- As per the reports, the NFTs will be minted over the Polygon blockchain and will be available through real-world assets (RWAs).
- The UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity includes Kumbh Mela which has been attended by well-known celebrities.
- At the time of Holi, when IRCTC sponsored NFT-train ticketing, IRCTC stated that these tickets were not just digital tokens, they were also a celebration of the rich cultural heritage.
Indian Railways has collaborated with Chaincode Consulting to provide NFT-based tickets for the MahaKumbh Mela festival, merging with the Polygon blockchain for scalability. The Railways has decided to provide a non-fungible token (NFT)–based train ticket to every passenger going to MahaKumbh Mela, celebrated in a cycle of every 12 years.
On January 12, blockchain company Chaincode Consulting revealed a collaboration with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to digitalize the travel of persons going on a spiritual journey.
Why Polygon blockchain?
As per the reports, the NFTs will be minted over the Polygon blockchain and will be available through the real-world assets (RWAs) as well as traceability platform NFTtrace. The Polygon blockchain was a choice for this step because of its swifter throughput and reduced gas fees.
It will help in permitting scalability and environmental sustainability, as per the announcement. The Chief Executive Officer of Chaincode Consulting spoke about introducing blockchain to the massive spiritual event in India and stated that by collaborating with Indian Railways and using the Polygon blockchain, we are permitting a virtual-first experience.
It will complement the spiritual and traditional worthiness of the Mahakumbh at the same time, introducing a new step of engagement by NFTs. On the IRCTC website, around 1.2 million train tickets are booked, and the new NFT-based involvement aims to captivate participants all over the globe.
The UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity includes Kumbh Mela which has been attended by well-known celebrities, including actor Richard Gere, movie director David Lynch, and Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama.
Some prominent celebrities who are going to attend the Mela in 2025 are Laurene Jobs, widow of Steve Jobs, the ex-chief executive officer of Apple, as per the Times of India. Before this, Indian Railways sponsored a limited-time NFT train ticketing in March last year on the occasion of Holi.
At the time of Holi, when IRCTC sponsored NFT-train ticketing, IRCTC stated that these tickets were not just digital tokens, they were also a celebration of the rich cultural heritage of the Indian cities of Lucknow and Delhi.
The personalized NFTs provided by Indian Railways can be verified on the blockchain by authorities and the public. So far, the firm has balanced the records of train ticket purchases on the Hyperledger blockchain and onboarded smart contracts to control the traceability process.