"Maha Kumbh" is the world's largest religious congregation in Prayagraj on the banks of the Sangam. Sangam, or Triveni, is where River Ganga, River Yamuna, and River Saraswati meet. "Ardh Kumbh" happens once every 6 years of the solar cycle, "Kumbh" happens once every 12 years of the solar cycle, whereas "Maha Kumbh" happens once every 144 years of the solar cycle due to the rare alignment of the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn. It is considered very auspicious to take a dip at the Sangam. Bathing in the Sangam during Maha Kumbh is even more propitious.
Kumbh means a pot. According to Sanatan dharma, once the Devtas and the Asuras churned the ocean on Lord Vishnu's suggestion for prosperity. Amrit kalash, or the pot containing the potion of immortality, emerged from the ocean among other things. There was a tussle between the Devtas and the Asuras for Amrit, due to which the Amrit spilt at four places: Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik.
Today, on January 14, 2025, millions of devotees bathed in the Sangam at Prayagraj on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti. UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath wrote on the microblogging website, X: "Today, on the first Amrit Snan festival, more than 3.50 crore revered saints/devotees earned the holy benefit of bathing in the uninterrupted-clean Triveni."
Makar Sankranti is a festival dedicated to the Surya, or the Sun. It is celebrated every year on January 14, except in a leap year when it is celebrated on January 15. It marks the transition of the sun from the zodiac of Sagittarius (dhanu) to Capricorn (makara). Since the Sun moves from south to north (uttar in Hindi), this festival is also called "Uttarayan.".
