Ports-to-power conglomerate Adani Group has joined hands with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) to offer maha prasad seva at the Maha Kumbh mela underway in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj. The maha prasad seva will be offered to around 1 lakh devotees every day, including 18,000 sanitation workers.
The meals for the maha prasad seva will be prepared by ~2,500 volunteers in 2 kitchens equipped with advanced facilities. The meals would be served on eco-friendly played made of leaves and distributed among devotees at 40 assembly points.
The Maha prasad mean would include roti, dal, rice, vegetables and sweets. Moreover, the Adani Group will also provide golf carts for differently abled individuals, elderly people and children.
Apart from this, the conglomerate has also collaborated with the Gorakhpur-headquartered Gita Press to print around 1 crore copies of the Aarti Sangrah. The Aarti Sangrah is a compilation of devotional hymns or aartis dedicated to deities such as Shiva, Lakshmi, Ganesha, Vishnu, Durga and others.
The books will be distributed free of cost at the Maha Kumbh mela. As per media reports, the mega event is expected to draw around 40 crore visitors this year and has been mounted at a budget of around ₹6,382 crore.
The Kumbh mela will last for 30-45 days from January 13 till February 26, 2025. Key dates are January 13 - Paush Purnima Snan (Opening Day), January 15 - Makar Sankranti Snan, January 29 - Mauni Amavasya Snan (Royal Bath/Shahi Snan), February 3 - Basant Panchami Snan (Royal Bath/Shahi Snan), February 12 - Maghi Purnima Snan, and February 26 - Maha Shivratri Snan (Concluding Day).
The Mela is organised in Haridwar, Prayagraj, Ujjain, and Nashik every 12 years.
The Maha Kumbh, held at Prayagraj, is the grandest of them all and occurs once every 144 years. It is also acknowledged as the largest religious event in the world as pilgrims from all over the world come to Prayagraj to bathe in the holy confluence of the Yamuna, Saraswati, and Ganga rivers.
According to popular beliefs, a dip in the holy river washes away sins and helps pilgrims attain salvation or moksha.