Mahakumbh 2025: Sanatana Dharma is India's national religion, says UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has described ‘Sanatana Dharma’ as the country’s national religion. ‘Sanatana Dharma’ is a Sanskrit term that is often used to describe a traditional form of Hinduism

"Sanatana Dharma is the national religion of India. It is the religion of humanity. The process of worship can be different. But religion is one and that religion is Sanatana Dharma. Kumbh is the representative of that Sanatana Dharma," Adityanath told NDTV in an interview at Mahakumbh 2025.

The mega event at the Mahakumbh Mela at the Triveni Sangam, billed as the largest human gathering on earth, began on January 13 in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj  The Mahakumbh concludes on February 26.

Sangam is the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna --and once, the Saraswati--at Prayagraj, and is considered one of the holiest spots in the country.

Adityanath said that on January 14, Makar Sankranti, about six crore devotees took a dip at the Sangam. "This message of unity was given by Mahakumbh. There was no discrimination. People who used to criticise Sanatana Dharma, we say come see this. Do not be Dhritarashtra, come see it yourself," he added.

Over 11 crore devotees have taken a dip in the at Prayagraj during the first 14 days of the Mahakumbh 2025, news agency ANI reported.

Akhilesh Yadav takes a dip

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav also took a holy dip at the MahaKumbh 2025 on Sunday. "People come here with their faith. I took 11 holy dips. There is no place for divisive and negative politics... The day I took a dip at Haridwar - that day was a festival. Today, I got the opportunity to take a holy dip here,” Yadav said.

The ‘Mahakumbh’ takes place once every 12 years. This year, it is being held at an area spanning over 4,000 hectares.

Uttar Pradesh industrial development minister Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi has estimated that Prayagraj, earlier known as Allahabad, would earn over ₹2 lakh crore revenue from the ‘Mahakumbh 2025’.

The last Mahakumbh held in 2013 generated a revenue of around ₹12,000 crore. The Kumbh Mela 2019 generated ₹1.2 lakh crore, according to a study by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).