Prayagraj Kumbh Mela Documentation

The 2019 Kumbh Mela of Prayagraj was documented as part of the Namami Gange documentation project for the NMCG. Mythological time and historical chronology may not be contiguous or of equal dimensions, but they interlock and overlap in popular imagination at the Kumbh Mela, when Prayagaraj becomes one of the most crowded places on earth during this festival in the Hindu month of Magh.

The extensive report covers the Kumbh festival and its origins, the significance of the Kumbh Mela at each place—Haridwar, Nasik, Prayag and Ujjain, the related mythological tales, and the various bathing and other rituals that attract lakhs of devotees. The various types of Kumbh, historical records and references, by foreign travellers and from local sources, the conflict between the pandas (priests) of Prayag and the British and the imposition of Pilgrim Tax, and other interesting facets that trace the evolution of this important socio-religious phenomenon in the Indian cultural landscape, are included in the report.