It is very heartening to note that several Xatras have made their presence felt in the ongoing Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj by way of displaying the various rich cultures of the Xatras established in the wonderful tradition established by Srimanta Sankaradeva, one of the greatest saint-reformers India has ever produced. As reported by this newspaper, the initiative comprises performing a Bhaona and some Xatriya dance forms, apart from organising daily Naam-prasanga and Bhagavat-path at the world’s largest religious and spiritual congregation, which is going on at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati, three rivers that are considered the holiest of the holy by every Indian. One Xatra has also set up a temporary Naam-ghar with a Monikut in the Mahakumbh Mela in the typical style as exists in Majuli, where a number of bhakats from the world’s largest river island have descended to perform daily Naam-prasanga. It is indeed a great opportunity to showcase Assam’s rich Xatriya culture, especially in view of the fact that the Mahakumbh Mela has attracted millions of people from all over the world. Another group from the state, meanwhile, has performed Assam’s traditional puppetry at the Mahakumbh Mela. Religious tourism, or pilgrim travel, has for centuries remained very popular in India, and showcasing Assam’s rich Xatriya culture at such a massive congregation can in fact work wonders by way of attracting an increasing number of visitors to the state in general and Majuli in particular. Like the Mahakumbh Mela, which attracts not just dedicated devotees but also other tourists, proper marketing and showcasing Majuli—particularly its Raas Mahotsav, which falls in November—can bring tourists to Assam from all over the world who come to the country on their journey of spiritual tourism. It is important to note that there has been a surge in spiritual tourism in India in the post-pandemic era, and both Majuli and Kamakhya have registered a phenomenal increase in the number of visitors in the past couple of years.