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| Pilgrims travel from every corner of India for the ritual dip (AFP Photo/ CHANDAN KHANNA) |
The largest religious gathering anywhere on earth gets underway Tuesday, with tens of millions of Hindu pilgrims congregating in India to bathe in sacred rivers for the Kumbh Mela.
Organisers
are expecting the enormous spiritual festival in Allahabad to attract more than
100 million devotees over the next 48 days, with seas of pilgrims camped by the
riverside.
The ancient
city in northern Uttar Pradesh state rises alongside the banks of the Ganges,
Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers.
The
confluence of the three -- known as Sangam -- is considered especially holy and
Hindus believe bathing there during the Kumbh helps cleanse sins and brings
salvation.
"This
pilgrimage gives me peace of mind and an opportunity to reflect on my
life," said Sangeeta Gangotri, a pilgrim who travelled 650 kilometres (403
miles) from Nagpur in western Maharashtra state to Allahabad.
 |
Naked,
dread-locked holy men smeared in ash and sadhus clad in saffron
robes wander
the crowds (AFP Photo/SANJAY KANOJIA)
|
The
riverbank has transformed into a riot of noise and colour.
Naked,
dread-locked holy men smeared in ash and sadhus clad in saffron robes wander
the crowds, offering blessings to pilgrims who have travelled from every corner
of India for the ritual dip.
"All
the Gods descend on this sacred place during this period. This is the most
auspicious event for any human being," said Chandhans Pandey, a
60-year-old devotee.
"I
have been planning to attend (for) many years."
The last
major gathering in Allahabad in 2013 drew 120 million devotees, organizers said
-- with 30 million plunging into the holy waters on a single auspicious day.
Nearly
30,000 police have been deployed to oversee crowds for the huge undertaking,
and prevent stampedes that have marred previous gatherings.
 |
A tent city
with restaurants, roads and marketplaces has sprung up along
the river (AFP
Photo/SANJAY KANOJIA)
|
A tent city
with restaurants, roads and marketplaces has sprung up along the river, with
pilgrims camped out across a sprawling 45-square kilometre zone specially
earmarked for the Kumbh.
"More
people are drawn to the Kumbh now," Ganeshanand Bharamachari, a
78-year-old pilgrim from nearby Varanasi and a Kumbh veteran, told AFP.
"People,
mostly from cities, are becoming increasingly religious because the western
life they were living has not led them anywhere."
The Uttar
Pradesh state government, led by a firebrand Hindu priest, has heavily promoted
this year's Kumbh, which comes as India prepares for a general election in
April and May.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party is in power in Uttar Pradesh, visited Allahabad in December to inaugurate a high-tech command centre to manage the Kumbh.
 |
The Mela
was recognised as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in
2017 (AFP
Photo/SANJAY KANOJIA)
|
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party is in power in Uttar Pradesh, visited Allahabad in December to inaugurate a high-tech command centre to manage the Kumbh.
The
historic city was even renamed Prayagraj in October by the state's conservative
government, stripping its centuries-old Muslim moniker and replacing it with an
ancient Hindu title.
But the
city is still widely known as Allahabad, the name given by Islamic rulers that
reigned over India hundreds of years ago.
The Mela,
which runs until March 4, was recognised as an intangible cultural heritage by
UNESCO in 2017.
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