Kumbh Mela festival begins in Allahabad

During the 55-day festival more than 100 million people are expected to visit the city.





ALLAHABAD, INDIAN - Millions of Hindu pilgrims have arrived in the Indian city of Allahabad as the Kumbh Mela festival gets underway. On Monday thousands began bathing at the point where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers converge, with up to ten million more set to do so over the coming days.

The event, which takes place once every 12 years, is billed as the biggest gathering of humanity on Earth. In 2001, more than 40 million people gathered on the main bathing day of the festival, breaking a record for the biggest human gathering. Hindus believe that taking a dip during the festival will rid them of their sins and help them achieve salvation. The Kumbh Mela has its origins in Hindu mythology - many believe that when gods and demons fought over a pitcher of nectar, a few drops fell in the cities of Allahabad, Nasik, Ujjain and Haridwar - the four places where the Kumbh festival has been held for centuries.

Health concerns

The festival will formally start at dawn on Monday with groups of naked ash-smeared Sadhus sprinting into the chilly waters at Sangam - the point at which the rivers converge - followed by millions of other pilgrims.

With massive crowds expected, many pilgrims chose instead to bathe in the river over the weekend, performing rituals, praying and floating little paper or leaf boats. The festival has prompted health concerns, however, with campaigners warning that the river waters are heavily polluted. Sadhus - Hindu holy men - play an important part in the festivities at Allahabad Most pilgrims drink a few drops of the Ganges water and many fill bottles to take home with them.

Huge camps

Allahabad has been preparing for the festival for months and a vast tented city has grown up around the river. Tens of thousands of families are camping on the banks of the river in anticipation of the festival Fourteen temporary hospitals have been set up with 243 doctors deployed round-the-clock, and more than 40,000 toilets have been built for the pilgrims. Police checkpoints have been set up on all roads leading to Allahabad and about 30,000 policemen and security officials have been deployed to provide security during the festival.