Surge of Bharatiyata Unity at Prayagraj

YTH is the foundation of faith. For 45 days that ended last week, Prayagraj was the epicentre of faith, redemption, and cultural unity. Over 66 crore Hindus from across the country and outside converged on the sandy shores of the spiritual city for a holy dip and to celebrate Hinduism's sacred spirit during Maha Kumbh 2025.

- PRABHU CHAWLA

There were a few calamities and controversies, media malice and marketing mania that were drowned in the ancient tides in which demons had perished from the wrath of gods. The drops of amrit or nectar that had fallen on the sacred sands in another age made this year's Maha Kumbh Bharat's 'Azadi ka amrit kaal'—a festival of Hindus, for Hindus and by Hindus that symbolised cultural nationhood.

The spectacle was the world's largest confluence of people at one spot, gathering to assert their cultural compatibility, belief and fellowship of purpose—4,000-odd castes, over 100 sects and thousands of sub-castes. If the president, vice president, prime minister and scores of Union ministers and chief ministers landed at Prayagraj to express their allegiance to a centuries-old tradition, so did crores of ordinary workers and volunteers from various political parties. Over 15 lakh kalpvasi devotees stayed for the entire duration on the river banks, engaging in prayer, penance and discourses.

The Maha Kumbh, which comes around once every 144 years, is rooted in Hindu mythology and determined by celestial alignments. It showcases a remarkable fusion of faith, politics and economic might, while exposing faultlines in India's socio-political landscape. The 66 crore pilgrims—a number that's double US's population—enhanced Bharat's global stature.

The 12-year cycle for a purna or full Kumbh rotates among four sites—Prayagraj (Allahabad), Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain—based on astrological combinations. Its religious significance lies in the promise of moksha or emancipation from the cycle of rebirths through ritual baths at auspicious moments.