Maha Kumbh 2025 | Mamta Kulkarni as mahamandelshwashar, IITian Baba and all those who went viral this year

The Maha Kumbh, billed to be the world’s largest gathering, ends on Wednesday.

In the 45 days of the mela, we saw and read about many quircky people and their stories, here are some of them:

'His third eye opened up': Sadhu thrashes YouTuber over one too many questions

A video went viral of a sadhu who was being asked questions by a YouTuber. But what follows next had the internet talking. Seemingly irritated by a question, the sadhu suddenly stands up and starts thrashing the man with a pair of tongs who then flees from his tent. The sadhu, however, soon regains his composure and later on even blesses another man who comes in.

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Influencer goes viral as 'Beautiful Sadhvi', earns ire of saints and seers

Social activist and influencer Harsha Richaria

Many sadhus and sadhvis went viral for various reasons, mostly based on how they looked or what quirks they had.

Referred to as the 'Beautiful Sadhvi', anchor, social activist and influencer Harsha Richaria stirred a controversy at the ongoing Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj after she was seen atop a ‘rath’ (chariot) along with other seers during the ‘peshwai’ (a procession by the seers, naga sadhus of a akhara while entering the Fair), of one of the akharas. This has apparently triggered strong reactions from a section of the saint community.

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The IITian baba

IITian Baba, aka, Abhay Singh.

From aerospace engineer to sadhu, Abhay Singh Grewal’s journey made waves online. As an IIT-Bombay aerospace engineering student who turned into a sadhu and then attended the Maha Kumbh, his viral social media videos took the internet by storm.

He was among the various sadhus that gained fame in the first few days of Maha Kumbh.

Check out the others here:

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Monalisa Bhosle and the perils of fame

Monalisa Bhosle

A garland seller from Madhya Pradesh's Indore, Monalisa Bhosle, who had become an internet sensation for her amber eyes during Maha Kumbh 2025, faced an unfortunate incident.

Monalisa, who had come to sell handmade garlands and rudraksh beads, was praised and admired for her beauty and confident interaction with visitors which also made her the centre of attraction.

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Not your typical lost in Kumbh story: After 27 years, Jharkhand family 'finds' lost member, now a monk

A Jharkhand family on Wednesday claimed to have traced their lost member at the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, ending a search for 27 long years.

The lost member, Gangasagar Yadav, is now a 65-year-old ‘Aghori’ monk Baba Rajkumar who belongs to a particular monastic order of sadhus.

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Piety and profit: ‘Kumbh Chaiwala’ claims he earned Rs 5,000 gain in a day by selling tea

Shubham Prajapat.

A content creator, Shubham Prajapat, who is calling himself 'Kumbh Chaiwala', set up a tea stall at the gathering in a bid to see how much money he could earn. His claims of earning a profit of Rs 5,000 in a single day captured the attention of the internet.

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Might as well make some money: Students ply two-wheelers to become pilgrims' lifeline at Maha Kumbh

A person at the Maha Kumbh ferrying the elderly

Young locals on motorcycles and scooters are ferrying pilgrims through massive crowds at the Kumbh Mela religious festival, creating a lucrative temporary business for students.

While some pilgrims welcomed the service, others criticised the high fares, choosing instead to walk with their luggage to take the holy dip.

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Mumbai to Maha Kumbh with generosity: Content creator's hitchhiking journey melts heart on internet

Content creator Divya Fofani

In a rare adventure, content creator Divya Fofani completed his journey from Mumbai to Mahakumbh for the holy dip without spending a single rupee, relying solely on generosity of kind strangers.

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Remote devotion

Unable to attend the even in person many people resorted to creative methods to show their devotion anyway.

In one viral video, the creative residents of a housing society in Noida turned their swimming pool into a makeshift Triveni Sangam.

Another one saw a woman attempting a 'digital snan' for her husband by immersing her phone in the water at Triveni Sangam.

Both incidents drew the ire of netizens over the intent of devotion and civic sense.

Mahamandelshwashar Mamta Kulkarni

Actor Mamta Kulkarni consecrated as 'mahamandaleshwar'. 

Actor-turned-sadhvi Mamata Kulkarni, anointed as a mahamandelshwashar of the Kinnar Akhara also hogged limelight, triggering a controversy following objection from some seers, leading to her resignation, which was later withdrawn.

The tragedies that no one wanted

While the whole event was filled with quircky people and moments, there were also many tragedies, from fires to deaths and more. The major ones were the stampedes, one at the venue itself and one at the New Delhi station. The stampede near Sangam banks lead to 30 deaths allegedly due to overcrowding, while the station stampede led to 18 lives being claimed.

(With PTI and DHNS inputs)