Today, a Kumbh Mela is held roughly once every twelve years in Hardiwar, Ujjian and Nashik.
"It's a very good mela, very well organised, " says Shambhu Lal, who lives in Banda district.
The Kumbh Mela has been held on the banks of the Ganges for thousands of years.
Kumbh Mela chief Devesh Chaturvedi said "by evening the number of bathers had crossed 30 million".
Security helicopters have been flying high over the sprawling Kumbh Mela grounds in order to monitor crowds.
"I have attended the last three Kumbh Mela but the joy this time is unmatched, " he said.
The 14 hospitals at the Mela grounds have already treated more than 150, 000 pilgrims since the opening.
BBC: India's Kumbh Mela: Tight security for key festival day
However, government officials say their proposal for the Kumbh Mela festival has not been formally dropped either.
The Kumbh Mela, which translates to "water-pitcher festival, " is believed to be at least two millennia old.
Mela means a fair, and as with all fairs plenty of business is done at Kumbh Melas.
What is a farm owner from Australia doing with a boat at the Kumbh Mela festival in India?
Hindu saints say the Kumbh Mela belongs to them, and no decision can be taken without prior consultations.
The last Kumbh Mela, held in Hardiwar in 2010, was attended by an estimated 40 to 70 million pilgrims.
Top names from urban, Bhangra and Bollywood music have been lined up to appear at this year's Glasgow Mela.
It's night now, the temperature has dipped, and the bright lights around the mela grounds have been switched on.
Thousands of policemen, along with paramilitary forces and commandos, have been deployed to ensure security in the mela ground.
BBC: India's Kumbh Mela: Tight security for key festival day
But there is much more to the Mela than shahi snaan and naga sadhus (sacred dips and naked ascetics).
FORBES: Why a Harvard Finance Instructor Went to the Kumbh Mela
The once-every-12-years Hindu pilgrimage, the Maha Kumbh Mela has been taking place near the city of Allahabad in India.
The most auspicious day at the Kumbh Mela was last Sunday when some 30 million pilgrims took part in the festival.
BBC: India's Kumbh Mela: Tight security for key festival day
The Maha Kumbh Mela, a mass Hindu pilgrimage, has been taking place for thousands of years, with its origins in Hindu mythology.
The Mela was launched during the 1990 European City of Culture festivities to celebrate the traditions and customs of the Indian sub-continent.
The cut came despite 27, 000 people attending last year's Southampton Mela festival.
Yet some of the Kumbh Mela's most passionate participants could mar it.
Taking place once every 12 years, the Maha Kumbh Mela Festival begins on 27January and runs through 25 February in Allahabad, India.
"The proposal to commercialise the Kumbh Mela has not been approved, " Uttar Pradesh's Development Secretary Praveer Kumar told BBC Hindi's Ram Dutt Tripathi.
From Harvard Business School, I am here to discover what the Kumbh Mela can teach me about real estate, urbanization, sustainability, and infrastructure.
FORBES: Why a Harvard Finance Instructor Went to the Kumbh Mela
India's Kumbh Mela festival, the largest gathering in the world, happens only once every 12 years and kicked off this week in Allahabad.
The line-up announced today is set to excite and delight the many thousands of people who have Glasgow Mela firmly on their cultural calendar.
应用推荐