Indians throng last day of Maha Kumbh festival that drew 663 million

FILE PHOTO: Devotees take a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers with the mythical invisible Saraswati river, to mark Maghi Purnima, one of the auspicious days during the "Maha Kumbh Mela", or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, February 12, 2025. REUTERS/Ritesh Shukla/File Photo

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Large crowds turned out in northern India on Wednesday for the last day of the six-week Maha Kumbh Mela that drew a total of 663 million people seeking absolution of their sins by taking a dip in waters that devout Hindus consider sacred.

Television images showed security officials trying to direct thousands of visitors around barricades in the temporary township set up in Prayagraj, close to the banks where three holy rivers meet.