[cormodore]

Hello Everyone,

I am planning to visit Prayagraj for the Mahakumbh 2025 during the last week of January. I would appreciate feedback from forum members, especially those who have already experienced the holy bath, regarding the following(especially parking and ghat recommendations):

Many of you might detest and may have concerns because of the pollution and crowd, but I wish to complete the same due to family and my personal belief.

Parking in Prayagraj - Based on media reports, the government has made arrangements for parking. Can anyone guide me on where to park my car safely?

Transport from Parking to the Sangam - What is the best mode of transport from the parking area to the Sangam?

Gate/Ghat Recommendations - I’ve read there are four gates for entry, as per media reports. Which gate would be the most convenient for accessing the bathing area?

Route Confirmation - According to Google Maps, I plan to enter Prayagraj via the new Yamuna Bridge (Yamuna Marg). Is this the correct route for both parking and entering the Mahakumbh?

My Travel plan:
I’ll be traveling from Hyderabad and plan to stay in Rewa (approximately a 19-hour drive from Hyderabad). On the day of the bath, I intend to drive ~130 km from Rewa to Prayagraj, complete the holy bath, and travel onward to Varanasi. I do not wish to stay overnight in Prayagraj.

Any additional tips or recommendations would be highly helpful - Not just me but also other members.

Thank you in advance for your help!

[DigitalOne]

Originally Posted by cormodore

Hello Everyone,

I am planning to visit Prayagraj for the Mahakumbh 2025 during the last week of January.

You probably are aware of this - January 29, 2025 is the Mauni Amavasya Snan, the most significant date of the entire Kumbh period. As per news reports, 8-10 crores people are expected to converge on Prayagraj on that particular day. From what I read somewhere there will be no parking allowed on those significant days. So please plan accordingly.

[Vinod_nair]

Install Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, which is supposed to be helpful.

All the best on your pilgrimage.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by Vinod_nair

Install Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, which is supposed to be helpful.

All the best on your pilgrimage.

A friend called me earlier today and stated that he wished to travel to Prayagraj for the Mouni Snan on 29th January.

The plan is to fly to Delhi on 27th Jan, Rent a 2 wheeler and ride to Prayagraj (around 670 kms one-way). Have the holy dip on 29th, ride back to Delhi and then fly back home.

The idea of not renting a car is due to expected heavy traffic during this Shahi Snan day (a day before and after too) and instead, a motorcycle is deemed much more convenient.

A friend from Delhi, advised me against the motorcycle plan as according to him, Delhi will be extremely cold and riding motorcycle could be very uncomfortable. Another friend suggested me to take train, instead.

I checked the train seat availability and as expected, the waiting list ran in hundreds. So, train journey seems to be out of equation.

I am thinking to rent a car in Delhi instead of a motorcycle and reach Kanpur and park the car in Kanpur and rent a motorcycle from Kanpur to Prayag and back. The distance one-way is around 200 Kms and fairly manageable.

I also read that no vehicular movement is allowed for 4 days during the Mouni Snan day (27th Jan to 30th Jan) with 29th being the Shahi Snan day.

So, the probability is that we could be stopped about 12-15 Kms outside Prayagraj, and we could park the rental motorcycle at the designated parking area and walk the distance to the Prayagraj.

At Prayagraj, we have some contact with one of the Akhada where we probably could get food, rest room ( no expectations though) and then it will be a quick dash to Ghat for the dip and back the same way.

How does this plan seem to you?. Is this a workable plan? Are there any Kanpur Tbhpian here who could help me in parking the rental car safely for a day or two and also help in renting a motorcycle for say, 2 days or so.

We plan to keep the return flight tickets open and will take whichever flight available back to home. So, our return ride/ drive is planned to be slower and easy.

What are the Pros and cons of this plan? Any suggestions from the UP Tbhpians and from those who have been there and done that?

In March 2013, the previous Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj, My friends and I, drove from Bangalore in my car and had the holy dip on Shivaratri Shahi Snan day. It was Shivaratri and we went to Varanasi too for Lord Vishwanath Darshan (Got the darshan).

It was very chaotic even 12 years ago, however I believe it was fairly easy and we could drive very close to the Ghat (about 5 kms or so) and traffic moved easily. Things however has changed in 12 years.

Thanks for your help.

[Vinod_nair]

Originally Posted by ashkamath

A friend called me earlier today and stated that he wished to travel to Prayagraj for the Mouni Snan on 29th January.
The plan is to fly to Delhi on 27th Jan, Rent a 2 wheeler and ride to Prayagraj (around 670 kms one-way). Have the holy dip on 29th, ride back to Delhi and then fly back home.

What are the Pros and cons of this plan? Any suggestions from the UP Tbhpians and from those who have been there and done that?

Thanks for your help.

Please do not travel by road, it is biting cold with dense fog, many accidents reported daily.

Take a flight to allahabad, direct flight available from Delhi.

WA me your number, I know of few hotels talk to them directly, and ask all your concerns they are in civil lines area around 5/6 km from sangam, locally lots of E-rickshaw are available for transport.

Hope this helps.

[aaggoswami]

We plan to visit Maha Kumbh next month, but the list of queries is quite long. Two days prior to Shahi Snan and two days after Shahi Snan, the vehicle movement is quite restricted. But other wise not, however, there are some reels circulating on social media that cars which are non UP registered are to be parked 30 kms away which seems impractical.

Plus we are planning to drive to Prayagraj, this bring forward the queries for road and route. There are two routes, one is via NE4-Jhansi and other one is via Indore, Bhopal, Rewa.

Any hints on quality of roads and how to manage the dip in river would be helpful. Plus the roads could be isolated in MP, hence the reason to reconsider if we should take a night halt or not. Any information for good hotels near jabalpur or soemthing, that information would definitely help us as we are next to blank for trip. Specially the places to stay is a huge grey area as of now.

[prajakt_23]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

We plan to visit Maha Kumbh next month, but the list of queries is quite long. Two days prior to Shahi Snan and two days after Shahi Snan, the vehicle movement is quite restricted. But other wise not, however, there are some reels circulating on social media that cars which are non UP registered are to be parked 30 kms away which seems impractical.

Plus we are planning to drive to Prayagraj, this bring forward the queries for road and route. There are two routes, one is via NE4-Jhansi and other one is via Indore, Bhopal, Rewa.

Any hints on quality of roads and how to manage the dip in river would be helpful. Plus the roads could be isolated in MP, hence the reason to reconsider if we should take a night halt or not. Any information for good hotels near jabalpur or soemthing, that information would definitely help us as we are next to blank for trip. Specially the places to stay is a huge grey area as of now.

+1

I need this information as well.

[cormodore]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Plus we are planning to drive to Prayagraj, this bring forward the queries for road and route. There are two routes, one is via NE4-Jhansi and other one is via Indore, Bhopal, Rewa.

Any hints on quality of roads and how to manage the dip in river would be helpful. Plus the roads could be isolated in MP, hence the reason to reconsider if we should take a night halt or not. Any information for good hotels near jabalpur or soemthing, that information would definitely help us as we are next to blank for trip. Specially the places to stay is a huge grey area as of now.

Originally Posted by prajakt_23

+1

I need this information as well.

Traveling from Pune to Prayagraj should be a breeze with the Samruddhi Marg up to Nagpur, followed by a four-lane highway to Prayagraj.

The stretch from Nagpur to Jabalpur is relatively desolate, with limited food options. The road is four-laned with occasional bad patches. More information can be found in this thread: (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...e-queries.html (Pune - Nagpur - Prayagraj (via Jabalpur) : Route Queries). Acquaintances who traveled this route last year on their bikes have informed me that speeds of 70-80 km/h should be manageable.

From the details I’ve gathered regarding Kumbh parking, out-of-state cars are not being allowed to enter Prayagraj and are required to park 10 km outside the city. We need to install the Park+ app, and parking charges will be deducted via FASTag. From the designated parking areas, government buses (free of charge) are Ferrying devotees to the bathing ghats. I’ll provide more updates as I receive further information.

[A_Basu]

Originally Posted by cormodore

Route Confirmation - According to Google Maps, I plan to enter Prayagraj via the new Yamuna Bridge (Yamuna Marg). Is this the correct route for both parking and entering the Mahakumbh?

My Travel plan:
I’ll be traveling from Hyderabad and plan to stay in Rewa (approximately a 19-hour drive from Hyderabad). On the day of the bath, I intend to drive ~130 km from Rewa to Prayagraj, complete the holy bath, and travel onward to Varanasi. I do not wish to stay overnight in Prayagraj.

This is an excellent plan, in as much as you've decided to not stay in Allahabad itself. My thoughts:

• From Rewa, to enter Allahabad, the correct route is, indeed, the new Yamuna bridge. However, if your visit is on one of the main bathing days, you won't be even allowed on the bridge; you'll be guided to a parking area, and will have to go to the ghat that is nearest to that parking. This nearest ghat may or may not be Sangam, but only Yamuna or Ganga. Since it's the Rewa side that you're coming from, "your ghat" will be the Arail ghat.
• From Allahabad, to go towards Banaras, you'll have to take the Shastri Bridge (and not the new Yamuna bridge that you took while coming in). However, if it's a main bathing day, since you can't bring your car in the city, you won't be able to leave towards Banaras that day (unless you take a very long detour), so please plan accordingly.
• Policemen handling the traffic are unusually courteous during the entire Kumbh Mela timespan, but, really, their hands are tied owing to "orders from above" and VIP movement, so even on non-main-bathing days, they might make you park your car quite a distance away or put up barricades randomly. Please don't plan a very tight itinerary. The city has been seeing extended traffic gridlocks ever since the Mela started, and my advice would be, "Please be patient."
• From the parking spots, if "your ghat" is a ways away, you can hire a cycle rickshaw, but only on the non-main-bathing days. Since this is a holy pilgrimage, be prepared to pay an unreasonable amount to the rickshawala; this is probably the only time in 6 years that they make some money. Depending on the crowd, the distance that you'll have to cover from the parking area to the ghat can be anything between 1 km to 30 kms, because, as a crowd management measure, police direct people into queues that go on and on. So, even though the ghat may really be just a kilometer away, you'll be made to walk along barricades for ages.

I live in Allahabad. In a bid to escape the harsh winter (and also the Mela inconveniences), I'm not there in my city right now, but do feel free to ask if you have further questions. The Mela is an experience that everyone should be part of at least once in their lifetime. I'm lucky that I've seen more than one Kumbh Mela (and countless Magh Melas) in my life thus far. Wishing you a very fulfilling Mela experience.

[prajakt_23]

Originally Posted by cormodore

Traveling from Pune to Prayagraj should be a breeze with the Samruddhi Marg up to Nagpur, followed by a four-lane highway to Prayagraj.

The stretch from Nagpur to Jabalpur is relatively desolate, with limited food options. The road is four-laned with occasional bad patches. More information can be found in this thread: (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...e-queries.html (Pune - Nagpur - Prayagraj (via Jabalpur) : Route Queries). Acquaintances who traveled this route last year on their bikes have informed me that speeds of 70-80 km/h should be manageable.

From the details I’ve gathered regarding Kumbh parking, out-of-state cars are not being allowed to enter Prayagraj and are required to park 10 km outside the city. We need to install the Park+ app, and parking charges will be deducted via FASTag. From the designated parking areas, government buses (free of charge) are Ferrying devotees to the bathing ghats. I’ll provide more updates as I receive further information.

Thanks @cormodore for these greats pointers. Really appreciate it . Please do share any additional inputs around the parking facility and the nearest ghats if you happen to come across in due course.

One question I have is around the need of installing / using Park + app. I checked and found that there are multiple Park + apps on Paly store. Anything specific? My Fastag has auto-credit / auto-recharge facility from ICICI. So I think maintaining balance should not be a problem. However, what I am trying to understand is, if local administration has mandated use of this or any other particular app for reserving parking lot and or making payment for it.

[prajakt_23]

Originally Posted by A_Basu

I live in Allahabad. In a bid to escape the harsh winter (and also the Mela inconveniences), I'm not there in my city right now, but do feel free to ask if you have further questions. The Mela is an experience that everyone should be part of at least once in their lifetime. I'm lucky that I've seen more than one Kumbh Mela (and countless Magh Melas) in my life thus far. Wishing you a very fulfilling Mela experience.

Thanks so much @A_Basu for these invaluable pointers!! Really appreciate it

We are planning to drive from Pune so I assume we will be also following the same route to enter Prayagraj from Rewa side (or may be to the nearest parking on that side). I just read that the government has made arrangements for buses for people parking their vehicles in outside parking lots. Is that not the case for the key days / dates like Mouni Snan on 29th January? And in that case, is it expected to walk 30 kms or so? Or 30 kms or so is the distance of any specific ghat / sangam from there, whereas the nearest ghat might not be that far from the parking? Apologies for very basic questions but I haven't ever been to this part of our country and never been to any Kumbh Mela as well

Appreciate your inputs!!

[skdking]

Originally Posted by A_Basu

This is an excellent plan, inasmuch as you've decided to not stay in Allahabad itself. My thoughts:
...............
I live in Allahabad. In a bid to escape the harsh winter (and also the Mela inconveniences), I'm not there in my city right now, but do feel free to ask if you have further questions. The Mela is an experience that everyone should be part of at least once in their lifetime. I'm lucky that I've seen more than one Kumbh Mela (and countless Magh Melas) in my life thus far. Wishing you a very fulfilling Mela experience.

Basu ji,

I am flying to Varanasi from Hyderabad on 31 Jan 25 morning and taking a taxi to Prayag. I have to go to Saraswati ghat, take a bath, and return to Varanasi by same taxi on 02 Feb morning.

My only worry is that since 03 Feb is a shahi snan day I may face traffic restrictions on 01 and 02 Feb.

Can I reach Saraswati ghat on 01 Feb by my Varanasi taxi?

Originally Posted by A_Basu View Post
This is an excellent plan, inasmuch as you've decided to not stay in Allahabad itself. My thoughts:
...............
I live in Allahabad. In a bid to escape the harsh winter (and also the Mela inconveniences), I'm not there in my city right now, but do feel free to ask if you have further questions. The Mela is an experience that everyone should be part of at least once in their lifetime. I'm lucky that I've seen more than one Kumbh Mela (and countless Magh Melas) in my life thus far. Wishing you a very fulfilling Mela experience.

Basu ji,

I am flying to Varanasi from Hyderabad on 01 Feb 25 morning and taking a taxi to Prayag. I have to go to Saraswati ghat, take a bath, and return to Varanasi by same taxi on 02 Feb morning.

My only worry is that since 03 Feb is a shahi snan day I may face traffic restrictions on 01 and 02 Feb.

Can I reach Saraswati ghat on 01 Feb by my Varanasi taxi?

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by A_Basu

I live in Allahabad.
The Mela is an experience that everyone should be part of at least once in their lifetime.
Wishing you a very fulfilling Mela experience.

Hi Basu ji, May I request you to please advise me in this regard?

My friends and I (4 adult men) intend to drive to Prayagraj with an aim to bathe in Sangam on Mouni Amavasya Shahi Snan day on 29th Jan.

The plan is to leave Hyderabad on 27th Jan and arrive at Prayagraj in the evening hours of 28th Jan from Reva side, park the car in one of the allotted parking area and walk to our community math, Shree Kashi Math at Daraganj Ghat road and stay there for the night and then proceed to the closest ghat, sometime very early in the morning and take the holy dip. Once the intended purpose of the trip is over, we shall return to the Kashi Math, and then walk back to the car parking area and drive back. We are 4 able body persons and walking a distance of 20+ Kms is manageable to us.

Even though it seems a simple straightforward plan, I am aware that the occasion being the Mouni Amavasya, the vehicular and devotees number and movement will be extremely heavy.

I have attended the previous Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj in 2013 and had the holy dip on Shivratri Shahi Snan day and hence have some first hand experience of the Kumbh Mela and what to expect.

My query is,

1. How long could it take to walk from the outstation vehicle parking area (for Reva side vehicles) to Daraganj Ghat road? Google maps say around 6.5 to 7 Kms. Any idea how long the walk could be to our Math at Daraganj? We do not intend to go to any ghat on arrival on evening/ night of 28th Jan.

2. As per google map, Sangam ghat is about 2 Kms from our Shree Kashi Math at Daraganj Ghat road. How long would it take to walk to the ghat on 29th Jan early morning hours? What would be a good time to start to the ghat on the morning of 29th Jan?

3. Any Dos/Don'ts, / advice/ guidance/ information/ warning you would want to give us, as 28th & 29th Jan are said to be the extremely crowded days of the entire Kumbh Mela.

Thanks for your inputs & help.

[audioholic]

Hello all, we five of us at home made an impromptu plan to visit the Mahakumbh this week. My mother was interested to just see the massive arrangements and then rest of the family entered the scene that made us complete the bookings. The plan is as follows:

23rd Jan: Evening flight from BLR - LKO(Lucknow) and overnight stay near airport

24th Jan: Morning we take a cab to Prayagraj and reach there by noon. Accomodation has been booked in tents by Aagman, mainly due to convenience and reliability. Was not able to pick a hotel inside the city or elsewhere since I did not understand what would be a good idea.

25th Jan: Return to Lucknow and take an evening flight back to BLR.

Any help or suggestions regarding how to spend 24hrs in the Mahakumbh will be really appreciated along with Dos or Donts from those who have already been there. We will be taking a taxi so I expect the driver to know his way around. The parking for tent city is also close to the tents so I hope the car is allowed till there.

Also would be happy to share latest updates once our trip is complete.

[A_Basu]

Originally Posted by prajakt_23

I just read that the government has made arrangements for buses for people parking their vehicles in outside parking lots. Is that not the case for the key days / dates like Mouni Snan on 29th January? And in that case, is it expected to walk 30 kms or so? Or 30 kms or so is the distance of any specific ghat / sangam from there, whereas the nearest ghat might not be that far from the parking? Apologies for very basic questions but I haven't ever been to this part of our country and never been to any Kumbh Mela

No apologies needed, Sir! Please feel free to ask.

• The government has arranged for shuttle buses: Yes.
• Also on key dates: Yes.
• How well they'll work: Unknown. On the previous main snan days (sankranti and paush purnima), we heard a lot of complaints.
• Expected to walk 30 kms on main days: 95% Yes. This is a crowd management measure, and has been followed for several years now, not only for the Purna and Ardha Kumbhs but also for the annual Magh Melas. But, once you're in that crowd, you just keep walking and you can't walk (won't be allowed to walk) in any other direction.

Welcome to my part of the country. It's an ...interesting... place (for want of a better word).

Originally Posted by skdking

I am flying to Varanasi from Hyderabad on 31 Jan 25 morning and taking a taxi to Prayag. I have to go to Saraswati ghat, take a bath, and return to Varanasi by same taxi on 02 Feb morning.

My only worry is that since 03 Feb is a shahi snan day I may face traffic restrictions on 01 and 02 Feb.

Can I reach Saraswati ghat on 01 Feb by my Varanasi taxi?

No You cant reach Saraswati Ghat by taxi on 1 Feb.

5 days before and 5 days after the main snan days have very very heavy and strict traffic restrictions. Besides, Saraswati Ghat is on the Yamuna, and you're coming from Banaras, which is on the Ganga side. Your taxi will likely be stopped about 5-10 kms outside of the city.

You'll find tempos and autorickshaws to take you a bit nearer, but even they will be stopped before entering the city. One option is to go to the nearest ghat from wherever you're stopped, and take a boat to Saraswati ghat BUT last I heard, the administration was thinking of banning boats on the special snan dates too. At first, they had banned boats only between Qila ghat and Sangam, but they're considering a complete ban on the main days. I don't know how this will play out.

What I suspect is, you'll have to follow a hop-skip-jump strategy: taxi till wherever you're stopped - walk till another transport option (shuttle bus, auto, cyclerickshaw) - ride till wherever they drop you - walk till whererever you can find another transport option to Saraswati ghat by road. In Bangla, we have a saying, "Koshto korle Keshto mele" (Krishna is found only after enduring hardships) I would request you to not be put off by the numerous difficulties you're likely to face, and I wish you a happy Kumbh Snan. Everyone's experience will be different, and it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Originally Posted by ashkamath

My friends and I (4 adult men) intend to drive to Prayagraj with an aim to bathe in Sangam on Mouni Amavasya Shahi Snan day on 29th Jan.

The plan is to leave Hyderabad on 27th Jan and arrive at Prayagraj in the evening hours of 28th Jan from Reva side, park the car in one of the allotted parking area and walk to our community math, Shree Kashi Math at Daraganj Ghat road and stay there for the night and then proceed to the closest ghat, sometime very early in the morning and take the holy dip. Once the intended purpose of the trip is over, we shall return to the Kashi Math, and then walk back to the car parking area and drive back. We are 4 able body persons and walking a distance of 20+ Kms is manageable to us.

Even though it seems a simple straightforward plan, I am aware that the occasion being the Mouni Amavasya ...

1. How long could it take to walk from the outstation vehicle parking area (for Reva side vehicles) to Daraganj Ghat road? Google maps say around 6.5 to 7 Kms. Any idea how long the walk could be to our Math at Daraganj? We do not intend to go to any ghat on arrival on evening/ night of 28th Jan.

2. As per google map, Sangam ghat is about 2 Kms from our Shree Kashi Math at Daraganj Ghat road. How long would it take to walk to the ghat on 29th Jan early morning hours? What would be a good time to start to the ghat on the morning of 29th Jan?

3. Any Dos/Don'ts, / advice/ guidance/ information/ warning you would want to give us, as 28th & 29th Jan are said to be the extremely crowded days of the entire Kumbh Mela.

1. GoogleMaps is showing you the 'normal' distance. On Amavasya, barricades will be in place that'll make you walk round and round, like I've tried to show in this crude image. How long it'll take will depend on the situation on the ground.



2. People in your math can advise about the best time because they'll be aware of the day-to-day situation. Just follow their direction. Pilgrims are known to sleep at the ghats itself, under the open sky, so that they can get first dibs on the bathing, so please expect a crush of humanity, and your plans going awry.

3. Take care of your belongings. Do not walk in wet clothes even though you're young and healthy. Please don't get angry at the dozens of people and touts who'll definitely try to rip you off, and stay calm. If you get lost, try to find a signage that's visible from miles around from the ground itself. This could be a specific flag or banner, or a specific temple or fort wall that's visible from a distance. Once you reach that spot, try to get back your bearings. Be prepared for the cold; Hyderabad hardly has any winter. Be prepared for the unexpected. Have fun!