Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges
In production, coming to BBC One in 2025
Journalist and presenter Amol Rajan joins up to 500 million pilgrims from all over the globe who come together for the world’s largest religious festival.
This is a profoundly personal journey for Amol, who was born in India to a practising Hindu family. Amol has struggled to come to terms with the death of his father three years ago and hopes that reconnecting with his birthplace, at one of Hinduism's most important religious events, could help him process his grief.
Along the way, Amol meets pilgrims spread out across 20 square miles of the temporary megacity, erected in just a few weeks on the banks of the rivers. Those gathered range from smartphone-wielding urbanites to rural farming families, together with mystics and holy men, prophets and warrior monks, as they wait their turn to immerse themselves in the sacred waters.
But attending the largest gathering of people in history is not without risks and Amol comes face to face with the tragic side of pilgrimage. On the most auspicious bathing day an estimated 60 million people arrive at the festival and there is a dangerous stampede that leads to at least 30 dying and more injured. Amol must abandon his plans as surging crowds cause chaos and confusion. While the authorities race to keep the festival going safely, he must navigate his own feelings towards the tragedy and assess whether to make it to the river at all.