‘Our Father, Lord Shiva’: Foreign tourists embrace Hindu culture at Mahakumbh 2025 in Prayagraj

As crowds gathered in Prayagraj for the Mahakumbh 2025, visitors from around the world on January 30 expressed their gratitude for experiencing this once-in-a-lifetime celebration.

"We have come to the Kumbh Mela because it was our dream and we are so thankful for India. I'm thankful for Mahadev that he gave me this chance to be here today. It's very nice for me," Elena from Kazakhstan told ANI.

"It's amazing. We made a long trip here. We will stay for two days, and we appreciate so much for this opportunity to see this amazing festival. Thank you so much. It has taken us a long way to come to our Father, Lord Shiva," said Valeria from Russia.

Yelena, another Russian tourist, called Prayagraj a "beautiful place" while a German visitor said, "I love India; it's so good."

Another tourist said, “We are here in this very beautiful place as a group and have a wonderful feeling. We are very grateful to India for such a nice festival, for such nice people. India is the best country for me.”

Mahakumbh 2025 started in Prayagraj on January 13 and would go on until February 26. The Hindu religious gathering takes place every 12 years in Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad), Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain. Mahakumbh Mela, on the other hand, is celebrated once every 144 years.

This year, the major upcoming dates are February 3 (Basant Panchami), February 12 (Maghi Purnima) and February 26 (Maha Shivaratri).

Foreign tourists at Mahakumbh 2025

Over 30 lakh foreign tourists are expected to attend Mahakumbh 2025, twice the initial estimate. According to Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, this makes up nearly one-third of all foreign visitors to India in 2024.

Speaking at the OTM travel show in Mumbai, Shekhawat said that the original estimate was 15 lakh. However, it has now been revised to 30 lakh.