A Maha Kumbh for startups, demand surges as devotion goes virtual

Maha Kumbh 2025

As the Maha Kumbh enters its third week and devotees in their millions continue to head towards Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, India's spiritual startups are seeing a rush of their own — an unprecedented surge in demand for joining the world’s biggest religious gathering virtually.

Platforms like Sri Mandir, AstroYogi and Vama are allowing devotees to tune in to the once-in-a-12-year event virtually, offering digital consultations and rituals.

"The Maha Kumbh Mela represents a pivotal moment for digital spiritual platforms, and we're witnessing an unprecedented surge in user engagement,” Sri Mandir founder Prashant Sachan said.

Backed by Peak XV partners, Sri Mandir is expecting a 40-50 percent increase in app downloads during the 45-day event, and the company is preparing to serve an additional three to five lakh new users.

“We have partnered with Vedashram Trust, under the esteemed Sri Panchayati Mahanirvani Akhada, to allow devotees from around the world to participate virtually in the Mahakumbh Mela, ensuring every ritual is performed with authenticity,” Sachan said.

AppsForBharat, the parent company of Sri Mandir, picked up $18 million in series B funding from Fundamentum and Peak XV in September.

The company has rolled out initiatives like VIP travel packages, guided devotional experiences, personalised pujas and rituals such as deep daan (offering earthen lamps) and Surya Dev aradhana (prayers to Sun God). It is also offering digital services like Maha Daan for remote contributions, and even delivering the holy Triveni Sangam Jal (water) to devotees' homes.

“Based on the initiatives we have rolled out, we are already seeing a significant increase in engagement on our app. With certain offerings such as pitru puja, daan seva and Triveni Sangam jal delivery showing early signs of high usage,” Sachan said.

Pitru puja is to honour the ancestors by way of donations and food offerings.

Vama, too, is witnessing an uptick in demand. The company is expecting as many as 30,000-40,000 new users during the six weeks.

"We are witnessing an unprecedented surge in user engagement. Based on current trends and advance indicators, we're anticipating a 30-50 percent increase in app downloads and user activity during the Maha Kumbh period,” Vama co-founder Manu Jain told Moneycontrol.

Vama has also set up so-called experiential zones at “strategic locations” to help devotees familiarise themselves with its digital platform and launched live kathas on the first day of the Maha Kumbh.

“Our platform is being optimised to handle the increased traffic while ensuring that the spiritual essence and authenticity of the Kumbh experience remains intact,” said Jain.

One of the largest religious gatherings in the world, with a budget of Rs 7,000 crore, the Maha Kumbh kicked off on January 13 and will go on till February 26. As many as 400 million devotees are expected to attend the event, of which 1.5 million are expected to be foreign tourists, government estimates show.

Astroyogi is also live-streaming major Maha Kumbh events such as the aarti and its astrologers are conducting a range of pujas directly from the venue. The company has launched exclusive products for the Maha Kumbh such as Ganga Jal, prasad, Navagrah bracelets, offerings and puja boxes, which are available for through its app.

“The Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 is already driving heightened interest in spiritual services, and we have observed a significant increase in user queries related to astrology, spiritual guidance, and personalised rituals in the months leading up to the event,” Astroyogi founder and managing director Meena Kapoor said.

Maha Kumbh is expected to give a huge boost to religious tourism not only in Prayagraj but also to destinations such as Varanasi, Ayodhya and Chitrakoot.

Travel platforms such as MakeMyTrip have seen a 23x increase in searches for Prayagraj. Similarly, Ixigo has seen a 2.6x increase in flight and train bookings to the destination.