Women Walked Fearlessly Amidst 663 Million at Maha Kumbh 2025
By Manu Shrivastava
As the sun set over the Sangam—the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mystical Saraswati—on March 8, 2025, the world celebrated International Women’s Day, raising concerns about women's safety across continents. Yet, the echoes of an unparalleled event, an anomaly in modern crowd management, stood as an irrefutable testament to security, discipline, and an ancient cultural ethos that safeguarded its women.
For forty days, from January to February 2025, an estimated 663 million pilgrims, seekers, and saints from every corner of India and across the world thronged Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh, a spectacle that occurs once in 144 years. The sheer scale of the gathering was staggering—larger than the population of entire continents, eclipsing every known religious congregation in human history.
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| Not a single case of crime against women was reported at the Maha Kumbh |
And yet, among the millions who walked, bathed, prayed, and camped under the vast, starlit skies of the sacred ghats, not a single case of crime against women was reported.
At a time when women across the world hesitate to step out after dark, when reports of harassment, insecurity, and violence dominate headlines, Prayagraj’s Maha Kumbh 2025 presented a remarkable paradox. In the middle of a human tide that seemed impossible to manage, where the presence of millions could easily translate into chaos, women—young and old, Indian and foreign—moved about freely, safely, and without fear.
Was it the iron-clad security mechanism, or was it something deeper—an unspoken social contract dictated by a civilizational ethos that placed women at the heart of dharma?
The administration had undoubtedly risen to the occasion, deploying over 30,000 security personnel, 500 CCTV-equipped drones, AI-powered surveillance, and real-time tracking systems. But it wasn’t brute force or sheer policing that ensured safety. It was an ancient cultural code deeply embedded in the DNA of the event itself.
The Kumbh, since time immemorial, has been governed by Akharas, Naga Sadhus, and spiritual orders, who adhere to an intrinsic law—women are sacred, and their presence in this holy gathering is to be protected at all costs. This unspoken law, stronger than written mandates, ensured that a woman could walk alone at midnight through a sea of millions and be safer than she would be in the most urbanised, policed city in the world.
Women were not just participants but integral to the Maha Kumbh. Sadhvis, sanyasinis, female spiritual leaders, and akhada members walked in processions, took the sacred dip, and led discourses on dharma, governance, and empowerment. Thousands of solo women travelers, journalists, and pilgrims from Europe, America, and Southeast Asia, who otherwise navigate cities with caution, were seen embracing the moment without fear, capturing history, and partaking in an experience unparalleled in modern civilization.
And while the rest of the world debated safety protocols, the Maha Kumbh 2025 delivered an answer not through policies, but through practice.
As the world marks March 8, 2025—International Women's Day, Prayagraj offers an example not just to India but to nations globally. It is proof that women's safety isn’t just about laws, policing, or helpline numbers. It is about creating a societal shift, an ecosystem of respect, accountability, and an unwavering commitment to dignity.
That in a congregation of 663 million—where the entire population of Europe could fit twice over—a woman could move freely, without fear, speaks volumes about what is possible when culture, governance, and faith converge in absolute harmony.
If a city of tents, an ephemeral metropolis larger than any known urban space, could protect its women better than some of the most developed nations, then perhaps, it is time for the world to take note.
Because the Kumbh didn’t just host history—it made it. And in doing so, it proved that when a society decides to safeguard its women, it doesn’t just protect them—it empowers them to walk fearlessly through life itself.
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