With just days to go for the commencement of the 44-day Magh Mela in Prayagraj, the massive religious gathering is already transforming the economic landscape for hundreds of rural households. The fair, beginning on January 3 after the Paush Purnima Snan, is generating significant new livelihood opportunities, particularly for women and families engaged in traditional crafts and animal husbandry.
Earthen Stoves & Cow Dung Cakes: Women Lead the Supply Chain
More than 400 women associated with self-help groups (SHGs) from 27 villages are at the forefront of this economic activity. They are busily shaping earthen stoves, a traditional cooking essential, for the over four lakh devotees expected to observe the month-long Kalpvas on the banks of the Ganga. These stoves are a crucial requirement for the Kalpvasis, who prepare their own food during the sacred period.
Simultaneously, a robust new market for cow dung cakes, a traditional fuel, is flourishing in riverside villages. Local women are spending entire days making these cakes to meet the surge in demand from the pilgrims. Vimala Yadav from Badra Sonaoti village explains their year-round preparation, stating, "We have four buffaloes and a cow at home. We make cow dung cakes and collect them throughout the year which we later provide to the pilgrims who come to perform kalpvas here during the month of Magh."
High Demand and Administrative Decisions Boost Traditional Economy
The demand for these traditional items has received an unexpected boost from a safety directive by the Mela administration. Following incidents in the past where heaters and small gas cylinders were identified as major fire hazards, their use in the camps has been banned. This decision, as explained by ADM (Magh Mela) Dayanand Prasad, has directly increased the reliance on and demand for cow dung cakes and clay stoves.
Artisans like Aarti from Malawa Khurd village are witnessing this demand firsthand. Starting her work early in the morning with other women, Aarti has already secured orders for 7,000 clay stoves. Her products are sought after not only by individual devotees but also by the camps of various saints and sages established across the Mela grounds. Prasad added that over 5,000 social, religious, and spiritual institutions are being set up this year, accommodating the massive influx of Kalpvasis.
Wider Economic Impact Beyond Crafts
The economic ripple effect of the Magh Mela extends far beyond the craft communities. The event is providing substantial livelihood opportunities for over 15,000 families engaged in animal husbandry, thanks to the thriving market for bovine products like dung.
Furthermore, Prayagraj's boatman community, traditionally the highest-earning group during such river festivals, has high expectations for this year's Mela. Encouraged by their positive experience during the recent Maha Kumbh-2025, around 100 boatmen families are preparing to launch new boats at the Sangam. Bablu Nishad, a resident of Dashashwamedh Ghat in Daraganj, is so optimistic that he has invited relatives to join him for the entire month-long event, anticipating brisk business ferrying pilgrims across the holy waters.
Thus, the Magh Mela stands as a powerful testament to how India's grand religious traditions continue to sustain and revitalize local, rural economies, empowering women and preserving traditional industries in the process.
