Thousands of Hindus bathe in holy waters at the Kumbh Mela festival in India Religion News

This religious event, which attracts more than 400 million people, takes place at the confluence of the legendary Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers.

Tens of thousands of Hindus, seeking to repent for their sins, immersed themselves in freezing waters at the confluence of holy rivers as India began the six-week campaign. Kumbh Mela festival.

Authorities expect the first ritual immersion on Monday in the city of Prayagraj in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh to attract more than 2.5 million visitors.

This is followed by the “Royal Bath” on Tuesday, which is reserved for hermits, in the belief that it absolves them of sin and grants them salvation from the cycle of life and death.

Surmila Devi (45 years old) told Agence France-Presse: “I feel very happy.” “For me, it’s like bathing in nectar.”

This religious event, also known as the Great Thrower Festival, attracts more than 400 million visitors, both Indians and tourists.

The last celebration at the site, the “Earth” or half Kumbh Mela in 2019, attracted 240 million pilgrims, according to the government.

Amid public warnings to walk in queues without stopping anywhere, large numbers of demonstrators headed to the bathing sites to wait for the sunrise at the confluence of the three sacred rivers, the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the legendary, invisible Saraswati River.

They advanced to the water’s edge in the mist of the winter morning, chanting prayers such as “Har Har Mahadev” and “Jai Ganga Maya” in praise of the Hindu gods Lord Shiva and Mother Ganga, who personifies the Ganges, India’s holiest river.

Hindu monks carried huge flags of their sects, while tractors turned into carts for life-sized idols of Hindu gods, accompanied by elephants, rolled behind them.

The origin of Kumbh goes back to a Hindu tradition that the god Vishnu, known as the Preserver, snatched from demons a golden pitcher carrying the nectar of immortality.

In a 12-day celestial battle for the possession of nectar, four drops of nectar fell to earth, in the cities of Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik, where the festival is held alternately every three years.

The Kumbh which is held once every 12 years in this cycle carries the prefix “Maha” (great) because its timing makes it more auspicious and attracts the largest crowds.

“Top-class” security.

The authorities have set up 150,000 tents to accommodate the pilgrims, whose number is expected to reach three times the population of Russia.

Indian police said they were “conducting continuous patrols day and night to ensure the highest levels of security” during the event.

About 68,000 LED lighting poles were installed for a gathering so large that its bright lights could be seen from space.

Temperatures reached around 15 degrees Celsius overnight, but pilgrims said their faith meant their baths were not cold.

“When you’re in the water, you don’t even feel cold,” Chandrakant Nagvi Patel, 56, told AFP. “I felt like I was one with God.”