India's Maha Kumbh Mela, or Great Pitcher Festival, is set to be the world's largest gathering of humanity, with 400 million visitors expected at the six-week event that began this week in the northern city of Prayagraj.

Hindu ascetics, from crowd of 35 million devotees attending, take dip in freezing waters, seeking absolution from sins.

Scores of naked Hindu ascetics smeared in holy ash charged into the water of holy rivers in northern India yesterday, dreadlocks flying, during the first “royal bath” of the Maha Kumbh Mela, or Great Pitcher Festival.

By Saurabh Sharma PRAYAGRAJ, India (Reuters) -Naked Hindu ascetics smeared in holy ash charged into the waters of sacred rivers in India on Tuesday, part of a large crowd of 35 million devotees who took the holy dip on the second day of the Maha Kumbh Mela,

Millions of Hindu devotees and mystics have gathered in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh festival, which is the largest religious congregation on earth

Vast crowds of Hindu pilgrims in India began bathing in sacred waters on Monday as the Kumbh Mela festival opened, with organisers expecting 400 million people — the largest gathering

India began on Monday its Maha Kumbh Mela, or Great Pitcher Festival, which is expected to draw more than 400 million visitors to the northern city of Prayagraj over six weeks, making for the largest gathering of humanity in the world.

Millions of people have taken a holy bath at the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela (also known as Mahakumbh) - described as humanity's biggest gathering - in northern India's Prayagraj city on Monday.

Touted as an event for spiritual purificationin Hinduism, Kumbh Mela takes place approximately every 12 years at four locations -.Kumbh Mela, Maha Kumbh Mela, Prayagraj Kumbh Mela, Haridwar Kumbh Mela,

Officials had expected the first ritual dip to draw 2.5 million visitors, but the State Chief Minister says 15 million devotees ‘earned the holy benefit of bathing in the uninterrupted and clean Trive