In pictures: Millions gather in India for world's largest festival
Millions of pilgrims began bathing on the first official day of India's Kumbh Mela, billed as the world's largest religious festival where politics play an important role ahead of a general election later this year.
Naga Sadhus or Hindu Holy men leave after taking a dip during the first "Shahi Snan" (grand bath) at "Kumbh Mela" or the Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, previously known as Allahabad, India, January 15, 2019.
The largest gathering of humanity on the planet began on Tuesday, with tens of millions showered in rose petals and holy ash at a spectacular Hindu festival on India's sacred riverbanks.
The Kumbh Mela is expected to attract more than 100 million pilgrims to Allahabad – recently renamed Prayagraj –over the next seven weeks to bathe in waters considered among the holiest in Hinduism.
Allahabad rises alongside the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, and the banks of these hallowed rivers have transformed into a riot of colour for the centuries-old festival.
A gigantic tent city has emerged near the confluence of the rivers, where Hindus believe bathing during the Kumbh helps cleanse sins and brings salvation.
According to Hindu mythology, gods and demons fought a war over a sacred pitcher, or kumbh, containing the nectar of immortality. The last major gathering in Allahabad in 2013 drew an astonishing 120 million people, organisers say.
Nearly 30,000 police have been deployed to oversee crowds for the huge undertaking, and prevent stampedes that have marred previous gatherings.
The Uttar Pradesh state government, led by a firebrand Hindu priest Yogi Adityanath, has heavily promoted this year's festival, which comes as India prepares for a general election due by May.
Throughout the day, millions of pilgrims queued in huge processions for their chance to plunge into the waters in northern Uttar Pradesh state.
A helicopter dropped rose petals on an endless sea of dreadlocked sadhus smoking marijuana, priests offering blessings in saffron robes and pilgrims from every corner of India.
The Kumbh, which runs until March 4, was recognised as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2017.
India's Hindu nationalist-led government is splurging on a religious megafest, spending unprecedented sums as part of a strategy to focus on the country's majority Hindu population ahead of a general election due this year.
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