Maha Kumbh 2025: This Mumbai mother-daughter duo embarked on a trip from Goregaon to Prayagraj

Sunita and Diya Pandey travelled by road to the Maha Kumbh Mela last week, and for them, this spiritual journey was so much more than just the final destination

The road from Mumbai to Prayagraj stretches long and endless, cutting through bustling towns, quiet villages and dense forests. The landscape shifts from urban skylines to open highways, and finally, to the sacred city where the Maha Kumbh Mela is currently happening. Held from January 13 to February 26, this celestial event which occurs every 144 years, is the largest religious human gathering in the world, drawing millions of devotees and spiritual seekers to cleanse themselves through a sacred dip in the holy waters.

For Sunita Pandey and her daughter, Diya, the road to Kumbh was no ordinary journey. It was a spontaneous decision and more importantly, a pilgrimage born out of an unshakeable calling to witness Maha Kumbh 2025.

Sunita—a businesswoman who runs a cloth manufacturing company named Varalakshmi Ethnic Wear LLP that supplies materials for various brands including Soch, Chennai Silk, Taruni, Seasons and Pothis—had initially travelled from Mumbai to Delhi for a wedding. In the midst of the celebrations, a thought struck her: if she could take time off from her busy schedule for a wedding, why not for Maha Kumbh, which is a once-in-a-lifetime spiritual gathering?

The duo passed through Nagpur and Pench, which was especially scenic because they saw elephants, a cheetah, and even a leopard crossing the road right in front of their car

This is when Sunita decided that attending the event was a must. “The whole trip was very last-minute,” she recalls. “Once I decided I definitely wanted to attend the Mela, we started looking at flight ticket prices, and oh boy, they were expensive! And there were three of us—my business associate, my daughter, and I. Funding a flight trip with that kind of price was way above my budget. So that’s when we planned to go by car.”

“My mom and I are both very big fans of road trips,” adds Diya, a 22-year-old B Tech student at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS). The spontaneity of it all made the 24-hour journey even more exciting. Within two hours of their decision, they packed their bags and set off at 8 am on January 23, embarking on the 1,400-kilometer journey from their home in Goregaon West to Prayagraj.

Their first stop was Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, about 12 hours into the journey. Finding a hotel at the last minute proved to be a challenge, but they finally secured a stay at Royal Orbit Hotel, which was just off the Jabalpur Highway and was a welcome respite from the road.

The Maha Kumbh Mela, being held from January 13 to February 26 this year, is the largest religious gathering in the world

“A cousin of mine who lives in Ayodhya suggested that since we were already in Jabalpur, we should definitely visit Maihar Devi Temple, which is also a Shakti Peeth,” recalls Sunita.

A Shakti Peeth is a sacred shrine dedicated to the goddess Shakti and is considered a place of immense spiritual energy. There are 51 Shakti Peeths in India, each associated with different legends of the goddess’s divine power. 

The temple, perched atop a hill, was accessible via a ropeway. The experience of soaring up toward the sacred site added an unexpected dimension to their trip—a moment that Sunita describes as one of peace and reflection. “It was amazing how, along with Maha Kumbh, we could also experience visiting a Shakti Peeth,” adds Diya.

After their visit to this holy shrine, the Pandeys re-embarked on our journey to Prayagraj. Their journey continued along the Samruddhi Mahamarg, also known as the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway.

“It was a very smooth journey,” recalls Diya. “We passed through Nagpur and Pench, which was especially scenic because the car was moving through the forest—we saw elephants, a cheetah, and even a majestic leopard crossing the road right in front of our car! This is not something you can see while travelling by flight,” she exclaims. “With a flight, you get on board and then reach your destination. Road trips are all about experiencing the journey.”

By nightfall on January 24, they reached Prayagraj and checked into VIP tents in Naini, a satellite town on the outskirts. The accommodations, despite costing R10,000 per night, were comfortable, with clean facilities—a much-needed convenience given the magnitude of the event.

At 5 am the next morning, they joined the band of devotees making their way toward the river for the sacred snan. Walking a few kilometers from their stay, they boarded a boat to the Triveni Sangam, which is the confluence of the holy rivers of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. 

“Riding the boat was a surreal experience—I could see devotees in their element on the ghats, migrant birds flying overhead, cool winds blowing over our faces, the sun rising—and the whole experience was just magical,” says Pandey. “When we passed the Triveni Sangam, it was beyond scenic.” 

“From the boat we were in, we hopped onto another still boat that was parked at one of the ghats. From there, we could go down into the river, which was only about three feet deep, and dip ourselves into the holy waters,” recalls Sunita. 

After the ritual bath, they wandered through the Mela, attending a Ram Katha sermon by Morari Bapu and just exploring. By evening, they packed their bags and set off on the return trip to Mumbai. 

“When I returned to Mumbai, I was a completely new person,” shares Diya. “I felt like I had become more accepting of new things, and had let go of the ones that were hurting me .” 

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