Sadhus or Hindu holy men from Panchayati Bada Udasin Akhara take part in a religious procession during "Peshwai" or the arrival of the members of an akhara or sect of sadhus ahead of the "Maha Kumbh Mela", or the Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, January 12, 2025. REUTERS / Adnan Abidi
A Sadhu or a Hindu holy man blows a conch as he prays on the day devotees take a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers, during the "Maha Kumbh Mela", or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, January 13, 2025. REUTERS / Adnan Abidi
More than 400 million people are expected to arrive over the next 45 days in what has been called the largest gathering of humans in the world. Reuters
A woman devotee at the festival. Reuters
A Hindu devotee prays before taking a dip at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the first day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo / Ashwini Bhatia)
Taking a dip during the festival is considered auspicious by Hindus. AFP
Hindu devotees gather along the banks of Sangam, the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj on January 13, 2025. Vast crowds of Hindu pilgrims in India began bathing in sacred waters on January 13, as the Kumbh Mela festival opened, with organisers expecting 400 million people -- the largest gathering of humanity. (Photo by Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP)
Rescue personnel ferry a boat for security measures at Sangam. AFP
Devotees cross pontoon bridges to take their holy dip. Reuters
The millennia-old Kumbh Mela, a sacred show of religious piety and ritual bathing, is held at the site where the holy Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers meet. AFP
A sadhu takes part in a religious procession. Reuters
Hindu devotees watch a laser show on the banks of the river Yamuna. Reuters
A sadhu offers prayers at Juna Akhara at Kumbh Mela. EPA
Sadhus or Hindu holy men from Panchayati Bada Udasin Akhara take part in a religious procession during "Peshwai" or the arrival of the members of an akhara or sect of sadhus ahead of the "Maha Kumbh Mela", or the Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, January 12, 2025. REUTERS / Adnan Abidi
A Sadhu or a Hindu holy man blows a conch as he prays on the day devotees take a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers, during the "Maha Kumbh Mela", or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, January 13, 2025. REUTERS / Adnan Abidi
More than 400 million people are expected to arrive over the next 45 days in what has been called the largest gathering of humans in the world. Reuters
A woman devotee at the festival. Reuters
A Hindu devotee prays before taking a dip at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the first day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo / Ashwini Bhatia)
Taking a dip during the festival is considered auspicious by Hindus. AFP
Hindu devotees gather along the banks of Sangam, the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj on January 13, 2025. Vast crowds of Hindu pilgrims in India began bathing in sacred waters on January 13, as the Kumbh Mela festival opened, with organisers expecting 400 million people -- the largest gathering of humanity. (Photo by Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP)
Rescue personnel ferry a boat for security measures at Sangam. AFP
Devotees cross pontoon bridges to take their holy dip. Reuters
The millennia-old Kumbh Mela, a sacred show of religious piety and ritual bathing, is held at the site where the holy Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers meet. AFP
A sadhu takes part in a religious procession. Reuters
Hindu devotees watch a laser show on the banks of the river Yamuna. Reuters
A sadhu offers prayers at Juna Akhara at Kumbh Mela. EPA
Sadhus or Hindu holy men from Panchayati Bada Udasin Akhara take part in a religious procession during "Peshwai" or the arrival of the members of an akhara or sect of sadhus ahead of the "Maha Kumbh Mela", or the Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, January 12, 2025. REUTERS / Adnan Abidi