Millions of people, mostly Hindu pilgrims and god-men, have gathered at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, to wash their sins after taking a dip at the Triveni Sangam, or confluence of holy Ganga, Yamuna and mystical Saraswati rivers.
The once-in-12 years Maha Kumbh Mela, billed as the biggest religious gathering in the world, witnessed more than 40 million people on the main bathing day in Allahabad in 2001, breaking the world record of the biggest human gathering.
The first written evidence of the Kumbh Mela can be found in the accounts of Chinese traveler Huan Tsang who visited India in 629-645 CE, during the reign of King Harshavardhana.
According to medieval Hindu theology, its origin is found in one of the most popular medieval puranas, the Bhagavata Purana.
A holy man holds a sacred lamp as he performs evening prayer on the river bank of Yamuna ahead of the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad.
God-men take part in a procession to attend the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad.
A man dressed as Kali Maa, the goddess of power, performs with a burning camphor tablet on his tongue during a religious procession ahead of the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad.
A barber shaves the head of a devotee on the banks of Ganga ahead of the Kumbh Melain Allahabad.
A devotee prays as he takes a holy dip in the waters of Ganga ahead of the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad.
Sadhus perform prayers for a peaceful Kumbh Mela on the banks of Ganga in Allahabad.
