Maha Kumbh 2025: Where faith and modernity unite

This Kumbh will be known as the Digital Kumbh.

This article has been translated from a speech that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath delivered at an iTV Network—of which The Sunday Guardian is a part—conclave called “Shaurya Samman 2025”, held in Lucknow on 6 January 2025, honouring police officers, army and paramilitary personnel from the state. Edited excerpts from the speech:

From 13 January to 26 February, the world’s largest religious and spiritual gathering is taking place in Prayagraj—Maha Kumbh Prayagraj 2025. It is said that classical evidence suggests that this auspicious moment occurs after 144 years. Prayagraj has undergone major transformation for the Kumbh. Anyone who has gone to Prayagraj five, six or seven years ago, will not be able to recognise the new Prayagraj. They should go and see how development is taking place, and how the development plans for a city can be advanced because of these congregations.

Just in 2024 alone, for the convenience of the devotees coming for the Maha Kumbh, we have prepared a blueprint for the all-round development of Prayagraj City and its surrounding habitations. The result of is that we have expanded over 200 roads from single-lane to double-lane, double-lane to four-lane, and four-lane to six-lane. Fourteen new flyovers have been constructed within just one year inside just one city. Railway stations have been renovated, and the airport has been revamped. You will see all this in Prayagraj now.

You will see some new corridors there—the Akshay Vat Corridor, the corridor of the Saraswati Devi Temple, the corridor of the Bade Hanuman Ji Temple, the Maharishi Bhardwaj corridor, and a corridor where Lord Rama met Nishadraj in Shringverpur. The Patalpuri corridor. Devotees will have the opportunity to see and learn about all these new things in.

The area of the Kumbh has been expanded. Remember that more than 40 crore devotees will come to Prayagraj. Ghats have been constructed over 12 to 15 kilometers. Even if 10 crore devotees come in a single day, they can easily take a dip in the Triveni Sangam of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati to attain punya.

It’s a swachh (clean) Kumbh. For this, zero liquid discharge has been ensured within the entire city and across the entire Kumbh area. Over one and a half lakh toilets have been built, but there will not be in any liquid discharge from these toilets. Just like you see the toilet systems you see on an airplane, you will find this arrangement in those one and a half lakh toilets at the Kumbh as well.

The process of allotting land to over 10,000 organizations has been conducted on a war footing. Every person in the country and around the world is eager to visit Prayagraj. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Uttar Pradesh government is moving forward with full commitment to present this entire program with all its grandeur and divinity as a Digital Kumbh.

If you want to see the digital map of the Kumbh, you will find it. If you want to judge the Kumbh on cleanliness standards, you will be able to know. As soon as you enter the Kumbh area, your picture would have appeared before us, indicating that you are entering. We have taken security at the Kumbh into a digital format. You will see traffic in a digital form, as well as cleanliness—in a digital form. Whether it’s cleanliness or any other tasks, you will get to see all these digitally there. Therefore, this Kumbh of this century will also be known as the Digital Kumbh.

We have prepared the Prayagraj Kumbh as a grand confluence of faith and modernity. And I would tell everyone that come to the Maha Kumbh with faith, with great reverence, and be a part of this grand cultural confluence of India. They will have a pleasant experience visiting Prayagraj. And after Prayagraj, they can witness the wonderful convergence of heritage and development that is happening across the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. Visit Ayodhya, go to Kashi, visit the abode of Ma Vindhyavasini, Chitrakoot and Lucknow. From Lucknow go to Shringverpur Dham, or visit those sacred pilgrimage sites in Sitapur. In Uttar Pradesh you will get the opportunity to connect with India’s spiritual heritage.

* Yogi Adityanath is the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.