When Haridwar teems with the kumbh pilgrims, it is time for the business unusual in the holy city.
The Uttar Pradesh government, citing a scientist, has asserted that Ganga water at the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj is as pure as "alkaline water", debunking concerns raised by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) about water quality. The government claims that a scientist found no bacterial growth or decline in the water's pH level, despite millions of devotees bathing in the river. However, experts caution that the quality of the Ganga water is not static and can vary greatly depending on various factors.
'Today, both in the hills and valley there is radicalised militant activity which poses a direct national security threat.' 'This kind of militancy in Manipur is unprecedented, I have never seen such largescale militancy in my life.'
The lack of proper coordination and disaster management plan on the part of railways resulted in the stampede at Allahabad station during last year's Maha Kumbh Mela in which 37 persons were killed, the Comptroller and Auditor General has said.
The Purna Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, considered to be the world's largest religious gathering, is nearing its end. The four-month long affair will end with the Vaisakh Aadhimaas Purnima Snan on April 28.
Officials said almost all the ministers present at meeting took the holy dip.
Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar on Tuesday said it was not the party but the "mela" at its headquarters that he had described as a "circus" and hoped that it has not lost its capacity to laugh at itself.
Two persons were killed in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad on Sunday as three crore pilgrims converged for a holy dip at Sangam on the auspicious occasion of 'Mauni Amavasya'.
Here's what your favourite Bollywood celebrities are tweeting.
Every year has its share of duds and turkeys. 2024 was no different except that even the rotten ones are too drab to have any real offence value.
Milk booths by Amul and Mother Dairy, a Kumbh phone by Reliance Jio, Dabur's toothpaste dispensers are among the many initiatives by brands steadying for a stint on haloed ground.
The Uttar Pradesh government's oft-repeated claims about the success of the 2013 Kumbh Mela have fallen flat, with the Comptroller and Auditor General pointing out various failures and pitfalls in the mega event.
Five crore devotees took part in the Kumbh mela on the banks of pious Shipra river this year.
The Pushkar Camel Fair -- also called Kartik Mela or Pushkar ka Mela -- is an annual multi-day livestock fair and cultural fete held in the town of Pushkar near Ajmer in Rajasthan.
Braving scorching heat, a multitude of sadhus along with their disciples chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' took 'shahi snan' (royal bath) at Ramghat in Shipra river in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain on Friday.
The police have made unprecedented security preparations for the famous Ram Navmi mela, scheduled to take place between April 6 and 16. The police have divided the mela into six zones and 25 sectors to effectively carry out security measures during the course of the festival.
No official estimate is available about the number of sadhvis and sanyasins at the Haridwar Kumbh Mela, but there is no dearth of women who have left their families behind and 'surrendered themselves to God's service'.
The mahants and sadhus of Shaiva sects will take the snan in Kushavarta Teerth, housing one of the 12 jyotirlingas.
This follows Monday night's blast in a BEST bus in Ghatkopar, Mumbai.
The rich and the pauper, the austere and the ostentatious, the atheist and the seer, the iconoclast and the idol worshipper, all find warmth and solace in the icy waters of the Sangam, notes Tarun Vijay.
The BJP and Congress have called out the 'Delhi model' as a hoax, built on sustained propaganda when the ground reality is different.
Hours after the Sunday night's tragic stampede in Allahabad, which claimed 36 lives and left 30 injured, Uttar Pradesh Urban Development Minster Azam Khan stepped down as the chairman of the Kumbh Mela committee.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked his cabinet colleagues not to visit Haridwar during the Maha Kumbh mela. This prime minister's request was based on a plea from Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhrial that VVIP visits during the mela should be avoided as the district administration found it difficult to make protocol arrangements on those days.
The ancient Ganga-Godavari-temple on the bank of river Godavari was later closed till next Kumbh mela to be held in 2027-28.
The film's lead actors -- Emraan Hashmi and Huma Qureshi -- accompanied Ekta.
Dhanatrayodashi is called Dhanteras and its twinkling lights set the mood of India's greatest and most popular festival -- Diwali, the festival of lights.
Violators will have to pay a Rs 2,000 fine for the first offence and Rs 5,000 if they defy this order for the second time, Ujjain Mayor Mukesh Tatwal said on Saturday.
'Ajit Pawar is trying to sideline us; he is trying to be in the BJP's good books at our cost.'
A look at the top tweets from your favourite Bollywood celebrities.
No official estimate is available about the number of sadhvis and sanyaasins at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, but there is no dearth of women who have left their families behind and 'surrendered themselves to God's service'.
The mosque's maulana and the mazar's caretakers said they were not aware of any administrative order in this regard and claimed this was for the first time that such a step had been taken during the yatra.
'Releasing dam water for a holy bath is the most unholiest thing. No religion propagates polluting or squandering resources.' Professor Hiralal Desarda explains why he went to court against release of water for the Shahi Snan at the Kumbh Mela in Nashik.
Rediff.com takes a look at some stunning pictures of the previous Kumbh Mela festivities.
Ramdev said one does not need to hide their name, but do one's work with truth and honesty.
The 10-day long event, called Mahamaham, will take place in Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu.
Simhastha Kumbh Mela, the largest congregation of faith in the world, began on Tuesday with the traditional ceremony of hoisting of flags and thousands of people taking a holy dip in Kushawart and Ramkund in Godavari river in the two towns.
It was an emotional reunion of Kashmiri Pandits visiting the valley for the first time since their migration about two decades ago, and local Muslims on the occasion of annual Khir Bhawani mela at Tulmulla in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.
To conserve the environment, the Akhara Council has decided to put a ban on the use of plastic items and loudspeakers at the venue of the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Nashik.
A couple of glimpses from the moustache competition at the camel fair in Pushkar on Wednesday, November 22, 2023.
Maha Kumbh Mela, that began at Sangam in Allahabad on the Makar Sankranti day on Monday, is expected to attract nearly 11 crore people, setting a new record for world's largest gathering. Sharat Pradhan reports from the evnie of the mega 55-day festival.
