Millions flock to Hindu festival

Holy men come from all over India for Kumbh Mela

By Jill McGivering in Allahabad

Pilgrims have begun arriving in the northern Indian town of Allahabad for Hinduism's most important spiritual gathering, which is expected to attract at least 20 million people over the next 42 days.

The Maha Kumbh Mela, or Grand Pitcher Festival, takes place every 12 years and sees millions of devotees bathe in the Ganges to purify their sins.

Boy dressed as the monkey god Hanuman begs from devotees

To cater for the visitors, the authorities have built a temporary city with its own essential supplies such as water and electricity, a hospital and fire stations.

The Kumbh, which starts on Tuesday, is held at the confluence of three rivers, and Hindu scriptures say this is one of four places on which the Gods spilt a drop of the elixir of immortality.

Fifteen million pilgrims visited the last Kumbh, earning it a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest-ever gathering in human history.

Smaller versions of the festival are held every three years in three other towns along the Ganges.

Elephants and marching bands

Sunday's procession was a noisy spectacle as well as the beginning of a spiritual event.

Members of Hindu religious orders paraded with elephants, camels and horses, some sitting in brightly decorated vehicles and all of them accompanied by marching bands.

Among them were some of the most famous sadhus or holy men - the Nagas. In keeping with tradition, they marched naked, their bodies smeared with ash.

The numbers in Allahabad are steadily growing as Tuesday approaches - itself an auspicious bathing day.

Previous tragedy

For many people, the bathing has already started.

In the early hours of Sunday, the banks of the Ganges were crowded as hundreds of people walked across the sands to the water's edge to worship and immerse themselves in the river, despite the bitter cold.

Sadhus smear their bodies with ash

On Tuesday alone, it is expected that about five million people will enter the water.

Police posts have been set up and security measures have been drawn up to ensure the safety of the pilgrims.

Previous Kumbhs have been marred by tragedy. In one, pilgrims were crushed to death when a stampede broke out close to the water.

This time, officials say they intend to impose strict regulations.

They plan to cordon off sections of the banks and divert the crowd into new areas as each section fills.

They are also closing to the pilgrims whole stretches of the river bank which are starting to erode.