Govind Ram Makhija expressed hope that the Indian government would continue to grant visas to devotees from Pakistan. "We are here and we are very happy. It is very well organized and we have been very well served. We never even imagined that it could happen", he said. He added that the joy he feels cannot be expressed in words.

More than seven people were killed in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela, or Great Pitcher Festival, in the northern Indian holy city of Prayagraj on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 in Prayagraj on February 5. The festival, world's largest spiritual gathering, began on January 13 and concludes on February 26. The Prime Minister has launched projects to improve facilities and attract global devotees to preserve India's cultural heritage.

Officials had been preparing for months for the world’s largest religious festival, with around 400 million Hindu pilgrims expected to take part

Drawn by the spiritual grandeur of the Maha Kumbh, a group of 68 Hindu devotees from Pakistan's Sindh province arrived in Prayagraj on Thursday and took a holy dip at the Sangam, praying for the peace

Modi took a boat ride from Arail Ghat to the Triveni Sangam; along the route, he acknowledged the greetings of the crowd that had lined up on both sides of the riverbank