The devout believe that simply by bathing in the Ganges zone is freed from their past sins (karma), and thus one becomes eligible for liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Other activities include religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy men and women and the poor, and religious assemblies where doctrines are debated and standardized. Kumbh Mela (especially the Maha Kumbh Mela) is the most sacred of all the Hindu pilgrimages. Millions of holy men and women (saints , monks, and sadhus) attend this spectacle of faith.

The Kumbh mela is huge gathering of Sadhus & Gurus from all over india & abroad. They come in Millions from all the corners for this common goal. There are thousand of sect in India the most common are two, Vaishnava ( Followers of Vishnu ) & Shaiva ( Followers of Shiva ). The greatest feature of this mela are furious & exotic Naga Sadhus ( The Naked ones) covered in ash, matted hairs. They are know as preserver of faith.

This holy event with such tremendous faith has gained international fame. Famous ancient traveler. Hiuen Tsiang of China, was the first to mention Kumbha Mela in his diary. His diary mentions the celbration of 75 days of hindu month of Magha (January-February), which witnessed half a million devotee including sadhus, common man, rich & famous & kings.

Eversince than this Holy event has seen considerable increase in the attendence of devotees During days of Shankara back in 8th century the Kumbh mela saw a growth to enormous proportions, In 1977 there were 15 million pilgrims, whereas in 1989 this number increased to 29 million & during 2001 Maha Kumbha Mela drew an estimated 70 million people over 44 days, making this the largest single gathering of humanity in recorded history.