India: 300km traffic jam on route to Maha Kumbh leaves pilgrims stranded

Prayagraj: A sea of vehicles stretching up to 300 kilometres turned the roads leading to the Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj into a massive parking lot, leaving hundreds of thousands of devotees stranded for hours.

The unprecedented congestion forced many to remain stuck in their vehicles, some even hundreds of kilometres away from the fair site on Sunday and Monday.

A day earlier, heavy traffic heading toward Prayagraj had already led to police stopping hundreds of vehicles in different areas of Madhya Pradesh to prevent overcrowding.

The extreme bottleneck, which social media users dubbed the "world's biggest traffic jam," reportedly extended across 200 to 300 kilometres, affecting pilgrims travelling through Madhya Pradesh.

The situation prompted the state police to halt traffic across multiple districts, leaving travellers stuck for long hours on highways.

Meanwhile, authorities in Madhya Pradesh responded by halting vehicular movement in multiple districts. In Katni, police announced through loudspeakers that traffic had been stopped until Monday. In Maihar, officers advised vehicles to turn back toward Katni and Jabalpur to find temporary shelter.

Several videos circulating on social media captured the extent of the congestion, with endless lines of cars and trucks clogging roads across the Katni, Jabalpur, Maihar, and Rewa districts. Eyewitnesses reported that the traffic jam spanned nearly 250 kilometres from Katni to the MP-UP border at Chakghat in Rewa district.

As the crisis unfolded, Madhya Pradesh BJP president V.D. Sharma urged party workers to assist stranded pilgrims in their respective regions. "All workers are requested to help the devotees heading to Maha Kumbh in every possible way. Arrange food and shelter if needed. Ensure that no devotee faces inconvenience. Let us play our role in this Maha Yagya," he posted on X.

Frustrated devotees have also voiced their grievances over the mismanagement of traffic. Pilgrims from Faridabad reported that what should have been a routine journey took them over 24 hours to reach Prayagraj. A family from Jaipur shared their frustration, saying they were stuck for hours just to cover a four-kilometre stretch.

With the Maha Kumbh continuing until February 26, authorities face mounting pressure to resolve the traffic chaos and ensure smoother movement for the remaining weeks of the grand religious gathering.