Millions of Indians prepare for holy dip

International Desk: Millions of people are converging at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers to bathe in holy waters as humanity's largest gathering, the Kumbh Mela festival, kicks off.

At least 15m people are expected on the first day alone. Officials project about 120m visitors over 49 days.

As the first procession arrived early Tuesday, naked holy men with marigold garlands sprinted into the water.

Hindus believe bathing here will cleanse their sins and bring salvation.

The BBC's Geeta Pandey, who is at the scene, said the sadhus - or ascetics - smeared ash on their bodies as they came out of the water and chanted "Har Har Gange", or "Mother Ganges", and danced while posing for photographers.

The Naga sadhus are the biggest draw of the festival - held in the northern city of Allahabad, recently renamed Prayagraj - and can be counted on to arrive in massive colourful processions.

At the last Kumbh in 2013, female ascetics were allowed to bathe at the confluence of the rivers - known as the Sangam - for the first time. This time, hundreds of transgender people will be participating.

More than a million foreign pilgrims will also take part in the festival, senior administration official Rajeev Rai told the BBC.

He and other organisers have been preparing for more than a year for the event, which dwarfs the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites in Saudi Arabia.

"Last minute preparations are on. All the religious sects have been allocated time for their processions and bathing rituals," Mr Rai said. "We have devised a traffic plan to ensure there's no overcrowding. The mela area is open only to pedestrians."

The mela (meaning "fair" in Hindi) has been held in Allahabad for centuries now, but it has grown into a mega event in the past two decades.

Agencies


risingbd/Dhaka/Jan 15, 2019/Nasim