BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha marked an especially auspicious Maha-Shivaratri, coinciding with the conclusion of the 45-day Maha Kumbh Mela – an alignment that occurs only once in 144 years – on 26 February 2025 and the following weekend.
The Maha Kumbh Mela is one of the most sacred events in Sanatan Hindu Dharma and the largest human gathering in the world. More than 400 million pilgrims travelled to Prayagraj, India, to ritually bathe at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of Hinduism’s three holiest rivers – the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati.
Devotees, well-wishers, and members of local Hindu communities gathered in large numbers at BAPS mandirs and centres across the UK and parts of Europe to celebrate the sacred occasion of Maha-Shivaratri, which marks the divine manifestation of Shankar Bhagwan in his Shivaling form, his celestial wedding with Mata Parvatiji, and his divine Tandava dance.
The festival was observed with fasting, prayers, Rudrabhishek of the Shivaling, chanting of the ‘Aum Namah Shivaya’ mantra, and an annakut offering.
Further festivities included devotional assemblies and spiritual discourses, allowing devotees to deepen their spiritual connection.
A highlight of this year’s celebrations was holy water from the Triveni Sangam that was brought from Prayagraj especially for this occasion. Devotees and well-wishers were able to be blessed by this sacred water by sprinkling it on their heads.
Ram Komal, a Master’s student in Luton, shared, “I couldn’t go to the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, but I feel so fortunate to still be blessed by this holy water. It’s so reassuring to have these mandirs where our Sanatan Hindu festivals and traditions are alive and accessible.”
BAPS’s active participation in the Maha Kumbh Mela included hosting and feeding thousands of pilgrims as well as organising Vedic yagnas and spiritual discourses. Several of the most senior and respected monastic leaders of various fellowships within Sanatan Hindu Dharma also took time to discuss and appreciate the texts of Akshar-Purushottam Darshan, the distinct school of philosophy and theology revealed by Bhagwan Swaminarayan. A video highlighting these services at the Maha Kumbh inspired attendees with the scale and impact of this historic gathering.
Khushboo Miyani, a leading volunteer for BAPS in the UK, shared, “This year’s Maha-Shivaratri was truly special as it coincided with the rare celestial conclusion of the Maha Kumbh Mela. It was heartwarming to see so many devotees as well as friends from the local community coming together in devotion, performing abhishek, and receiving the holy water from Prayagraj.”