Massive cleanliness drive at Maha Kumbh aims for Guinness World Record

A record-breaking cleanliness drive took place at the ongoing Maha Kumbh, with 15,000 sanitation workers participating in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record.

The large-scale initiative was carried out across multiple venues, marking a significant effort to maintain hygiene at one of the world’s largest religious gatherings. The final results of the record attempt will be announced on February 27.

Guinness World Records adjudicator Rishi Nath explained the detailed verification process for the attempt. "We have a multiple-layered evaluation system. The first system is the QR code system. So, each participant is given a wristband with a unique QR code. And as they enter the attempt area, that is scanned. And that data is logged into a central database. This happens across all four venues of the attempts," he said.

He further elaborated on the monitoring process, saying, "The second system is that when people are attempting the record, for every 50 participants, there is one steward who will observe them and make sure that all of them are adhering to the guidelines of the record attempt. Finally, we have an auditing team with us. They are stationed across the five locations, and they will also look at the steward forms, look at the QR code count, and give us a final report. The announcement is going to take place on the 27th of this month."

Meanwhile, Maha Kumbh 2025 has seen an unprecedented turnout of devotees. As of February 23, more than 620 million people had taken a dip in the sacred Sangam. On Monday alone, over 9 million devotees participated in the ritual by 2:00 pm.