MNN - Mother Nature Network

Hindu devotees bathe in the waters of the holy Ganges river in Allahabad, India on Jan. 14, the auspicious bathing day of Makar Sankranti, which signals the start of the Maha Kumbh Mela.

 

The Kumbh Mela is a Hindu pilgrimage organized every 3 years, rotating between the cities of Allahabad, Nashik, Haridwar and Ujjain. The pilgrimage begins on Jan. 14 with Hindus washing themselves of sin at the Sangam, which is the meeting place of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Sarasvati.

 

Expected to attract over 100 million people, the pilgrimage is touted as the largest religious gathering on Earth.

 

A Hindu devotee pushes an offering into the waters of Sangam on Jan. 15 in Allahabad, India.

 

A Hindu man whips his hair out of the Ganges river on Jan. 14 while observing the Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India.

 

Naga sadhus dash into the waters of the holy Ganges river on Jan. 14 in Allahabad, India to celebrate the beginning of the Kumbh Mela pilgrimage. Sadhus are ascetic Hindu monks that live on the edges of society for the purpose of focusing on their own spirituality.

 

Hindu women hold out sarees to dry on Jan. 13 after bathing on the banks of the Ganges River before Maha Kumbh in Allahabad, India.