participating.

The Akharas took ‘Amrit Snan' of the Maha Kumbh Mela on Tuesday on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Shri Panchayati Akhara Mahanirvani and Shri Shambhu Panchayati Atal Akhara were the first ones to take 'Amrit Snan' on Makar Sankranti.

The first 'Amrit Snan' is special in many ways. It took place a day after the first major 'snan' on Monday in the Sangam area on the occasion of 'Paush Purnima'.

Thirteen Akharas of seers from different sects are participating in the Maha Kumbh.

Chants of 'Har Har Mahadev', 'Jai Shri Ram', and 'Jai Ganga Maiyya' chants could be heard as the devotees moved towards the bathing area in groups despite the freezing waters during the cold winter season. (PTI)

The second day of the Mahakumbh Mela 2025 coincides with the festival of Makar Sankranti, which falls on January 14. In a dual celebration, lakhs of people were seen flocking the Sangam ghats to take a holy dip.

While addressing a public gathering in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "This day is very special. Today, every corner of the country is in a celebratory mood. Maha Kumbh Mela is beginning today in Prayagraj and millions of devotees are reaching there for holy bath. Today, Punjab and the entire North India is filled with the joy of Lohri. This day is being celebrated as Makar Sankranti, Pongal, and various other festivals. I extend my good wishes to all who are celebrating these festivals."

The Indian Railways will run around 3000 special trains for the Mahakumbh Mela 2025, to accommodate all the tourists visiting Prayagraj over the next 45 days.

East Coast Railway Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Ashok Kumar Mishra told PTI, "During Maha Kumbh, Indian Railway will run over 13,000 trains. Out of which 10,000 are regular trains and over 3,000 are special trains. We have launched seven pairs of special trains that will cover Odisha and these will make a total of seven rounds."

UP Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak hailed the commencement of the Mahakumbh Mela on Monday, and welcomed all devotees to the city of Prayagraj.

"I wholeheartedly welcome all the devotees. The Uttar Pradesh Government has made complete arrangements. From security to health, all arrangements are in place. The government has made all necessary preparations to handle every situation," Pathak told ANI.

Devotees have gathered from around the world to bathe at the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mystical Saraswati rivers at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj. The first major Shahi Snan, or Amrit Snan, will take place on Tuesday during Makar Sankranti.

Over 60 lakh people took a dip in Sangam by 9:30 am on Monday morning to participate in the Shahi Snan, on the first day of the Mahakumbh Mela 2025.

Meanwhile, the police urged all devotees to clear out of the ghat after taking a dip and completing their rituals to maintain law and order in the area, and clear the path for the next batch of devotees.

Over 70 years ago, the first Kumbh Mela of Independent India was hosted by Allahabad, from January 14 to March 3, 1954. While it had a stellar turnout of 40 lakh devotees, the historic event is remembered for a massive stampede on February 3, 1954, that claimed the lives of nearly 800 pilgrims. However, government estimates put the figure at half that number.

Spread over 1,300 acres, the mela was divided into seven sectors managed by area magistrates. Over 2,800 police personnel, including 13 gazetted officers, and 1,000 Armymen, including 27 officers, were deployed to manage law and order, besides other departments, including Public Health and Railways. Read more.

Watch all the Mahakumbh 2025 festivities live here!

Hailing the commencement of the Mahakumbh 2025 on Monday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath posted on X, "Where there is a confluence of cultures, there is also a confluence of faith and harmony. Giving the message of 'unity in diversity', Maha Kumbh-2025, Prayagraj is providing an encounter with Sanatan along with the welfare of humanity."

Nearly 50 lakh devotees took a dip at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers in Mahakumbh Nagar on Sunday, a day ahead of the first bathing festival, Paush Purnima, authorities said.

Men, women, elderly individuals, children, and a large number of saints and seers converged at the Sangam to perform the sacred ritual, seeking blessings, an official statement issued in Lucknow on Sunday said.

On Saturday, 33 lakh devotees visited the Mela to bathe in the Sangam, Director Information Shishir said, adding that in past two days over 85 lakh people had bathed in the river.

This year, the Mahakumbh is expected to witness participation from more than 45 crore people, making it one of the largest such gatherings in history, it said. (PTI)

There as several explanations as to why the Kumbh is hosted every 12 years. One of the reasons is that Indra’s son, Jayant, ran off with the pot of amrit for 12 days, and one day of the Devas is equal to one year of the humans. The other explanation is astronomical.

The reason behind the 12 years gap between Kumbh is explained by the fact that Jupiter takes 12 years to complete on revolution around the Sun.

A controversy erupted on Sunday after a statue of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav was installed at a camp in the Maha Kumbh Mela area here, with several seers objecting to it.

The statue, around two--three feet tall, was inaugurated on Saturday at the camp in Sector 16 set up by the Mulayam Singh Yadav Smriti Seva Sansthan, Leader of Opposition in Uttar Pradesh Assembly Mata Prasad Pandey said on Sunday.

The move drew criticism from the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad. Its president Mahant Ravindra Puri said that Mulayam Singh Yadav had always been "anti-Hindu and anti-Sanatan".

SP leader Pandey said that the statue of "Netaji" was inaugurated by him on Saturday. "He was our leader, and the camp was organised to spread his thoughts and ideas." "Pilgrims and other people are welcomed to go to the camp, have food, and stay there. A small statue of Mulayam Singh Yadav has been installed in a symbolic manner," Pandey told reporters.

He said the idol will be restored to the party office after the Maha Kumbh. (PTI)

In preparation of the Mahakumbh 2025 in Prayagraj, the Yogi Adityanath-leg state government in Uttar Pradesh initiated 549 projects, from infrastructure development to sanitation, at a budget of Rs 6990 crore.

The Mela officials estimate revenues of Rs 25,000 crore from the event and an overall impact of Rs 2 lakh crore on the economy of the state.

From luxury tents with tariffs of up to Rs 1 lakh a night to lucrative corporate sponsorships; from the bustling puja market where small-time traders bet their savings on a 10-fold turnover to the boatmen of the Ganga who live in the hope that the event will keep them afloat — Kumbh is as much about living as it is about faith. Read more.

In Sanskrit, the word Kumbh means pitcher or pot. As per the mythological origins of the Kumbh, when Devas (gods) and Asuras (loosely translated as demons) churned the ocean, Dhanvantri emerged carrying a pitcher of amrita, or the elixir of immortality.

To make sure the Asuras don’t get it, Indra’s son, Jayant, ran off with the pot. The Sun, his son Shani, Brihaspati (the planet Jupiter), and the Moon went along to protect him and the pot.

As Jayant ran, the amrita spilt at four spots: Haridwar, Prayagraj, Ujjain, and Nashik-Trimbakeshwar. He ran for 12 days, and as one day of the Devas is equal to one year of humans, Kumbh Mela is celebrated at these locations every 12 years, based on the relative positions of the Sun, the Moon, and Jupiter. Read more.