How The Maha Kumbh Changed Prayagraj

This year's Kumbh Mela captured India's attention and money like none before

- Soumya Gupta

On the streets of Allahabad, now Prayagraj, there is a sure-shot way to tell if pilgrims have recently been in the area. Look for mountains of silver and yellow-green disposable plates, piled with paper cups or plastic tumblers bent out of shape, and a smattering of leftovers from the fixed menu of bhandaras across the city: kachori, pumpkin sabzi, and kheer.

Every few steps, the roads are adorned with snapped (or lost) slippers and shoes, a broken bag strap or two. Look up, and you will spot a riot of yellows and reds in the distance—Kumbh devotees from all over India wearing auspicious colours and walking home with their families, communities, even entire villages in tow. Old-timey megaphones strapped to light poles blare devotional songs dedicated to Lord Shiva, the deity worshipped on Mahashivratri, also the last day of the Kumbh Mela this year.

Although the mela is held every 12 years across Ujjain, Haridwar, Nashik, and Prayagraj, this year it was designated a 'Maha Kumbh'. Scholars and believers say a rare planetary alignment made this the most auspicious Kumbh Mela in 144 years. There is some debate on the religious accuracy of this claim and the Kumbh Mela of 2013 also claimed to be part of a 144-year cycle. But, what cannot be debated is that the Kumbh was a massive opportunity to do business, especially for residents of this year's host city, Prayagraj.

Yet, in the final days of the Maha Kumbh and the immediate aftermath, the city and its people became a study in contrast. The chaos near Sangam on the southeastern end of Prayagraj set a festive mood for 45 days across the city and its satellite towns, including Naini, Jhusi, and Phaphamau. But daily life remained disrupted and the mela closed on a tired city and an exhausted people, keen to get back to their everyday routines.

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