* Around 120 million pilgrims participated in the holy Kumbh Mela festival
* Kumbh Mela held every 12 years at the conjunction of two rivers in Allahabad
* Pilgrims believe a dip in the river on one of the festival's auspicious bathing days can rid them of their sins
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By SUZANNAH HILLSPUBLISHED: 02:13 GMT, 11 March 2013 UPDATED: 02:29 GMT, 11 March 2013
After two months of celebrations, the world's biggest religious festival the Kumbh Mela has come to an end.The festival is celebrated every 12 years at the conjunction of two sacred rivers on the outskirts of the northern Indian city of Allahabad.The Kumbh Mela draws massive crowds of devotees and foreign tourists as around 120 million pilgrims bathed in the Indian holy river to wash away their sins in the last 60 days.Brought to an end: Devotees raise their hands to receive coloured holy water from a priest on the banks of the river Ganges as a rainbow shines overhead during the Kumbh MelaCelebrations: Indian Sant Asaram Bapu, pictured centre, plays Holi with his followers during the Kumbh Mela festival in AllahabadCleansing their sins: Around 120 million Hindus took part in the religious gathering on the banks of the river GangesThe last group of holy men to take part in the Kumbh by plunged into the river Ganges while other pilgrims filled the Ganga Jal (holy water) in plastic bottles for religious ceremonies at home.Many naked holy men smeared their bodies with ashes and sand, chanted final prayers and departed from the venue.
Festival chief Mani Prasad Mishra told AFP: 'Over 60 million people attended the festival in 2001 and this time we believe 120 million people have participate.'Despite all the precautions in place, the huge festival was hit by tragedy last month when a stampede at a train station in Allahabad killed 36 pilgrims who were returning home.Pilgrims from all over the world attend the holy festival to cleanse. Taking a dip: Devotees bathe on the auspicious day of 'Maghi Purnima' in the waters of Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati during the Maha Kumbh festivalA Bihari Hindu priest, smeared with coloured powder, looks on after the completion of a ritual at the SangamColourful: The festival takes place over the course of two months - 55 days - and attracts pilgrims from all over the worldThe numbers attending are so great, a temporary city of campsites emerges on the banks of the waterway and covers and area larger than the Greek capital of Athens.The festival organisers now face a huge clean up operation. Mishra added: 'There is a sense of relief because the festival finally is coming to an end. Most of the pilgrims have returned back home.'He said the job of dismantling the infrastructure that sprawled over 2,000 hectares to house the pilgrims had already begun.
'We built a tent city to celebrate the Kumbh Mela and now we are tearing it down,' he said.Mishra said five electrical sub-stations and tens of thousands of streetlights that gave the improvised city its yellow glow between dusk and dawn would be removed by Sunday night.Bihari Hindu priests carry holy water from the River Ganges as they perform a ritual at the SangamBihari Hindu priests and devotees run while holding their ears as part of the holy celebrationLarge scale: The huge festival takes place on an area larger than the Greek capital of Athens
All police stations, mobile field hospitals, fire stations, shops, and cafes were now shut and more than 35,000 makeshift toilets had been removed, he said.The Kumbh Mela celebrates the victory of gods over demons in a battle for nectar that would grant them immortality.As one of the gods fled with a pitcher of the nectar, a drop spilled at the holy site, near the town of Allahabad, northern India, worshipers believe.Participants at the Kumbh believe a bath in the river on one of the festival's auspicious bathing days can rid them of their sins. Devotees: The river becomes a mass of bodies during the celebrations, with men stripping to their underwearHoly men: Members of the Juna Akhara sect participate in rituals close to the town of AllahabadSite of significance: Festivities happen at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythic Saraswatis riverThe river becomes a mass of bodies during the celebrations, with men and their sons stripping to their underwear to wade in the water alongside veiled women.Many dunk their heads under the water, while others drink it and even bottle it to taking it home as gifts.In many cases, pilgrims used up all their money to come to the Kumbh Mela, hoping that their prayers could come true.'People from all walks of life participate in the festival but there is one thing common among all of them - they have a desire to lead a pure life,' said Chandra Bala, a temple priest in Allahabad city.'The power of the Kumbh Mela is the power of humanity.'Battle for nectar: The festival celebrates the victory of gods over demons in a battle for immortalityFaith: Hindu worshipers believe that a bath in the river during the festival can rid them of their sinsTantrum: A young Hindu does not want to join in the Maha Kumbh Mela ritual in India's Ganges river
Credit: invocation-rituals.blogspot.com
