Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj: Twenty-five million pilgrims take holy dip in Triveni Sangam for first 'Amrit Snan'
Twenty-five million devotees plunged into the chilling water at the Triveni Sangam in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj city on Tuesday to mark the first 'Amrit Snan' (royal bath) of the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela, the event which marks the largest congregation of humanity in the world.
The official Facebook page of the mega religious event, which is being held after a gap of 12 years, confirmed that 25 million people bathed in the congregation point of the three rivers- Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati.
The followers of Hinduism believe that taking a dip in the holy waters of 'Triveni Sangam' during Maha Kumbh enables them to forgive their sins.
It is believed by Hinduism followers that the 'royal bath', a major highlight of the festival, gives them a chance to seek salvation from the cycle of birth and death.
Over the next six weeks starting from April 13, a whopping 400 million people are expected to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, or the festival of the Sacred Pitcher.
The Uttar Pradesh government has been promoting the event not just as a religious gathering but as a cultural spectacle that in the past has attracted both Bollywood and Hollywood stars.
Around 160,000 tents, 150,000 toilets and a 776-mile (1,249-kilometer) drinking water pipeline have been installed at a temporary tent city covering 4,000 hectares, roughly the size of 7,500 football fields.
The Kumbh draws upon Hindu mythology and the legend of demons and gods fighting over a pitcher containing the elixir of immortality.
During the fight, four drops from the pitcher fell on Earth, in Prayagraj, Nashik, Haridwar and Ujjain, which host the festival in rotation.
Kumbh is mainly held at four riverside pilgrimage sites, namely: Prayagraj (Ganges-Yamuna-Sarasvati rivers confluence), Haridwar (Ganges), Nashik (Godavari), and Ujjain (Shipra).
