Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 18 (ANI): A massive influx of devotees was witnessed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple as pilgrims, after taking a holy dip in Prayagraj, reached the temple for darshan.

Vishwa Bhushan Mishra, Chief Executive Officer of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple, said, 'Despite being the month with the least number of days, February 2025 is the month when the maximum number of devotees have come to the Dham due to Kumbh... This is the highest compared to the figures we have had in the previous Shivaratri month...'

The ongoing Mahakumbh has witnessed a record-breaking massive turnout this time, and it is set to conclude on February 26. Many more are expected to visit and take a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam.

Officials said on Monday that the ongoing Maha Kumbh 2025, the world's largest human gathering, has witnessed an overwhelming turnout, with over 540 million devotees taking a holy dip in the first 36 days.

According to official data, from 8 PM on February 17, 2025, more than 13.5 million devotees participated in the grand religious event, marking yet another significant milestone in the 45-day-long spiritual congregation.

Devotees continued to arrive at Mahakumbh 2025 to take a holy dip at Triveni Sangam. On Monday, a massive influx of devotees was seen at the Prayagraj Railway station.

Police officials were constantly vigilant to manage the overwhelming crowd.

According to the Uttar Pradesh administration, the Mahakumbh has become the world's first event with more than 500 million direct participants. The local administration reported that 17 million devotees took a dip on Paush Purnima, followed by 35 million on Makar Sankranti, 76.4 million on Mauni Amavasya, 25.7 million on Basant Panchami, and 14 million on Magh Purnima. At 4:00 PM on Friday, over 7.9 million devotees had dipped in the Triveni Sangam.

The 2025 Mahakumbh, which began on Paush Purnima (January 13, 2025), is the world's largest spiritual and cultural gathering, attracting devotees from across the globe. The grand event will continue until Mahashivratri on February 26. (ANI)