Ten million Indians take holy dip on key day of Kumbh Mela festival

12/2/2025 14:05

More than 10 million devout Hindus seeking absolution from their sins took a dip in holy waters in northern India during a span of four hours on Wednesday, authorities said, as they braced for millions more to swarm the site of the Kumbh Mela.



Authorities stepped up the numbers of police officers and put air ambulances on standby in the city of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh state on one of the holiest days of the Hindu festival, considered the world's largest gathering of humanity.



The state's chief of police said, "There are more people in this city in one day than the population of many countries, and the numbers are swelling by the minute.



The numbers arriving had pushed infrastructure arrangements to the brink, making delays and traffic jams inevitable, he added. Media said vehicles were backed up for hundreds of kilometers from the edges of the city.



More than 10 million people had bathed by 8 a.m., authorities said, with more expected.