OF FAITH, TOURISM CRORES AND GOOD SENSE
The Mahakumbh Mela, celebrated in roughly 12-year cycles at four locations, is perhaps the largest religious gathering in the world. The 2019 Mahakumbh Mela saw about 5.5 million pilgrims visiting Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj every day between January and March, with the Centre and state spending just short of Rs 4,300 crore on tourism infrastructure. Beyond religion, the Melas also have an economic dimension—that year, Uttar Pradesh reportedly got business worth Rs 1.2 lakh crore from visiting pilgrims. This time round, for the Haridwar Mela, the reasons to hope for a successful event are even more compelling, given the grim economic fallout of Covid and
