Millions of Hindu devotees, mystics and holy men and women from all across India flocked to the northern city of Prayagraj on Monday to kickstart the Maha Kumbh festival, which is being touted as the world's largest religious gathering. Over about the next six weeks, Hindu pilgrims with gather at the confluence of three sacred rivers — the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati — where they will take part in elaborate rituals, hoping to begin a journey to achieve Hindu philosophy's ultimate goal: the release from the cycle of rebirth.
Millions of Hindu devotees gather for Maha Kumbh festival
1
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 on Jan. 13, 2025.
2
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 Jan. 13, 2025.
3
A devotee prays as he takes 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, Jan. 13, 2025.
4
Hindu pilgrims offer prayers and 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 on Jan. 13, 2025.
