NEW DELHI — In the northern Indian city of Prayagraj, a significant congregation of Hindu devotees, mystics, and spiritual leaders has come together for the Maha Kumbh festival, recognized as the largest religious gathering globally.

This festival, which takes place every 12 years at the sacred confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the legendary Saraswati rivers, has seen a tragic incident of a stampede earlier in the week. The ritualistic baths performed by Hindus at this site are believed to purify them of their wrongdoings and liberate them from the cycle of reincarnation.

By the numbers, the scale of this festival is staggering:

**400 million**
An astonishing 400 million individuals are anticipated to visit Prayagraj over the 45-day span of the festival. This number surpasses the entire population of the United States and is approximately 200 times the 2 million pilgrims who participated in the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia last year. The festivities commenced on January 13, witnessing tens of thousands of naked Hindu ascetics and millions of pilgrims braving the cold water for their spiritual cleansing. Notably, nearly 150 million individuals have already participated, including prominent figures such as Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Coldplay’s lead vocalist, Chris Martin.

**4,000 hectares**
The pilgrimage area spans an impressive total of 4,000 hectares. This substantial land along the riverbanks has been transformed into an extensive tent city, which includes over 3,000 kitchens and approximately 150,000 toilets. The tent city, divided into 25 sections and covering an area of about 40 square kilometers, is also equipped with amenities such as housing facilities, roads, electricity, water supply, communication towers, and 11 hospitals to cater to the needs of the vast number of attendees. To facilitate transportation, Indian Railways is running more than 90 special trains, making nearly 3,300 trips in addition to regular services during this festive period.

**$765 million**
The total expenditure on the festival and its necessary infrastructure amounts to around $765 million. Under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath, a notable Hindu monk and staunch Hindu nationalist politician, significant financial resources have been allocated for this gathering. People can see numerous large billboards and posters of both him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi throughout the festival area. India’s political factions strategically leverage this event to appeal to the country’s Hindu majority, which constitutes nearly 80% of India’s more than 1.4 billion population, with Modi’s party emphasizing Hindu ideology.

**50,000**
Security has become a paramount concern, with approximately 50,000 personnel deployed throughout the pilgrimage site to ensure safety and manage the large crowds. The area has been fortified with 2,751 CCTV cameras, many of which are equipped with advanced AI technology for enhanced surveillance capabilities. These cameras relay real-time information regarding crowd movement and density to four central control stations. Furthermore, innovative technologies such as anti-drone systems and tethered drones have been integrated to maintain a high level of security and oversight at the festival.