A farmer from India named Govind Singh traveled by train for over two days to reach what he considers to be the “land of the gods”; he was one of many Hindu pilgrims who joined the greatest human gathering.
Opening Monday, the millennium-old Kumbh Mela is a solemn display of religious devotion and ritual bathing that takes place at the confluence of the sacred Yamuna, Ganges, and the legendary Saraswati rivers.
Located in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj in the state of Uttar Pradesh, this mega fair is thought to be the largest in history.
Over the course of six weeks, from January 13 to February 26, organizers anticipate up to 400 million pilgrims from India and other countries.
“It feels great to be in the land of the gods for the Kumbh Mela,” said the 53-year-old Singh, who came from a village in Madhya Pradesh state, a journey of more than 600 kilometres (375 miles).
“I will stay as long as the gods want me to.”
Prayagraj’s riverbank has become a huge tent city.
With lunchtime temperatures on the banks at about 20 degrees Celsius (about 70 degrees Fahrenheit), many pilgrims are already swimming in the cold water.
A chill After taking a bath in the murky waters, Sunny Pratap Gaur stood by the river with his eyes watering and his jaws gritted in the cold.
However, he expressed his satisfaction at having “beaten the crowds” with his early drop.
“I took leave from the office to be here,” said Gaur, a mid-level government bureaucrat from the state capital Lucknow.
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