Magh Mela 2026: The ongoing Magh Mela 2026 in Prayagraj seems to be turning into a Mini Kumbh, as crowds of people of faith are flocking to this annual religious fair. According to the fair administration, till Tuesday, more than 18 crore pilgrims took a dip in the holy Sangam and this number is expected to increase further in the coming days.

The 44 days long Magh Mela is moving towards its end. In such a situation, the last major bathing festival of Mahashivaratri will be held on 15 February 2026, in such a situation, it is expected that devotees can still proceed to Magh Mela.

Magh Mela 2026: 3.5 crore people are expected to take a dip in the Sangam today on the occasion of Basant Panchami festival, the administration is gearing up

Fair administration gave information

The fair administration said that a huge crowd was seen on Tuesday and Wednesday, although there was no major bath of any kind on both these days, nor was any special religious event organized.

Mela officials say that the devotees are eager to take the holy bath before the end of the Magh Mela and the devotees are happy with the arrangements made by the administration.

The second bath of Magh Mela 2026 pic.twitter.com/rhjoUCWAUs

— SP Goyal (@spgoyal) January 15, 2026

1.5 crore devotees took bath on Achala Saptami

On January 25, 2026, on the occasion of Achala Saptami, about 1.5 crore devotees took bath in the holy Sangam. Although it is not officially a bathing festival, devotees are continuously taking bath from morning till evening.

There are still 18 days left for Mahashivratri, so officials are expecting an increase in the number of devotees in Magh Mela this time.

Till Tuesday, 27 January 2026, more than 18 crore devotees took bath in the holy Sangam during Magh Mela. The arrangements made for the fair are being appreciated.

24 crore pilgrims took bath in Kumbh Mela 2019

It is noteworthy that in Kumbh Mela 2019, 24 crore pilgrims took bath in this grand fair which lasted for 55 days. At the same time, the present Magh Mela is of 44 days, which is an annual event. According to the fair officials, if the situation continues like this, the number of devotees this year will easily surpass the figures of Kumbh 2019, which can become a historical record in the future.

66.30 crore devotees took a dip in the Sangam in Mahakumbh, state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had estimated the arrival of 120-150 crore devotees before the start of Magh Mela. Taking stock of the preparations, he had predicted a huge crowd.

The special bathing days have already set new records and now the total number of bathers has reached a new level. According to officials, this will be the first time in the history of Magh Mela that such a large number of devotees are participating.

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The heat of Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand controversy in Prayagraj Magh Mela has reached Rajasthan. Demonstrations will be held across Rajasthan on January 27 in support of Shankaracharya and against the Yogi government of UP. Many Hindu organizations including Cow Respect Movement, Cow Sevadish will protest in the entire state. Protests have been announced at all the districts and tehsil headquarters of Rajasthan.

It is being told that during this protest, effigies of UP CM Yogi Adityanath and PM Narendra Modi will also be burnt. Pratikhar Yatra will also be taken out on this occasion in the capital Jaipur. The protest march will start from the temple of Govind Dev Ji to the Collectorate. A large number of mother cows will also be included in this.

Hindu organizations expressed displeasure over the attitude of Yogi government

Along with this, an apology will be demanded from Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand from UP CM Yogi Adityanath and his government. There will be simultaneous protests everywhere on January 27 at 11 am. These organizations held a press conference and expressed grief over the strike by Shankaracharya Avimukteshwarananda. Displeasure was expressed over the attitude of the Yogi government of UP, it was termed as the stubbornness of the government.

What is the controversy regarding Shankaracharya Avimukteshwarananda?

Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand claimed on Sunday (January 18) that during the Prayagraj Magh Mela on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, the administration stopped him from going towards Sangam Nose. He had alleged that he was stopped midway by the policemen while going to Sangam Ghat. The situation became such that I and my followers were forced to return to our Akhara without taking the holy bath.

According to Shankaracharya, his palanquin was stopped midway. It is alleged that senior police officers allegedly pushed his disciples and also misbehaved with them. After this there was a scuffle between Shankaracharya’s supporters and the police. When the situation worsened, Shankaracharya demonstrated against the fair and the local administration. Two separate notices were issued to Shankaracharya by the Prayagraj Mela Authority, due to which resentment increased among the Sant Samaj and Hindu organizations.

Today on Sunday (January 18, 2026) there has been an unprecedented influx of devotees on Mauni Amavasya, the third and biggest bathing festival of Magh Mela in Prayagraj. The process of taking a dip of faith at Sangam and other bathing ghats continues since Brahma Muhurta. According to religious belief, keeping silence and bathing and donating on Mauni Amavasya has special significance. Till now lakhs of devotees have taken the holy bath, whereas a day before Mauni Amavasya, about 1.5 crore people had taken the bath.

The fair administration has made extensive arrangements for the bathing festival. A three and a half kilometer long bathing ghat has been prepared. The administration estimates that more than three crore devotees can reach Sangam on the day of Mauni Amavasya. As part of security arrangements, water police, NDRF, SDRF, flood company PAC and divers have been deployed at the bathing ghats. Police, PAC, RAF, BDS, UP ATS commandos and intelligence agencies are active in the fair. According to the Police Commissioner, every nook and corner is being monitored and constant monitoring is being done through CCTV and drone cameras. Strict vigil is also being maintained on suspicious persons and objects.

Uttar Pradesh’s ADG Law and Order Amitabh Yash took stock of the security arrangements when a large number of devotees came for the holy bath at Sangam Ghat on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya. Magh Mela officer Rishi Raj said, “Ghats have been made in all the 7 sectors over a distance of about 3.5 km for the bathing of Mauni Amavasya. There is an appeal to all the devotees to reach the nearest ghat and take bath there and take the benefit of the dip. Along with this, all the facilities have been provided. Water police, RAF, police, all these are deployed at the spot so that the devotees do not face any kind of inconvenience. As the crowd keeps coming, we will keep taking action accordingly.”

Cameras and drones with AI are being used to keep an eye on the crowd

Prayagraj’s Additional Police Commissioner Ajay Pal Sharma said, “A large number of devotees are present at the ghats to take a holy bath on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya. Tight security arrangements have been made. Cameras and drones with AI are also being used to keep an eye on the crowd.” Prayagraj Police Commissioner Jogendra Kumar said, “The bath of Mauni Amavasya is going on well. A large number of people are coming for the bath. Complete security arrangements have also been made on this occasion.”

Prayagraj DM Manish Kumar Verma said, “Mauni Amavasya bath has started. Everyone has started taking bath from 12 o’clock itself. There is a lot of enthusiasm among the people and a large number of people are coming. A large number of people have taken bath, yesterday 1.5 crore people have taken bath and a large number of people are coming to take bath today.” Prayagraj Division Divisional Commissioner Soumya Aggarwal said, “Five lakh devotees have taken the holy bath so far on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya. We have installed reflective tapes on the pillars to show the devotees the right path, and Civil Defense volunteers are also guiding them.”

Prayagraj Magh Mela: As soon as Magh Mela starts in Prayagraj, a huge crowd of devotees has started moving towards the city. Today, January 3, is the first day of the fair and lakhs of devotees from different parts of the country are arriving for the Sangam bath. In view of the movement of such a large number of passengers, Railways has taken a big step in time.

To avoid chaos at the station and to provide relief to the passengers, Railways has made changes in its arrangements. Now, to handle the crowd better, temporary stoppage of some trains has been decided at two major railway stations of Prayagraj. Its purpose is to ease the travel of devotees, reduce the pressure of crowd and make the journey during Magh Mela more safe and easy.

Trains will stop at these two stations

In view of the crowd of devotees in Magh Mela 2026, Railways has taken a big step in time. Temporary stoppage of 6 pairs of trains has been given at Rambagh and Jhusi stations of Prayagraj. Its purpose is to provide more convenience to the passengers and make crowd management easier. Now devotees will be able to easily catch the train during their journey without any hassle. This arrangement of railways will help in making the fair travel safe and simple. So that lakhs of devotees can visit the Sangam comfortably.

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Temporary stoppage of these trains

Keeping in view the convenience of passengers and crowd management during Magh Mela, Railways has fixed temporary stoppage of many trains at Jhusi and Prayagraj Rambagh stations.

• 11062 Jaynagar-Lokmanya Tilak Pawan Express running from Jaynagar will be temporarily stopped at Jhusi and Rambagh stations. At the same time, 11061 Lokmanya Tilak-Jayanagar Pawan Express running from Lokmanya Tilak will also stop at these two stations.
• Sitamarhi-Anand Vihar 14005 and its reverse 14006 Lichchhavi Express will also be stopped at Jhusi and Rambagh stations.
• Both Jaynagar-New Delhi 12561 and New Delhi-Jayanagar 12562 Swatantrata Senani Express will also be stopped.
• Darbhanga-Pune 11034 and Pune-Darbhanga 11033 Express will also be temporarily stopped at these stations.
• Raxaul-Lokmanya Tilak 15267 and Lokmanya Tilak-Raxaul 15268 Antyodaya Express will be stopped at Jhusi and Rambagh.
• Darbhanga-Ahmedabad 15559 and Ahmedabad-Darbhanga 15560 Antyodaya Express will also be temporarily stopped at these stations.

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