Hindu devotees take holy dips at Sangam during the Magh Mela festival on an early winter morning in the northern Indian city of Allahabad Jan. 15, 2015. The festival is an annual religious event held during the Hindu month of Magh, when thousands of devotees take a holy dip in the waters of Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers.Reuters
Thousands of Hindu pilgrims took a dip in the Sangam on Tuesday to commemorate Magh Mela -- a festival that celebrates the origin of the universe. The Sangam lies at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers in Allahabad, India. Bathing here is believed to wash away one’s sins.
Magh Mela, which falls in the Hindu month of Magh, began on Jan. 5. While pilgrims can bathe in the water at any time during the 44-dayslong festival, the day known as "Mauni Amavasya" is considered the most auspicious and holy day to do so. The holiday, which fell on Jan. 20, is a celebration of a new moon according to the Hindu calendar.
Magh Mela is known a “mini Kumbh Mela” -- a larger Hindu celebration which takes place every 12 years at the Sangam. It is believed to be the largest peaceful gathering in the world where tens of millions of men and women gather at the Sangam to bathe in its holy waters.
Hindu devotees gather to take a holy dip in the waters of Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers to mark Mauni Amavasya, the most auspicious day during the annual religious festival of Magh Mela in the northern Indian city of Allahabad January 20, 2015Reuters
Hindu devotees take holy dips at Sangam during the Magh Mela festival on an early winter morning in the northern Indian city of Allahabad Jan. 15, 2015. The festival is an annual religious event held during the Hindu month of Magh, when thousands of devotees take a holy dip in the waters of Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers.Reuters
A Hindu devotee holds an earthen oil lamp as she prays after taking a holy dip at Sangam during the Magh Mela festival, on an early winter morning in the northern Indian city of Allahabad January 15, 2015. Reuters
A Sadhu or a Hindu holy man offers prayers after taking a holy dip at Sangam during the Magh Mela festival, on an early winter morning in the northern Indian city of Allahabad January 15, 2015. Reuters
A Sadhu or a Hindu holyman arrives to take a holy dip at Sangam during Magh Mela in the northern Indian city of Allahabad January 5, 2015. Reuters
Policemen mounted on their horses keep guard as Hindu devotees gather to take a holy dip at Sangam during Magh Mela in the northern Indian city of Allahabad January 5, 2015. Reuters
