Mahakumbh 2025 : Amrit Snan Commences, Akharas Participate - Highlights

A record number of devotees are expected to take part in the first 'Amrit Snan' of the Maha Kumbh Mela on Tuesday on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. The first Amrit Snan of Maha Kumbh is special in many ways. It takes place a day after the first major 'snan' which took place on Monday, January 13, 2024, in the Sangam area on the occasion of Paush Poornima. The first Amrit Snan holds significance because the 'Akharas' will be participating in it.

Mahakumbh 2025: Amrit Snan Details

Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) president Mahant Ravindra Puri told PTI that the first Amrit Snan of this Maha Kumbh will begin at 5.30 am on Tuesday, January 14.

Mahant Puri also said the common terms such as 'shahi snan' and 'peshwai' associated with the Kumbh have been changed to 'Amrit Snan' and 'Chhavni Pravesh' respectively.

Asked what prompted them to use use the terminologies, Mahant Puri, who is also the president of the Mansa Devi Temple Trust in Haridwar, said, "All of us speak words in Hindi and Urdu. It cannot happen that we do not speak any Urdu word.

"But, we thought that when it comes to our Gods, we should make efforts to have a name in Sanskrit language or have a 'Sanatani' name. Our intention is not to make it as Hindus versus Muslims," he said.

According to Ashutosh Varshney, the convener of Prayagraj-based Ram Naam Bank (an NGO), this Amrit Snaan will be the first such snaan after the grand Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.

He also said, "It is a divine coincidence that two 'snans' in the Maha Kumbh are on consecutive days. The major 'snan' of Paush Poornima was on Monday while the Makar Sankranti is on Tuesday.

"As a result of this, a large number of devotees, seers and commoners from different walks of life have already descended on the holy city of Prayagraj." he said.

Several pilgrims, who took dip on the occasion of Paush Poornima are staying back in Prayagraj to take another dip on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Mahakumbh Mela 2025: Dates

Paush Purnima: 13 January 2025
Makar Sankranti: 14 January 2025
Mauni Amavasya: 29 January 2025
Basant Panchami: 03 February 2025
Maghi Purnima: 12 February 2025
Maha Shivaratri: 26 February 2025

Mahakumbh Mela 2025: About

The Maha Kumbh Mela (the festival of the sacred pitcher) is anchored in Hindu mythology. It is the world’s largest public gathering and collective act of faith. This congregation, primarily, includes Ascetics, Saints, Sadhus, Sadhvis, Kalpvasis and Pilgrims from all walks of life.

Kumbh Mela, in Hinduism, is a religious pilgrimage that is celebrated four times over 12 years. The geographical location of Kumbh Mela spans over four locations in India and the Mela site keeps rotating between one of the four pilgrimages on four sacred rivers as listed below:
 

 Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 Prayagraj Introduction 1In Haridwar, Uttarakhand, on the banks of the Ganges
 Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 Prayagraj Introduction 2In Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh on the banks of Shipra
 Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 Prayagraj Introduction 3In Nashik, Maharashtra on the banks of Godavari
 Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 Prayagraj Introduction 4In Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical invisible Sarasvat