As a spiritual practitioner and with my family's umbilical cord tied to the Ramkrishna Math for several generations, my parents had the good fortune to take the holy dip in the Haridwar Kumbh Mela back in 1998. However, with none of them alive now, a sudden phone call from my Dubai-based younger brother triggered in me that irresistible urge to participate in the 2025 Mahakumbh.

I was tremendously swayed by the unprecedented media deluge on the 2025 Mahakumbh from Jan 13 to Feb 26, but never realistically thought of venturing to Prayagraj in the midst of utter chaos—transportation hassles, non-availability of accommodation, and the formidable challenge of immersing oneself with the sea of humanity, all of 660 million!

The wake-up call

The call from my Dubai-based younger brother on the evening of 21st Feb was what triggered the journey from Kalyani to Prayagraj by road. Yes, by road, all of 770 km.

I tried every avenue—air tickets, rail tickets, even toyed with the idea of traveling on a Volvo bus—but drew a blank, much to our consternation. All paths seemed closed.

After hours of mobile conversations with my brother, we were left with the one last option - Selfdrive.

I hired a Maruti Swift Dezire, and as the news of my impending pilgrimage to Prayagraj spread in my locality, three economically weak daily wage workers—a carpenter, a plumber, and another one, a painter/Rajmistri, all of whom had in the past worked in my house—showed indomitable courage and requested me to somehow accommodate them onboard and onwards to Prayagraj.

With time running out, we hurriedly packed all we could—food, clothing, gas oven... and uttering my Guru Mantra on my lips, we commenced our journey by road at around 7 P.M. on the 23rd of Feb to Prayagraj.

Back-breaking journey: phase 1

The road—NH19 was pretty good, and we touched Durgapur, Asansol, Dhanbad, Jharkhand, Bihar, and much more before entering Varanasi. We took a call not to travel any further as our bodies were giving up. We were exhausted and drained by 15 hours of nonstop travel, with just two short breaks in between.

Varanasi and beyond

As we hadn't made any prior bookings in Varanasi, I started making frenetic phone calls from 4 P.M. onwards, even as we sped on the highway. After approximately 25 calls to 25 different hotels and lodges, by divine intervention, I managed to book a room in a shanty lodge (Golden Lodge) just adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.

A refreshing shower followed by a quick Benarasi dinner at 11.30 P.M.; we retired for the night, only to wake up at 5 A.M.

We hurriedly packed our belongings, checked out of the hotel, and embarked on a long walk to the nearest crematorium/Mahasamshan—Harishchandra Ghat—through the super-crowded alleyways of Varanasi.

Performing Pinda Daan at Varanasi

The site of numerous scantily clad, ash-smeared Aghori Babas greeted us at Harischandra Ghat. Each one blessing throngs of devotees and pilgrims with their customary peacock-feathered, elongated bamboo/wooden rods! A gentle pat on the head, followed by a hit on the back!

Since my father passed away a year back, performing the Pinda Dan at Varanasi was of great significance, as this ritual is believed to be highly auspicious in Hindu Sanatani traditions.

From the teeming multitudes of pilgrims assembled at Harischandra Ghat, 90% of them cherishing the desire to perform the once-in-a-lifetime ritual of Pinda Dan of their ancestors, the scene was straight out of a mysterious melodrama—ash-smeared Naga Baba's chanting mysterious mantras invoking divinity, hundreds of boats on the holy Ganges river ferrying pilgrims back and forth, and those never-ending funeral flames burning the corpses… A truly surreal setting, as if reminding humanity of the vanity of our material existence!

I, for one, can vouch for the fact that once you book a slot and sit down quietly on the banks of the Ghat to perform the Pinda Daan, there indeed is harmony in the midst of all the chaos and cacophony at Harischandra Ghat. The pundits are well-versed and guide you through the entire process, making the Pinda Dan a seamless endeavor. In fact, there are Tamil, Telugu, Malayali, and Kannadiga pundits available at the Ghats of Varanasi to cater to the throngs of South Indian pilgrims who converge on Varanasi every day with the express intention of performing the Pinda Dan.

Onwards to Prayagraj

After performing the 1.5-hour Pinda Dan at Varanasi, we had an impromptu lunch and proceeded in all earnest for Prayagraj—a drive of 123 km on NH19, which we covered in 3.5 hours.

As we were traveling on the last leg of the Mahakumbh, the traffic snarls weren't that bothersome. But, yeah, from Varanasi, the specter of cars of all sizes, big and small, was wheezing past along the National Highway; all had one destination to reach—Prayagraj.

We didn't have any idea where to halt for the night, and as we made our entry inside the Mahakhumbh City, an endless ocean of tents, dusty roads, floating jetties, and weary pilgrims on the move caught our attention.

We followed the advice of the local police and traveled at least 15 km on those dusty makeshift roads that took us to the main Mahakumbh amphitheater and parked our vehicle at the Sector 10 parking lot.

With just our rucksacks, mobile phones, and wallets in our possession, we embarked on the walk of our lives, which we were told was all of 20 km that would take us to the Bathing Ghat.

1 km on, our energy levels were dwindling, and walking further was such a pain! Here again, there was a divine intervention, courtesy of an empty, rickety 6-seater auto rickshaw, the kind you find in Prayagraj, who parked his vehicle and offered us not just his transport services but also walked that extra mile by arranging the much-needed accommodation in his friend’s house.

The next morning, we woke up at 3 A.M. and embarked on a barefoot walk of 8 km towards the nearest bathing ghat, Kila Ghat. Although there were other Ghats like Dashashwamedh, Saraswati, Rasulabad, and the Treveni Sangam, all of them were either too far or out of bounds for common pilgrims.

The past 48 hours of grueling travel, dearth of good sleep, and partaking food at roadside restaurants had already taken a lot out of our physical, mental, and emotional well-being; so much so that walking the last mile to the Prayagraj (Kila) bathing ghat seemed a herculean struggle.

The last wave of the North Indian winter was on, and it was actually quite chilly out there when we managed to take those few holy dips in Prayagraj, with at least a million other pilgrims—from toddlers to the aged—cutting across the stupendous geographical diversity of India and across the globe. All united to achieve the one thing that mattered—“Mokshsa” and “Bliss.”

The spiritual explosion

Every Kumbh is auspicious, but the 2025 edition was the biggest ever congregation on Planet Earth—660 million! And, I reckon that the tagline “144 years once-in-a-lifetime occurrence” was the biggest tagline impact in the history of human civilization. This one simple sentence conveyed to the world the message of the Mahakumbh with such precision that it would put to shame all the contemporary laser and GPS systems.

The Mahakumbh was a spontaneous display of Bharat's spiritual magnanimity, and one could literally live the experience of the phrase “faith can move mountains” to the hilt.

As a nation blessed with spiritual energy since the dawn of civilization, the Mahakumbh offered to the world a glimpse of Bharat’s untamed, raw, and unadulterated spiritual potency. The mysterious sights and sounds of Bharat's hidden spiritual laboratories—the Akharas, consisting of Mahanirvani, Niranjani, Atal, Anand, Juna, and Avahana—cast such a magical spell that left the world completely stupefied, perhaps even hypnotized.

Spiritual renaissance

For me and for millions of other pilgrims, the road to Prayagraj Mahakumbh wasn't easy. And, Mahakumbh being the mother of all pilgrimages, was a test of endurance, both physical and mental. The rigors of embarking upon a pilgrimage of such magnitude do have a transformative impact upon the pilgrim's mindset by way of purification. Needless to say, the Mahakumbh has been a humbling experience.

The stupendous cultural diversity of Bharat was on full display, and the Mahakumbh offered a peek into the vibrant spiritual potency, vis-à-vis the exchange of ideas with saints and scholars.

How do you comprehend a phenomenon that showcases the origins of the world’s oldest civilization—the Sanatan Dharma, from ancient times to a global congregation of 660+ million visitors—using cutting-edge technology and AI-powered surveillance systems for a truly immersive cultural extravaganza!

I consider myself so very fortunate to have been a witness to this phenomenal event that accommodated the confluence of 660 million pilgrims in a temporary city spread over 4,000 hectares.

For me, the Mahakumbh was a massive tectonic change of mindset; with Naga Babas, Kalpavasis, and Mandaleshwars taking center stage, instead of CEOs, corporate honchos, and real estate magnates.

Wrapping up

Visitors who had meticulously planned their visit to Prayagraj Mahakumbh at least 6 months in advance had a stellar experience. Many travel and tour companies offered immersive cultural tours, comfortable deluxe camps, gourmet food, options for exploring the Akharas, and seamless transportation.

For me, the biggest takeaway from the 2025 Mahakumbh was the purification process through barefoot walking. The 10 km walking tour of Aghori tents offered me a firsthand experience of the mysterious Aghori practices, their post-mortem rituals, and a rare glimpse into their fascinating lifestyle.

To wrap up the Prayagraj Mahakumbh experience, I have come back with a deeper perspective on Bharat's asceticism and a profound connection with Divinity, which otherwise would have been beyond my comprehension.

As a travel writer and a practicing spiritualist, I would definitely recommend every citizen of the world to come on a visit to India and try coinciding your visit during the Purna Kumbh Mela, which takes place every 12 years, and the Ardha Kumbh, every 6 years.

The Kumbh Mela challenges the very contours of our modern-day conventional spirituality, and it is your passport to an India you never knew existed.