Mahakumbh 2025, held in Prayagraj, India, represents the largest peaceful human gathering in recorded history, attracting more than 660 million pilgrims over a period of 45 days. Existing studies on mega-events primarily evaluate state performance through administrative indicators such as infrastructure development, public service delivery, security arrangements, and crowd management. This paper argues that Mahakumbh 2025 demonstrates a broader and evolving dimension of state capacity that extends beyond bureaucratic efficiency and institutional effectiveness. Drawing upon the theoretical perspectives of Goenaga (2019), Gomide, Pereira, and Machado (2018), and the literature on behavioural public policy, the study conceptualises Behavioural State Capacity as the ability of the state to influence collective behaviour through communication, cultural narratives, technological platforms, and institutional legitimacy.
The paper further analyses the economic implications of Mahakumbh 2025, highlighting its significant contribution to tourism, employment generation, local business development, infrastructure creation, and regional economic growth. It argues that the event generated substantial multiplier effects while strengthening Uttar Pradesh’s position as a global religious tourism destination. The findings suggest that Mahakumbh 2025 represents a new model of governance in which administrative capacity, digital governance, and behavioural mobilisation operate simultaneously to facilitate large-scale collective action. By introducing the concept of Behavioural State Capacity, this study extends the contemporary literature on state capacity and offers a new analytical framework for understanding governance in large-scale public events, religious tourism, and behavioural public policy.