MAHAKUMBH NAGAR, Feb. 26 -- The Mahakumbh, a grand spectacle of faith and devotion that has set many benchmarks in infrastructure development and crowd and traffic management, has already drawn 64 crore pilgrims to the Sangam banks even as authorities prepare for its grand conclusion on Mahashivratri on Wednesday.

While the pilgrims' footfall has already breached the earlier anticipated 50-crore mark, all signs indicate that the total count may easily surpass the revised official estimate of 66 crore before the 45-day mega fair, which began on January 13, ends.

The scale of this achievement can be gauged from the fact that the 55-day-long Kumbh of 2019 drew around 24 crore devotees. The Mahakumbh of 2025 fair has already witnessed footf...