India kicks off a massive Hindu festival touted as the world's largest religious gathering
SHEIKH SAALIQ
Updated Mon, 13 January 2025 at 5:37 PM SGT5-min read
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India Maha Kumbh Festival
Hindu devotees pray before taking a dip at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the first day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
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PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) — Millions of Hindu devotees, mystics and holy men and women from all across India flocked to
the northern city of Prayagraj on Monday to kickstart the Maha Kumbh festival, which is being touted as the world's largest religious gathering.
Over about the next six weeks, Hindu pilgrims will gather at the confluence of three sacred rivers — the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati — where they will take part in elaborate rituals, hoping to begin a journey to achieve Hindu philosophy’s ultimate goal: the release from the cycle of rebirth.