PRAYAGRAJ/NEW DELHI, Jan. 29 -- It is an event that organisers spend years to set up, given the sheer scale of visitors it attracts. But authorities at the Maha Kumbh are struggling to handle a rising tide of devotees inundating Prayagraj this week, leaving the mela grounds packed far beyond capacity and ensuring that systems put meticulously in place are stretched to the limit.

The deluge ahead of the most auspicious day of the 45-day spectacle, Mauni Amavasya on Tuesday, has sent air and train fares zooming, and even spilled over across other religious towns, forcing authorities at the Ram Temple in faraway Ayodhya to issue appeals to people to defer their visits.

The administration at the Maha Kumbh, elated and inundated at the same ...