Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj & Varanasi

Visited in February 2025

We hadn't planned on visiting Prayagraj or taking a holy dip in Triveni Sangam, but after hearing and reading about the Maha Kumbh this year, my husband and I decided to go for it. That's how we started planning the trip.

My dearest friends Madhu and Megha were on board for this trip. We all caught a flight to Lucknow, then hopped on a UPSRTC Volvo bus to Prayagraj. Because of the crowd control and arrangements for the Maha Kumbh, the buses could only go till the city's outskirts. From there, we had to take shuttle buses to get to the main city area. We grabbed a late lunch at a restaurant in Prayagraj and then got into a taxi to get to our homestay. Even though it was less than 6 km away, it took us almost 3 hours to get there. The roads were jam-packed with devotees, and there were traffic restrictions everywhere. Luckily, our driver knew the area well and managed to drive us through some back alleys to finally get us to our homestay.

Once we checked in and freshened up, we headed to Arail Ghat, a spot where devotees take a holy dip in River Ganga. The place was packed with devotees, make shift restaurants, camps, and tents set up by well-known Ashrams, loads of street vendors, and most noticeably, bike taxis were everywhere.

We walked around exploring the area, had our dinner and then headed back to our room.

The next day, we got an early start and tried to catch a taxi, but no luck. Luckily, a local gave us a ride to Arail Ghat in his vehicle. From there, our adventure to the Triveni Sangam began. We hopped on a bike taxi to get to the other side of Arail Ghat where the Sangam is, and then walked about 5 kilometers to reach the area. It was pretty hot, crowded, and dusty, but the place had a unique vibe. Thousands of devotees were there, all with the same goal: to take a dip at Triveni Sangam!

We checked out the spots, grabbed a quick bite with a bun, butter, and tea, and then caught a bike taxi back to Arail Ghat. The Sangam area was packed, so we decided to take a dip at Arail Ghat instead. It's got wider banks, lesser crowds, and deeper, flowing water.

It was awesome to step into the holy river, and taking a dip was just amazing. We were probably exhausted from all the walking, so the cool water felt incredibly refreshing. The river is really special since it's considered one of the holiest by Hindus everywhere.

We planned to take a taxi and head to Varanasi that evening, but with all the traffic and crowds, almost every taxi driver turned us down. We were unsure how to get to Varanasi, and that's when the same guy who helped us earlier offered to drive us there. Meeting him was such a great experience, especially nowadays when people aren't as keen to help strangers. He was there for us the whole way, and we're so grateful to him. Normally, a road trip from Prayagraj to Varanasi takes about 2.5 hours, but during Maha Kumbh, it took us over four hours to get there. On our way, we had roti, dal from a roadside dhaba and on reaching Varanasi, we checked into our home stay and slept well.

Varanasi, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, is located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is also known as Banaras or Kashi. The city is situated on the banks of the sacred River Ganga, which holds immense spiritual importance for millions of Hindus. Varanasi is a major pilgrimage destination, devotees come to perform rituals, seek blessings, and immerse themselves in the holy waters of River Ganga chanting Har Har Gange!!!. Varanasi symbolises India’s rich cultural and spiritual heritage. Its ancient traditions, religious practices create a unique atmosphere that captivates everyone who visits here. Whether one is seeking spiritual retreat, cultural knowledge, or an understanding of the Indian ways of life, Varanasi offers a unique experience that would remain a lifetime memory. I felt an immense wanting to experience more and more of this unique place, felt something unexplainably attractive about each and every corner of this ancient city, felt the urge to explore more and more of the ghats, know more and more about the temples and the stories behind them,

We got a late start in the morning after a long trip the night before. Our plan was to visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one of the most sacred and popular temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, and one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India. Cameras and phones aren't allowed inside, we did our darshan and then headed to explore the famous ghats of Varanasi. We wandered through the narrow alleys to reach Manikarnika Ghat, known for its cremation services. It's said that the pyres here are always burning and that the fire lit by Lord Brahma has been kept alive for thousands of years. According to Hindu belief, you're truly blessed if you pass away in Kashi and are cremated here, as it grants salvation and liberation from the cycle of rebirth. We walked further ahead one ghat after the other getting amazing views of Ganga and the evening views from the ghats were truly amazing. Lots of Naga Sadhus were seen all around the ghats, people seeking their blessings and some of them performing rituals. There were many vendors selling Rudraksha, flowers, miniature of temples etc all around the ghats.

Next day, we planned our trip to Sarnath, the place where Buddha gave his first sermon to his 5 disciples after attaining enlightenment. There is a beautiful temple, with a depiction of this teaching. Also, there is huge Bodhi tree, which is believed to be grown from the branch of the one at Bodh Gaya, Bihar where Buddha attained enlightenment. In and around Sarnath, there are many Buddhist temples with structures similar to those from Cambodia, Thailand, Japan, Tibet etc. Also, there is a huge statue of Buddha, which reminds us of the Bamiyan Buddha statue which was in Afghanistan.

Our next stop was the Archaeological Museum of Sarnath, which has a several artifacts and excavated finds from all over India. The most significant highlight here is the Lion Capital of Emperor Ashoka, which eventually became India's national symbol. We also get to learn about the Dharma Chakra and Buddha's important teachings.

We returned to Varanasi by evening, after shopping Banaras sarees from Sarnath. Upon reaching Varanasi, we visited the Sankat Mochan Hanuman mandir. Then, we again drove towards the ghats of Varanasi, captured the captivating scenes from there as much as we could and then decided to walk on the galis to taste some authentic street foods.

Varanasi's got some of the most famous street food you just have to try if you visit. There's Kulhad Chai, Lassi, Malaiyo, Thandai with Bhang, Tamatar chaat, Bun Makhan, Bread Pakoda, Meetha Paan, and so much more. We tried a bit of everything we could, and I totally loved the Lassi and Thandai the most.

The next day, we had to say goodbye to this amazing city. I've already decided I'm coming back with my parents. We didn't get to see the Ganga Aarti because it was on hold during the Kumbh Mela, so that's just another reason to return :)