
The Mahakumbh Mela 2025 began on January 13, 2025, with the Paush Purnima Snan, and will conclude on February 26, 2025, aligning with Maha Shivratri. These sacred bathing rituals, or Shahi Snans, are believed to purify the soul and wash away sins, making them the spiritual highlights of the event.
Amid this, on social media, a video of blowing the Conch (shank) has gone viral. While sharing the video, users wrote, “A world record was set by blowing the Shankh continuously for 2 minutes and 49 seconds at the opening ceremony of the Kumbh Mela. This is the power of ancient Hinduism!”

Fact Check
During the investigation, DFRAC found the claim to be false. We found a similar video on the YouTube channel ‘VK News’ uploaded on February 13, 2023, titled “A devotee blew a conch on the Ganga Ghat in such a way that even President Murmu kept looking at it.”
Furthermore, we found multiple media reports regarding President Draupadi Murmu’s visit to Varanasi. According to an ‘ANI News’ report published on February 13, 2023, “President Draupadi Murmu on Monday visited Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple after offering prayers at the Kotwal Baba Kaal Bhairav temple in Varanasi. The President also attended the grand Ganga Aarti at the Dashashwamedh Ghat in the evening,” said a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office.

Moreover, we also found a report from the ‘Times of India’ published on February 14, 2023, which states, “On her maiden visit to the holy city of Kashi, President Draupadi Murmu offered prayers at Kaal Bhairav and Kashi Vishwanath temples before viewing the rejuvenated KV Dham and taking part in Ganga Aarti on Monday.”

Conclusion
It is evident from DFRAC’s fact check that the claim of a world record being set by blowing the Shankh at the opening ceremony of the Kumbh Mela is false. In reality, the video is from President Draupadi Murmu’s visit to Varanasi and dates back to February 2023.