India opens Kumbh Mella festival for 400 million Hindu pilgrims

Hindu pilgrims taking 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 on Jan 13, 2025. - AFP

PRAYAGRAJ: Vast crowds of Hindu pilgrims in India began bathing in sacred waters on Monday (Jan 13) as the Kumbh Mela festival opened, with organisers expecting 400 million people -- the largest gathering of humanity.

The millennia-old Kumbh Mela, a show of religious piety and ritual bathing -- and a logistical challenge of staggering proportions -- is held at the site where the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers meet.