The Kumbh Mela festival, the largest religious gathering in the world, has begun in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj.

Days before India started its mammoth Kumbh Mela festival, a video showing preparations for a nighttime light show surfaced in social media posts that falsely linked it to the six-week Hindu event. The video was in fact originally published by a US-based drone show company and shows a Christmas celebration.

An unrelated video is being shared on the internet to falsely claim that it shows former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates attending the ongoing 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela.

Over 2.5 million devotees participated in a holy dip at Triveni Sangam during Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. With 70 million total participants by January 16, prohibitory orders have been enforced until February 28 to ensure peace amid upcoming religious festivals and examinations.

The Maha Kumbh Mela, or the Great Pitcher Festival, will bring more than 400 million people to Prayagraj city in northern India over a period of six weeks starting Monday, making it the largest gathering of humanity in the world.