Mahakumbh is a historic religious festival of millions of Hindus around the world. It is about to end after being celebrated as a 45-day festival. Mahakumbh, which started with formal inauguration on 29th December in Prayagraj, India, is being formally concluded today on 14th February.

This fair, which is held every 12 years on the banks of various holy rivers in India, has become an important center of religious faith, cultural magnificence and economic activity. In 2017, UNESCO declared the Mahakumbh Mela as 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity'. Mahakumbh Mela is the most religious and cultural gathering place. Mahakumbh is not only a festival of Hindus but also a unique festival of human civilization.

Millions of Nepalis participated in this festival. Nepal itself is a country with great potential for religious tourism. We have many pilgrimage sites like Pashupatinath, Muktinath, Janakpurdham, Pathibhara etc.

In a huge religious festival like Mahakumbh, Nepal could promote its religious places. One could formally participate by taking a special place (space) in the Mahakumbh. This would increase the international recognition of the holy pilgrimage sites of Nepal like: Pashupatinath, Janakpurdham, Ugratara Temple, Muktinath etc.

Nepal is considered a holy land for Hindus, Nepal had an opportunity to promote its religious heritage in big religious fairs like Mahakumbha. However, this time Nepal did not seem to have any special participation in the Mahakumbh Mela. If Nepal had reached there on this occasion and participated through a special stall or a cultural team, the religious and historical places of Nepal could have been promoted globally. Mahakumbh used to promote our religious heritage internationally. 

Mahakumbh was attended by millions of devotees. If Nepal had a stall promoting its religious places there, it could have inspired tourists to visit Nepal. If only 10 million of the 600 million pilgrims who came to Mahakumbh could be promoted to our pilgrimage site, this Mahakumbh would have proved to be a milestone for our religious tourism. 

We have immense potential for religious tourism. Our historic monasteries, stupas and other religious sites can attract tourists from all over the world. A large number of religious tourists come to Nepal, especially from India. In 2023, out of 1 million 14 thousand 882 tourists who came to Nepal, 13.1 percent i.e. 132 thousand 949 were religious tourists.

Similarly, in the first six months of 2023, 476,481 tourists came to Nepal, but only 26,665 Indian tourists came to Nepal in one month. As places like Pashupatinath Temple, Janakpurdham, Muktinath are of special importance for India, the number of Indian religious tourists coming to Nepal is constantly increasing.

These statistics also make it clear that there is a great potential for religious tourism in Nepal. It also seems that Nepal will be a major religious destination for Indian pilgrims. But unfortunately! This time, by actively participating in international religious fairs like Mahakumbha, Nepal lost a golden opportunity to promote its religious places.

Nepal's participation in Mahakumbh would promote our religious and cultural heritage and strengthen cultural and historical relations between Nepal and India. Religious and cultural relations between Nepal and India have existed since ancient times. If they had participated in the Mahakumbh, these relations could have been further strengthened. 

In order to promote religious tourism, it is inevitable for the Nepalese government to participate in big religious fairs like Mahakumbha. The identity of Nepal is not only the beauty of nature but also our religious and cultural heritage. Nepal could do its international 'branding' by participating in big religious and cultural fairs like Mahakumbha.

In the future, Nepal should not lag behind in participating in such religious and cultural festivals by activating its religious institutions and temples and tourism boards. Apart from this, we should not lag behind in developing a package to connect the religious places of Nepal-India.

Nepal can make religious tourism a means of economic prosperity by promoting its religious and cultural heritage. For this reason, it is too late to make proper use of great opportunities like Mahakumbha.

There are many opportunities for Nepal to promote religious and cultural festivals like Kumbh Mela. Nepal is a center of Vedic Sanatan tradition, where there are many religious places. According to the concept of Kumbh Mela, if Nepal can organize a big religious festival, it can attract religious tourists from India and other countries.

By organizing large religious fairs at Pashupatinath and other places, Nepal can become a major tourist destination for Hindus. Kumbh Mela in India attracts millions of pilgrims, which greatly benefits hotels, transport, food, cultural production and local businesses. If Nepal can also organize a religious fair like the Kumbh Mela here, there can be a massive increase in the tourism business. 

Kumbh Mela is not only a place to display religious faith but it is also an important means of promoting cultural heritage. Nepal has its own traditional religious festivals, such as Hariharkshetra Mela, Matatirtha Aunsi, Gangadashahara, Sripanchami etc. If these festivals are effectively promoted, Nepal's cultural identity at the international level can be further strengthened.