'Biggest Kumbh of faith': Maharashtra CM offers prayers at Sangam with family in Prayagraj

Speaking to ANI, Fadnavis said, "This is the biggest Kumbh of faith and every Sanatani Hindu wants to take a holy dip (at Triveni Sangam). I am very happy that I got the opportunity to go to Maha Kumbh with my family and take a holy dip."

After performing the ritual, Fadnavis praised the event's organization, saying, "I am very happy that I could attend Maha Kumbh with my family today. I congratulate Yogi Ji for the wonderful arrangements made here. Every person visiting Maha Kumbh is happy. A new record is being made with the number of devotees visiting here. The world is surprised to see the management of Mahakumbh and the number of people visiting here."

After attending Prayagraj Maha Kumbh, Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra CM Fadnavis also expressed delight and said, "We are very happy that we are among the 50 crore people who have taken this holy dip of devotion during Mahakumbh. I want to thank Yogi Ji. We are making efforts that the next Kumbh in Nashik is also grand and has good arrangements."

Fadnavis's daughter Divija also spoke to ANI and said, "I felt very good and I learnt a lot about the Indian culture. It was a very good experience."

The ongoing 2025 Mahakumbh in Prayagraj has set a 'record' with over 500 million devotees taking a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati.

This number exceeds the population of several major countries, including the United States, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, making the Mahakumbh the largest spiritual gathering in the world.

According to the Uttar Pradesh administration, the Mahakumbh has become the first event in the world to have more than 500 million direct participants. The local administration reported that 17 million devotees took a dip on Paush Purnima, followed by 35 million on Makar Sankranti, 76.4 million on Mauni Amavasya, 25.7 million on Basant Panchami, and 14 million on Magh Purnima. As of 4:00 PM on Friday, over 7.9 million devotees had taken a dip in the Triveni Sangam.

The Uttar Pradesh government also noted that more than 200,000 Kalpavasis and approximately 7.7 million devotees attended the Mahakumbh Mela on Friday. Over 400,000 people travelled through 140 trains to attend the event, as per official data.

Earlier today, sanitation workers cleaned the ghats of the sacred Triveni Sangam on Friday.

Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Kumbh, Akansha Rana said that 300 workers who were cleaning the rivers at various locations were creating a Guinness world record.

She further stated that the message of the cleanliness drive was to ensure the cleanliness of the rivers and water bodies.

Speaking to ANI, Rana said, "A Guinness world record is being created here, where 300 sanitation workers are engaged in river cleaning at various locations. We want to send a message to ensure the cleanliness of our rivers and water bodies. Tomorrow, we will create a world record in street sweeping, where 15000 sanitation workers will sweep the streets together..."Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has issued strict directives on traffic management during the Mahakumbh, stressing that officers will be held accountable in case of congestion.

Uttar Pradesh Police have taken action against 54 social media accounts for spreading "misleading" content and "spreading rumours" about the ongoing Mahakumbh.

The police took special note of two videos circulating on social media, which showed a fire incident in Egypt but were linked to the Mahakumbh. One of the videos was of an oil pipeline accident in Egypt in 2020, falsely described as "Mahakumbh bus stand caught fire, 40-50 vehicles burnt to ashes."

The 2025 Mahakumbh, which began on Paush Purnima (January 13, 2025), is the world's largest spiritual and cultural gathering, attracting devotees from across the globe. The grand event will continue until Mahashivratri on February 26. (ANI)