- विज्ञापन -
New Delhi: In light of over 500 million devotees expected to take a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam—the meeting point of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati—Northern Railway has announced the operation of a special Vande Bharat train on February 15, 16, and 17 for those attending the Mahakumbh 2025.
To facilitate pilgrims heading to the Maha Kumbh Mela, the Railways will run the Vande Bharat Special train No. 02252/02251 between New Delhi and Varanasi (with a stop in Prayagraj). Train 02252 will depart from New Delhi at 5:30 AM, stopping at Prayagraj at 12:00 PM, and arriving in Varanasi at 2:20 PM. In the reverse direction, train 02251 will leave Varanasi at 3:15 PM, stop in Prayagraj at 5:20 PM, and reach New Delhi at 11:50 PM on the same day.
Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, the Chief Public Relations Officer of Northern Railway, stated, “To provide special facilities for those attending the Maha Kumbh on weekends for a holy dip, we are running a special Vande Bharat train on the 15th, 16th, and 17th.”
The Uttar Pradesh administration highlighted that the Mahakumbh is the first event globally to exceed 500 million participants, a number surpassing the populations of major nations such as the United States, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, cementing its status as the largest spiritual gathering worldwide.
Local reports noted that on various auspicious days, millions of devotees have participated: 17 million on Paush Purnima, 35 million on Makar Sankranti, 76.4 million on Mauni Amavasya, 25.7 million on Basant Panchami, and 14 million on Magh Purnima. Up until 4:00 PM on Friday, over 7.9 million pilgrims had taken a dip at the Triveni Sangam.
Additionally, the Uttar Pradesh government announced that more than 200,000 Kalpavasis and about 7.7 million devotees were present at the Mahakumbh Mela on Friday, with over 400,000 people using 140 trains to attend the event, according to official reports. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has mandated strict traffic management during the Mahakumbh, emphasizing that officials will be held accountable for any congestion.
The 2025 Mahakumbh journey began on Paush Purnima (January 13, 2025) and remains the largest spiritual and cultural gathering in the world, drawing participants from all corners of the globe, lasting until Mahashivratri on February 26.
