Maha Kumbh Mela: Laurene Powell Jobs, the wife of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi ahead of the Maha Kumbh Mela on Saturday. Laurene, wearing a pink suit and covering her head with a white ‘dupatta’, offered prayers from outside the sanctum sanctorum. She was accompanied by Swami Kailashanand Giri Ji Maharaj of Niranjani Akhara.

#WATCH | Varanasi, UP | Kailashanand Giri Ji Maharaj of Niranjani Akhara, along with Laurene Powell Jobs, wife of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. pic.twitter.com/TMv1W3t4iw

— ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2025

 “As per our Indian tradition, in Kashi Vishwanath, no other Hindu can touch the Shivling. That’s why she was made to see the Shivling from outside… She will also stay in Kumbh and take a dip in Ganga,” said Swami Kailashanand Giri Ji Maharaj.

#WATCH | Varanasi, UP | Kailashanand Giri Ji Maharaj of Niranjani Akhara says, “I had my ‘Peshwai’ in Kumbh yesterday. Today, we have come to Kashi to pray to Mahadev that the Kumbh is completed without any obstacles… I came here to invite Mahadev… Our disciple Maharshi… pic.twitter.com/wx6khVgHWq

— ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2025

It is reported that during her 17-day stay, Laurene will observe Kalpvas, a spiritual practice followed during the Mela. Kalpvas is a deeply spiritual practice in Hinduism and is highlighted in several ancient texts, including the Mahabharata and Ramcharitmanas. It represents a period of self-purification and spiritual discipline, during which devotees engage in intense rituals and devotion. She would be staying at the camp of Swami Kaliashananda.

The Maha Kumbh Mela will begin on January 13 and conclude on February 26. Some 400 million pilgrims are expected at the grand Kumbh Mela festival in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. The main bathing rituals, also known as the Shahi Snan, will take place on January 14 (Makar Sankranti), January 29 (Mauni Amavasya), and February 3 (Basant Panchami).