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STORY: INDIA / UNESCO MAHAKUMBH MELA
TRT: 05:10
SOURCE: UN NEWS HINDI
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 17 - 19 FEBRUARY 2025, PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
18 FEBRUARY 2025, PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
1. Aerial shot, people taking a dip at Mahakumbh Mela 2025 at the bank of Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the Saraswati
17 FEBRUARY 2025, PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
2. Wide shot, people going to take the holy dip
3. Med shot, people going to take the holy dip
4. Close up, Diya (clay lamp) at the bank of River Ganga, a ritual that symbolize the triumph of light over darkness
19 FEBRUARY 2025, PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
5. Med shot, sadhu, dressed in traditional Hindu attire, sits by the banks of the River Ganga reciting prayers on a rosary
6. Close up, sadhu’s hands holding rosary
17 FEBRUARY 2025, PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
7. Close up, incense sticks lit on the banks of the Ganga River
18 FEBRUARY 2025, PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
8. Med shot, man taking a dip at Sangam Ghat with folded hands, offering prayers
9. Med shot, group of devotees chanting "Victory to Mother Ganga"
17 FEBRUARY 2025, PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
10. Close up, priest drawing the symbol of Lord Shiva's trident on a child's forehead
19 FEBRUARY 2025, PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
11. Wide shot, riverbank where colourful religious flags are seen fluttering on boats
12. Wide shot, boat sailing on the Ganga River, carrying devotees
13. Med shot, UNESCO Director Tim Curtis, seated in a boat, looking at the River Ganges
14. Wide shot, Curtis offering milk to the Ganga River
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Tim Curtis, Director, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
“This is considered an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, recognized by UNESCO. And I must say, coming here, you can understand there's a certain energy and a vibe here with so many people, and yet everybody seems quite happy.”
16. Med shot, UNESCO Director Tim Curtis taking a dip in holy River Ganga
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Tim Curtis, Director, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
“It's what we call the living heritage, intangible cultural heritage. It's slightly different to world heritage because it's a living tradition. And it was recognized through the normal process. The Indian government submitted a file. It goes through quite a rigid evaluation process and then an intergovernmental decision before it got inscribed in 2017 on the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity.”
18. Med shot, Curtis interacting with people around him after taking the holy dip
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Tim Curtis, Director, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
“I think we can safely say that Kumbhmela is not threatened to disappear. In fact, I understand that the last Kumbhmela was 12 years ago here. It was 2013 and there was about 250 million. Now there's over 550 million people. So, the challenge isn't preserving, in a sense, the practice which is thriving. The challenge is preserving the environment in which it happens, preserving the meaning of it, allowing enough people to get access to it. So, I think those are the challenges that are being faced. That when you do have this amount of people converge on one place, there are environmental impacts that need to be managed. We've seen, I think, people are getting better and not throwing away litter so much and all of that. So those are the kinds of the challenges. I would say the cultural tradition itself is alive and well and in no sense about to disappear.”
20. Med shot, Curtis interacting with people around him after taking the holy dip
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Tim Curtis, Director, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
“This kind of event on a scale like this, it really is something that brings together people from all over the country and from the international community. And it gives people a sense of connection and belonging and cohesion that really you can't do in any other way. And I think this is why we have to say that heritage is these buildings, but it's more than these buildings. It's what we do as people, and this is really a unique and amazing example of that.”
22. Med shot, Curtis, seated in a boat taking a picture of the River Ganga
23. Aerial shot, confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers at Sangam in Mahakumbh Mela 2025
18 FEBRUARY 2025, PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
24. Med shot, devotees taking a dip in holy river
19 FEBRUARY 2025, PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
25. Wide shot, ghats on the opposite side
26. Wide shot, boats and ghats on the opposite side
27. SOUNDBITE (English) Eguzki, Pilgrim, Spain:
“I'm very happy to be in the Maha Kumbh Mela, mainly because after 144 years, this cosmic event means a lot for the planets and also for the beings.”
28. Med shot, bustling scene at Sangam, the main ghat
29. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Rajesh Pandey, Pilgrim, India:
“The Maha Kumbh has arrived after 144 years, and this is a great fortune for us. Today, we have not come here just to cleanse our bodies; this is a sacred dip in faith.”
17 FEBRUARY 2025, PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
30. Med shot, mobile shop selling colourful wind-powered paper pinwheels for children
19 FEBRUARY 2025, PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
31. SOUNDBITE (English) Ian Andara, Pilgrim, Czech Republic:
“It was the old me, and now after these two holy dips, I really feel that something the Ganga took transformed and allowed me to be more of who I truly am
17 FEBRUARY 2025, PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
32. Timelapse shot, sunset over Sangam Ghat
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director, Tim Curtis, participated in the Mahakumbh Mela, the world's largest religious gathering, held in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj.
Mahakumbh Mela is a significant Hindu religious event where millions of devotees take a holy dip at the at the Sangam Ghat, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the Saraswati rivers.
The 2025 Mahakumbh Mela was held from 13 January to 26 February 2025 and lasted 45 days, concluding with the Mahashivratri Snan (holy bath).
Curtis, joined by a group of indigenous leaders from the five continents, also took a holy dip, emphasizing the cultural significance of the event.
SOUNDBITE (English) Tim Curtis, Director, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
“This is considered an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, recognized by UNESCO. And I must say, coming here, you can understand there's a certain energy and a vibe here with so many people, and yet everybody seems quite happy.”
“It's what we call the living heritage, intangible cultural heritage. It's slightly different to world heritage because it's a living tradition. And it was recognized through the normal process. The Indian government submitted a file. It goes through quite a rigid evaluation process and then an intergovernmental decision before it got inscribed in 2017 on the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity.”
“I think we can safely say that Kumbhmela is not threatened to disappear. In fact, I understand that the last Kumbhmela was 12 years ago here. It was 2013 and there was about 250 million. Now there's over 550 million people. So, the challenge isn't preserving, in a sense, the practice which is thriving. The challenge is preserving the environment in which it happens, preserving the meaning of it, allowing enough people to get access to it. So, I think those are the challenges that are being faced. That when you do have this amount of people converge on one place, there are environmental impacts that need to be managed. We've seen, I think, people are getting better and not throwing away litter so much and all of that. So those are the kinds of the challenges. I would say the cultural tradition itself is alive and well and in no sense about to disappear.”
“This kind of event on a scale like this, it really is something that brings together people from all over the country and from the international community. And it gives people a sense of connection and belonging and cohesion that really you can't do in any other way. And I think this is why we have to say that heritage is these buildings, but it's more than these buildings. It's what we do as people, and this is really a unique and amazing example of that.”
International visitors, including Eguzki from Spain and a pilgrim from the Czech Republic, shared their spiritual experiences.
SOUNDBITE (English) Eguzki, Pilgrim, Spain:
“I'm very happy to be in the Maha Kumbh Mela, mainly because after 144 years, this cosmic event means a lot for the planets and also for the beings.”
SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Rajesh Pandey, Pilgrim, India:
“The Maha Kumbh has arrived after 144 years, and this is a great fortune for us. Today, we have not come here just to cleanse our bodies; this is a sacred dip in faith.”
The Mahakumbh Mela is an ancient Hindu tradition, recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage. Pilgrims take a holy dip to cleanse their sins and attain spiritual enlightenment. The 2025 Mahakumbh was especially significant due to a rare astronomical alignment occurring after 144 years, which many believed had deep spiritual and cosmic significance.
Approximately 660 million devotees from India and around the world participated, including Hindu saints, ascetics, Naga Sadhus, and pilgrims.
