Road To Redemption: How are the faithful flocking to the Kumbh to wash away their sins

"Around 20-25 daily flights will operate to Prayagraj for the next 45 days, with additional flights expected to operate around auspicious dates. We expect a peak of 30 flights to land in a day at the airport," Prayagraj Airport Director Mukesh Chandra Upadhyay told Moneycontrol.

The Uttar Pradesh (UP) and central governments have made special arrangements to ensure the safe and timely passage of around 400-450 million devotees that are expected to visit the holy city during the Maha Kumbh, the 45-day period between January 13 and February 26.

Around 400 private jets, 1,000 commercial flights, and 13,200 trains are expected to hit Prayagraj during this  period, estimates from multiple government agencies showed.

"Around 20-25 daily flights will operate to Prayagraj for the duration of the event, with additional flights expected around auspicious dates. We expect a peak of 30 flights to land in a day at the airport," Prayagraj Airport Director Mukesh Chandra Upadhyay told Moneycontrol. The airport is managed by the AAI (Airports Authority of India).

He added that so far the airport has received requests from around 400 private and chartered planes to land at the airport, and the authorities are coordinating with all parties to ensure the smooth passage of traffic.

On a year-on-year basis, flight bookings to Prayagraj have jumped 162 percent while  bookings to Lucknow and Varanasi have increased 42 and 127 percent, respectively. The figures are for the January 13 to February 26 period, an analysis by travel portal ixigo showed.

Kumbh Mela 2025

"During the last Kumbh,  we had the capacity for four aircrafts, but today we can park up to seven big planes. Secondly, there was only one taxi  earlier, but today we have two taxis, which will make the operations easier. We have also developed parking space for eight small aircraft, like chartered planes. So, today we can park up to 15 big and small aircraft," Updadhyay explained. Taxis are paths that connect runways to other parts of the airport.

He said that passengers arriving on chartered flights will land at Prayagraj, but the planes will be parked at another airport. Commercial flights will also be asked to park their planes at nearby airports on peak travel days.

The AAI has requested parking spots from 11 airports across four states for the Maha Kumbh, including the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow, Kanpur airport, Chitrakoot airport, Varanasi airport , etc.

"The tourists will be picked up by their airline when they arrive at Prayagraj airport after witnessing the Maha Kumbh site. We will follow this procedure throughout the event," Updadhyay said.

Significant bathing dates such as Makar Sankranti (January 14), Mauni Amavasya (January 29), Basant Panchami (February 3), and a couple of other days are expected to see peak traffic into the holy city.

Trains 

According to a statement by the Indian Railways (IR), it has invested approximately Rs 3,700 crore on improving its infrastructure in the city. For the Maha Kumbh, the Railways plan to run around 13,200 trains to cater to around 200 million passengers, including 3,134 special trains and 10,100 regular trains.  By way of comparison, the Railways operated 5,694 trains  during the 2019 Ardh Kumbh.

The IR has also built 48 temporary platforms, passenger holding areas surrounding the railway stations, parking bays, pathways, etc.

Roads

Further, to manage the heavy vehicular traffic (buses and cars), separate entry and exit routes have been designated for the Sangam Mela region. Pilgrims will enter the area through Jawaharlal Nehru Marg (Black Road) and exit via Triveni Marg. During major bathing days, access to Akshayavat Darshan will remain closed to prevent overcrowding and ensure safety.

Parking arrangements have been made for vehicles arriving from different cities. Those coming from Jaunpur will have parking at locations like Chini Mill, Purva Surdas, Garapur Road, Samyamai Temple Kachar, and Badra Saunoti Rahimapur Marg. Devotees will then proceed on foot via Old GT Road to reach the Mela grounds.

Similarly, visitors from Varanasi can park  at facilities near Mahua Bagh Police Station, Jhusi, Nageshwar Temple, Jhusi Railway Station, and Saraswati. From these locations, pilgrims will walk along Chatnagar Road to enter the event area. Vehicles arriving from Mirzapur will be directed to parking spaces at Devrakh Uparhar, northern / southern Tent City, Omex City, and Gaziya.

More than seven crore (70 million) pilgrims have taken a dip at the Sangam — the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers — between January 11 to  16 on the occasion of the Maha Kumbh, according to a statement by the UP government on January 17.

The statement added that more than 30 lakh (3 million) devotees bathed in the sacred waters on Thursday (January 16) alone, to wash away their sins and seek divine blessings.

The Kumbh  — the largest gathering of human beings in the world — is one of the most-awaited spiritual events for Hindus.

Travel expenses

Bookings as well as airfares for flights to Prayagraj have jumped due to the Maha Kumbh. According to an analysis by the travel portal ixigo, the one-way airfare between Bhopal and Prayagraj has surged the most — 498 percent — to Rs 17,796 from Rs 2,977 last year. The airfare from Delhi to Prayagraj has risen 21 percent, to Rs 5,748, while Mumbai-Prayagraj fares have jumped  13 percent, to Rs 6,381.

These are average one-way fares on a 30-day APD (advanced purchase date) basis for January 13 to February 26, 2025, compared to the year-ago period.

Bengaluru-Prayagraj fares have increased 89 percent to Rs 11,158, fares from Ahmedabad have shot up 41 percent to Rs 10,364,  while airfares to Lucknow and Varanasi, cities that are near Prayagraj,  have gone up between 3 to 21 percent.

Similarly, the cost of chartered flights between  Delhi and Prayagraj have risen nearly 90 percent, while chartered flights from Ahmedabad, Mumbai,  Bengaluru, Kanpur,  and Lucknow have risen between 80-180  percent, data from JetSetGo showed.