15:05, 14 January 2013 | GMT +5
Crowds take Indian holy rivers plunge
DELHI. January 14. KAZINFORM Hundreds of thousands of people have been bathing at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers at Allahabad in India, on the opening day of the Kumbh Mela festival.

Up to 10 million more pilgrims are set to do so by the end of the day.
The event, every 12 years, is billed as the biggest gathering on Earth. More than 100 million people are expected to attend the 55-day festival.
Hindus believe a festival dip will cleanse sins and help bring salvation.
In 2001, more than 40 million people gathered on the main bathing day of the festival, breaking a record for the biggest human gathering, BBC reported.
The Kumbh Mela has its origins in Hindu mythology - many believe that when gods and demons fought over a pitcher of nectar, a few drops fell in the cities of Allahabad, Nasik, Ujjain and Haridwar - the four places where the Kumbh festival has been held for centuries.
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