Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took holy dips in sacred river waters in the northern city of Prayagraj on Wednesday as he joined millions of people at the Maha Kumbh Mela, a week after dozens died in a stampede at the event.
Authorities said 30 people were killed in the stampede on the six-week-long Hindu festival’s most auspicious day on Jan. 29, as more than 76 million people converged on the river to take a ‘royal dip’. Sources said the death toll was more than 50.
Devout Hindus believe that taking a dip during the Maha Kumbh at the confluence of three sacred rivers – Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati, which is believed to flow underground -absolves people of sins and brings salvation from the cycle of birth and death.
“I had the supreme fortune of worshipping at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj today,” Modi later posted on X. “Receiving the blessings of Mother Ganga has brought immense peace and contentment to my heart. I prayed for the happiness, prosperity, health, and well-being of all countrymen.”
Modi arrived on a boat with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and changed his clothes on a floating enclosure before wading into the water. Holy men chanted religious verses as he performed the dips.
Modi attended the smaller Kumbh Mela in 2019.
More than 400 million people are expected to attend this year’s Maha Kumbh Mela, making it the world’s largest gathering, officials say. More than 380 million have already attended in its first three weeks, they said.
