PRAYAGRAJ, Jan 14 — Vast crowds of Hindu pilgrims in India bathed in sacred waters yesterday as the Kumbh Mela festival opened, with organisers expecting 400 million people...
Hindu pilgrims take a dip in the sacred waters of Sangam, the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj yesterday. — AFP picas a first-time user . Exclusively for Malay Mail readers: Use codePRAYAGRAJ, Jan 14 — Vast crowds of Hindu pilgrims in India bathed in sacred waters yesterday as the Kumbh Mela festival opened, with organisers expecting 400 million people — the largest gathering of humanity.
“As a Hindu, this is an unmissable occasion,” said the 38-year-old, who travelled around 1,000 kilometres from Madhya Pradesh state to take part in the festival, which runs from today until February 26. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it a “divine occasion”, that brings together “countless people in a sacred confluence of faith, devotion and culture”.
Hindu monks carried huge flags of their respective sects, while tractors turned into chariots for life-size idols of Hindu gods rolled by behind them accompanied by elephants.The festival is rooted in Hindu mythology, a battle between deities and demons for control of a pitcher containing the nectar of immortality.The riverside in Prayagraj has turned into a vast sea of tents—some luxury, others simple tarpaulins.
That compares to an estimated 1.8 million Muslims who take part in the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
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