The Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering in the world, attracts millions of Hindu devotees to the sacred sangam in Prayagraj, where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers meet. As devotees arrive, they express deep emotions—exhaustion from their journeys transforms into joy with sacred dips in the river, particularly during the auspicious Mauni Amavasya. This year, the event holds special significance as it is the Maha Kumbh Mela, occurring once every 144 years, symbolizing a unique cosmic alignment of celestial bodies.
People sleep on plastic sheeting and under blankets out in the open.
The potent belief among the Hindu devotees gathering that evening was that to be cleansed in the sangam waters... was to free their body of past sins.
It was such a struggle to get here but now it feels like all the pain and agony has gone.
The Kumbh Mela comes round just once every 12 years... but this year was deemed particularly special as it was the Maha or great Kumbh Mela.
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