India Creates History

India created history and a world record with an estimated 66.30 crore devotees taking a dip at the PrayagrajMahaKumbh within 45 days. The scale and grandeur of the MahaKumbhMela was unprecedented. I have personally witnessed the superb arrangements, cleanliness in the Mela and unflinching faith of devotees. Truly, it is surprising that so many people taking a dip in one place did not trigger any pandemic or unrest. Salute and Pranam to the devotion and faith of crores of devotees and Kudos to the government for the success of the MahaKumbh, an event which happened in 144 years and could be witnessed only once in the lifetime of an individual.

Economically, too, this KumbhMela has been a great success. The MahaKumbh festival in Prayagraj has generated over ₹3 lakh crore in business, making it one of India's largest economic events. Various sectors such as hospitality, transport, and retail have seen significant economic activity, benefiting not only Prayagraj but surrounding regions¹.

1 https://economictimes.indiatimes.com

2 https://www.indiabuget.gov.in/economicsurvey/

Along with Prayagraj, Varanasi and Ayodhya witnessed a surge of pilgrims. Thus, we find that religious tourism can be tapped to boost the regional economies and help generate employment.

Let’s