Maha Kumbh festival

Published January 13, 2013
Indian holy men sit around a bonfire amidst morning fog after arriving at Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, ahead of the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India.?Photo by AP
Indian holy men sit around a bonfire amidst morning fog after arriving at Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, ahead of the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India.?Photo by AP
A Hindu priest holds an oil lamp as he performs evening prayers near the banks of river Ganges ahead of the "Kumbh Mela" (Pitcher Festival) in the northern Indian city of Allahabad.?Photo by Reuters
A Hindu priest holds an oil lamp as he performs evening prayers near the banks of river Ganges ahead of the "Kumbh Mela" (Pitcher Festival) in the northern Indian city of Allahabad.?Photo by Reuters
Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, take part in a religious procession near the banks of the river Ganges ahead of the "Kumbh Mela" (Pitcher Festival) in the northern Indian city of Allahabad.?Photo by Reuters
Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, take part in a religious procession near the banks of the river Ganges ahead of the "Kumbh Mela" (Pitcher Festival) in the northern Indian city of Allahabad.?Photo by Reuters
A devotee prays before taking a dip in the waters of the holy Ganges river ahead of the "Kumbh Mela" (Pitcher Festival) in the northern Indian city of Allahabad.?Photo by Reuters
A devotee prays before taking a dip in the waters of the holy Ganges river ahead of the "Kumbh Mela" (Pitcher Festival) in the northern Indian city of Allahabad.?Photo by Reuters
A Hindu devotee stands in the waters of river Ganges to offer prayers to Sun god at dawn in Varanasi, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.?Photo by Reuters
A Hindu devotee stands in the waters of river Ganges to offer prayers to Sun god at dawn in Varanasi, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.?Photo by Reuters
Devotees arrive at the Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, as part of the Maha Kumbh festival, in Allahabad, India.?Photo by AP
Devotees arrive at the Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, as part of the Maha Kumbh festival, in Allahabad, India.?Photo by AP
Hindu pilgrims pray after taking a holy dip at the confluence of the river Ganges and the Bay of Bengal at Sagar Island, south of Kolkata.?Photo by Reuters
Hindu pilgrims pray after taking a holy dip at the confluence of the river Ganges and the Bay of Bengal at Sagar Island, south of Kolkata.?Photo by Reuters
Indian Sikhs perform their skills during a religious procession to start towards the Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, ahead of the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India. ?Photo by AP
Indian Sikhs perform their skills during a religious procession to start towards the Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, ahead of the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India. ?Photo by AP

Millions of Hindu pilgrims are expected to take part in the large religious congregation of a period of over a month on the banks of Sangam during the Maha Kumbh festival in January 2013, which falls every 12th year. The ceremony consists of devotees bathe for purification and is the largest religious gathering in the world, with over 40 million people in 2001.

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