A photo from the Maha Kumbh Mela held at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh (image-X/MahaKumbh_2025)

Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh: Started on January 13, the Kumbh Mela came to an end on February 26. The Uttar Pradesh government described the event as the largest participation in any religious, cultural, or social event. On Saturday, the state government stated that nearly 66 crore devotees have taken a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam at Prayagraj.

If the numbers revealed by the government are accurate, then it would mean that nearly 1.5 crore people visited Prayagraj to take a holy dip at Sangam every single day of Kumbh Mela. While there will be several who may have come for a day and returned home, many would have stayed back.

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According to the UP government’s official statement, the highest turnout was observed on Mauni Amavasya, with nearly 8 crore devotees taking a holy dip, while Makar Sankranti recorded around 3.5 crore devotees. Basant Panchami recorded nearly 2.57 crore; Magh Purnima, January 30, and February 1 witnessed 2 crore devotees each. On Paush Purnima, nearly 1.7 devotees took a holy dip at Sangam, the statement added.

How Much is 66 Crore Really?

Additionally, the UP government, in its statement, stated over 50 lakh people from Nepal also took a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam.

How many people are 66 crore people exactly, though? For comprehension’s sake, imagine each and every single person living in Uttar Pradesh (the Indian state with the most population), Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh visiting Prayagraj.

That’s right. The unprecedented 66 crore is equivalent to the population of the five states. The five states are part of the top 10 states in India with the highest population.

According to the World Population Review, Pew Research, India’s population is around 143 crore (1.43 billion).

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Hindu Sanatan Followers

Out of the 143 crore, nearly 110 crore (1.10 billion) are followers of Hindu Sanatan Dharma in India, said the UP government’s official statement, citing the World Population Review and Pew Research.

This would suggest that 60 percent of India’s Hindu population took part in the Maha Kumbh.

According to Pew Research’s 2024 report, the number of Sanatan followers across the world comprises 1.2 billion (120 crore). This means that more than 50 percent of the Sanatanis worldwide have taken a holy dip at Sangam.

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Passenger Inflow And Transportation

Since people from all corners of the country visited Prayagraj, the obvious and convenient choice of transport for the masses was clearly trains. The majority of the visiting public, most of whom belong to poor, lower middle class, and middle-class categories, used trains. Buses and other local transportation would come second.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited Prayagraj on Thursday to review the extensive preparations that the Railways had made for the 45-day mega event. He visited several stations under the North Central Railway, the North Eastern Railway, and the Northern Railway to assess on-ground operations.

While the original plan was 13,000 trains, the railways ran 17,152 trains, including 7,667 special trains.

Out of the nearly 66 crore pilgrims, the ministry said that around 5 crore passengers were handled at the nine key railway stations of Prayagraj alone. This number brings up more questions: If nearly 5 crore passengers used trains, then how did the rest of the 61 crore pilgrims travel?

Also, since the 5 crore passengers also include passengers going to Prayagraj and returning to their homes from there, the numbers would further drop to just 2.5 crore people. Then how did the other 64.5 crore people travel?

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This data clearly doesn’t match with the 66 crore devotees visiting Prayagraj’s Sangam.

Notably, the railways carried out work worth Rs 5000 crore in the past three years for the Maha Kumbh event.

The final figure of attendees is expected to be released by the UP government soon.