Mahakumbh: As Prayagraj’s mela attracts millions, religious tourism is set to grow

Mahakumbh signals the rise of ‘spiritual tourism’ in India, with tourists seeking to discover India’s cultural variety.

“I have never seen so many people in my city,” beams Ravikrishna Tiwari.

Ravikrishna runs Tiwari and Bros, a travel agency that his grandfather started in Prayagraj (then Allahabad) way back in 1962. Till late 2024, he had 35 people working for him, mostly drivers and cleaners. Spotting the business opportunities that the Mahakumbh offered, Ravikrishna gathered 150 drivers and support staff just a few months before the spiritual event. He says he has made “more than 10 lakh rupees” in the last 45 days alone.

“Even MPs and VIPs have booked their vehicles through my agency,” he says, proudly, “I have been in Prayagraj all my life, but have never seen something like the Mahakumbh.”

This event, a religious extravaganza, concludes with Mahashivratri at Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. Over 50 crore people reportedly took a dip at the Triveni Sangam, from across India and abroad.

From celebrities — like Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal, whose Chhaavareleased recently — to working-class Indians — like the Mumbai couple who travelled 1, 200 kilometres on a bike to reach Prayagraj — everyone has or knows a person with a Mahakumbh story. With thousands of personnel from the tourism and hospitality industry catering to them, this spectacle has given an impetus to a burgeoning travel sector: spiritual tourism.

In February, Lakshminarayanan R took a special SpiceJet flight from Chennai to Prayagraj and back — a round trip that cost him around ₹41,000. He had to walk more than three hours to reach the Sangam area, but the media professional affirms that “it was all worth it”.

Like him, popular singer Shweta Mohan too was at Prayagraj, but as a performer. Invited by the Ministry of Culture, Shweta presented fusion bhakti sangeet, an experience she recalls as “soul satisfying”. “To be invited to be part of such a significant event was a blessing. I wanted this to be a tribute to the Almighty who has blessed us with the talent of making people happy through music. Just watching the Ganga river in all its glory was unforgettable,” she says, of her experience.