Mahakumbh: Why The Show Must Go On

Mahakumbh Mela 2021

- Anilesh S. Mahajan & Sonali Acharjee

The Mahakumbh Mela, celebrated in roughly 12-year cycles at four locations, is perhaps the largest religious gathering in the world. The 2019 Mahakumbh Mela saw about 5.5 million pilgrims visiting Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj every day between January and March, with the Centre and state spending just short of Rs 4,300 crore on tourism infrastructure. Beyond religion, the Melas also have an economic dimension—that year, Uttar Pradesh reportedly got business worth Rs 1.2 lakh crore from visiting pilgrims. This time round, for the Haridwar Mela, the reasons to hope for a successful event are even more compelling, given the grim economic fallout of Covid and its aftermath.

However, gallingly for those counting on a great surge of devout tourists at the Mela, there is a second surge in the dreaded pandemic to contend with (see The Second Wave, page 34). An event that sees millions of people gathering in close proximity is almost certain to send case numbers soaring. Ahead of this year’s Mahakumbh Mela, Haridwar already saw over 3 million pilgrims visiting for the Mahashivratri