Every 12 years, the Kumbh Mela draws millions of Hindu pilgrims to India’s riverbanks in a display of devotion that dwarfs most human gatherings. The 2025 edition in Prayagraj, elevated to “Maha” status (a once-in-144-years affair), has outdone itself—or so the Uttar Pradesh government claims. By its close on February 26th, officials pegged attendance at 60 crore (600m), roughly 43% of India’s 1.4bn people. That would make it not just a religious marvel but a statistical eyebrow-raiser, prompting scrutiny of the numbers behind the spectacle.
The logistics are dizzying. Over 45 days, Prayagraj’s 4,000-hectare pop-up city hosted an estimated 13m people daily, if the 60-crore figure holds. The state deployed 360 special trains, 7,000 buses, and a lakh of loos to cope, backed by a ₹60bn ($720m) splurge on infrastructure. On peak bathing days—Mauni Amavasya saw 74m dippers, say officials—the Triveni Sangam, where the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati meet, churned with humanity. Uttar Pradesh reckons the event pumped ₹2trn-3trn ($24bn-36bn) into its coffers, a handy boast for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s BJP government ahead of elections.
Yet the arithmetic strains credulity. India’s Hindu population, about 1.1bn, would need to turn out at over 50% strength—a tall order when children, the infirm, and the indifferent are factored in. Muslims, Christians, and others, making up a fifth of the country, are unlikely attendees. Compare this to 2019’s Kumbh, which drew 24 crore (240m) over 49 days, a record then. A 150% leap in six years, amid a still-recovering post-pandemic economy, defies easy explanation.
The methodology is murky. Drones, CCTV, and mobile data tracked bathers, but cumulative totals risk double-counting. The 1.5m-2m Kalpvasis, who camp out and bathe daily, could bloat figures if each dip is logged. Past Kumbhs suggest a more modest range: the 2013 Maha drew 12 crore (120m). Scaling 2019’s daily average of 4.9m by 50-100% for 2025’s hype and heft yields 33 crore-45 crore (330m-450m). Adjust for repeats, and 25 crore-40 crore (250m-400m) unique visitors feels plausible—still a world-beater, but not half the nation.
Capacity offers another reality check. Moving 600m people through Prayagraj’s rails and roads in 45 days means 26m trips, against India’s usual 23m daily rail passengers nationwide. At 17,500 souls per square kilometre on peak days, the site would rival Mumbai’s slums. Feeding, watering, and policing such throngs stretches even India’s knack for organised chaos.
The government has motive to gild the lily. Beyond spiritual kudos, the Maha Kumbh burnishes Mr Adityanath’s image as a can-do leader, with an eye on foreign investors and domestic voters. Yet without granular data—say, rail receipts cross-checked with phone pings—the 60-crore claim looks more aspirational than empirical. For now, this remains a triumph of faith and logistics, if not of accounting. The faithful won’t mind; the bean-counters might.
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