An ocean of people walks together, taking dips at the sacred Sangam of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati. Men and women, children and elders, Brahmanas and Sudras, villagers, forest dwellers, and city residents, North Indians and South Indians, Indians and foreigners, the rich and the poor, travellers, photographers, and believers—all come together, making Prayagraj truly a holy Sangam, a melting pot of humankind, and the largest gathering of its kind in the world.

At the entrance of the holy Mela, we may find ourselves stuck in a traffic jam, with the loud honking of vehicles, a heavy police presence, and a crowd of people nearly knocking into each other. Yet, as we move further, a vast temporary tent city spanning 4,000 hectares unfolds before us, with clearly marked roads and sectors, along with countless pandals (camps) of various sects of Sanatana Dharma.

Whether it is Vaishnavas of different sampradayas (Vishnu devotees), Saktas (Shakti worshippers), Shaivas (Shiva devotees), ascetics, Naga Sanyasis (clotheless ascetics), or Aghoris (cremation-ground dwellers who consume human flesh), all sects are present from various akharas, such as Akhada Mahanirvani, Niranjani Akhada, Atal Akhada, Anand Akhada, and Juna (Bhairav) Akhada.

The spiritual diversity extends to Brahmakumaris, women sanyasis,........

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