Millions bathe in India's Ganges

Groups of 'sadhus' or holy men led colourful processions

Several million Hindu pilgrims have been bathing in India's Ganges river at Allahabad for a key festival.

Five million people are expected to have taken the ritual cleansing plunge into the river by the end of Monday.

Sunday and Monday are among the most auspicious bathing days in the 45-day Ardh Kumbh Mela festival as the sun enters the Tropic of Capricorn.

The Ganges was flushed with fresh water after holy men threatened a boycott, saying its waters were too polluted.

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The holy men, or sadhus, led the way into the river, to the sound of drumming and chanting.

Many wore saffron robes, and many carried tridents in their hands.

Hindus believe that bathing at Sangam, the confluence of three holy rivers - Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati - can wash away their sins and break the cycle of reincarnation.

"My mind is now totally clean and without any malice after I came here and had a bath," one pilgrim told the BBC.

Pitcher battle

Water from canals and dams upstream was released to clean the river at the northern city of Allahabad to pacify the sadhus, some of whom had threatened to kill themselves.

Many were naked except for the ash they smeared on their bodies

Offerings cast into the river and waste and sewage dumped into it have polluted the river over many years.

Astrologers are divided on the most auspicious time of planetary alignment but millions of Hindu devotees are expected to bathe late on Sunday and early Monday.

The Ardh Kumbh Mela, which began on 3 January, is one of the largest gatherings on Earth, with some 60m Hindus expected to attend over the 45-day period.

It is a smaller version of the Kumbh Mela, or Pitcher Festival, which takes place every 12 years.

According to Hindu mythology, gods and demons fought a celestial war over a pitcher of divine nectar. Allahabad is one of the four towns where drops of nectar fell during the battle.