The Prayagraj Kumbh Mela area
How a temporary city of sectors, pontoon bridges and camps is built on the floodplain around the Sangam — and how to find your way in it.
Mela area (2025)
~4,000 ha
About 40 sq km of floodplain, in 25 sectors
Riverside ghats (2025)
~12 km
Temporary bathing ghats along the Ganga and Yamuna
Parking (2025)
~1,850 ha
Held at the edges, far from the bathing zones
The idea
A city that exists for a few months
The Prayagraj Kumbh is not held in the city of Prayagraj so much as next to it. For most of the year, the land around the Sangam is sandy floodplain — much of it under water in the monsoon. Once the Ganga and Yamuna fall back after the rains, the administration levels that land and builds an entire temporary city on it: roads, bridges, water mains, power lines, hospitals, police stations, markets and tens of thousands of tents.
For the 2025 Maha Kumbh this temporary city covered roughly 4,000 hectares, divided into 25 sectors, with around 12 km of riverside ghats and more than 450 km of temporary roads. Parking alone took up about 1,850 hectares. When the Mela ends, almost all of it is dismantled before the next monsoon floods the ground again.
A district of its own
The Mela ground is run as a separate administrative unit. For 2025, Uttar Pradesh notified a temporary Mahakumbh Mela district on 1 December 2024, covering 66 villages from four tehsils — Sadar, Soraon, Phulpur and Karchana — plus the Parade area, under a Mela Adhikari with the powers of a district magistrate. A similar temporary district was created for the 2019 Kumbh.
The three banks
How the ground is divided by the rivers
Two rivers cut the Mela ground into three parts. Knowing which one you're on is the key to finding your way.
| Area | Where | What you'll find |
|---|---|---|
| City side (Parade Ground & Sangam) | Between the Ganga and the Yamuna, below the fort | The main entry routes from the city, the Sangam nose bathing area, administrative and control centres |
| Jhusi | East bank of the Ganga | Large camp and tent areas, bathing ghats along the Ganga; reached by pontoon bridges and the Shastri Bridge |
| Arail | South bank of the Yamuna, facing the fort | Tent cities and camps with views across to the Sangam; linked to Naini and the Naini Bridge |
Which sectors fall on which bank changes from Mela to Mela.
Moving around
How the temporary city works
Sectors
The ground is split into numbered sectors, each with its own police post, health centre and facilities. Your camp, your parking and the akhadas are all identified by sector number.
Pontoon bridges
Floating bridges on pontoons are laid across the Ganga to join the city side with Jhusi. They are usually one-way for pedestrians on busy days, so the bridge you cross on may not be the one you return by.
Parking on the rim
Vehicles are stopped at parking areas on the approach roads. From there it is shuttle buses, e-rickshaws or walking — often several kilometres on major bathing days.
One-way flows
On Amrit Snan days, routes to the ghats are made one-way, with separate entry and exit paths and holding areas along the way.
The akhada zone
The thirteen akhadas get a dedicated zone with their own procession route to the Sangam; parts of it are closed to the public while processions move.
Worth knowing
Permanent landmarks to steer by
The temporary city changes each time, but a few things don't: the fort above the Sangam, the Bade Hanuman temple beside it, the Shastri Bridge over the Ganga to Jhusi, and the Naini cable-stayed bridge over the Yamuna. Use them to orient yourself.
Where each akhada fits: The 13 Akhadas →
Through the year
The same ground, every year
| Event | How often | Scale on the ground |
|---|---|---|
| Magh Mela | Every year, around January–February | A smaller temporary city on the same floodplain, home to the month-long kalpavas |
| Ardh Kumbh | Midway through the 12-year cycle | A large Mela laid out much like a Kumbh |
| Kumbh / Maha Kumbh | Every 12 years | The full temporary city, at its largest |
For the dates of each, see Prayagraj on Kumbh Mela Dates.
Before you go
Finding your way in the Mela
Note your sector and bridge
Write down your camp's sector, the nearest pontoon bridge number and a landmark. Signal can drop in crowds.
Agree a meeting point
Pick a fixed, easy-to-find spot for your group — a numbered bridge head or a police post — in case you get separated.
Expect to walk
On big days, the walk from parking to the ghats can run to several kilometres. Wear comfortable footwear and carry water.
Use lost-and-found centres
The Mela runs lost-and-found (khoya-paya) centres. Children should carry a card with a phone number.
Stay near your bank
Crossing from Jhusi or Arail to the city side and back can take a long time on busy days. Plan your day around one bank.
Follow the official app
The Mela administration publishes maps, sector lists and advisories through its official channels for each event.
Keep exploring
Continue exploring
Triveni Sangam
The bathing point at the centre of it all.
Ghats of Prayagraj
The permanent ghats around the Mela ground.
The 13 akhadas
Who camps where, in every city.
Questions
Frequently asked
For the 2025 Maha Kumbh the temporary Mela city covered roughly 4,000 hectares (about 40 sq km), divided into 25 sectors.
The land around the Sangam is only exposed after the monsoon. The Mela uses this open ground, which floods again the following monsoon.
Temporary floating bridges laid on pontoons across the Ganga to link the city side with Jhusi. They are removed after the Mela.
The area on the east bank of the Ganga opposite the Sangam, with large camp areas during the Mela.
The area on the south bank of the Yamuna, facing the fort, with tent cities and camps during the Mela.
During the Mela it is run as a temporary district. For 2025, a Mahakumbh Mela district was notified from 1 December 2024 to 31 March 2025.