Post date: Feb 10, 2013 4:28:57 PM
Thousands of Hindu pilgrims and holy men take a holy dip in the River Ganges, on one of the most auspicious days when when universe was believed to have been created, at the Kumbh festival.
ALLAHABAD, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (FEBRUARY 10, 2013) (ANI) - Thousands of Hindu pilgrims and holy men took a holy dip in the River Ganges on Sunday (February 10), which is one of the most auspicious occasions at the religious Kumbh festival.
Devotees and ascetics poured in since the early hours of morning to descend into the Ganges on the occasion of the 'Mouni Amavasya' -- believed to be the day when the universe was created.The bathing started in the northern Allahabad city at dawn and saw batch after batch of holy men and pilgrims making their way to the river banks for a 'Shahi Snan' (RoyalBath).
Devotees observe complete silence which is believed to control senses and helps engage into the service of the supreme Hindu god Lord Narayana.
Once every 12 years, tens of millions of pilgrims stream to Allahabad from across Indiafor the Maha Kumbh Mela at the point where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers meet with a third, mythical river.
Authorities are expecting close to 300 million pilgrims this year.
Among the holy men, there were mystic ash-covered 'Naga Sadhus'.
Most of the devotees expressed their happiness at having taken part in the bathing ritual.
"We are all very happy. It felt as if the saints and ascetics have descended from heaven and come among us for this great ritual. We are feeling really good. All our tiredness and problems have gone away. The arrangements by the authorities have also been very good," said Savita, a Hindu pilgrim visiting the Mela.
The festival has its roots in a Hindu tradition that says that god Vishnu wrested from demons a golden pot containing the nectar of immortality.
In a 12-day fight for possession, four drops fell on earth, in the cities of Allahabad,Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. Every three years a Kumbh Mela is held at one of these spots, with the festival at Allahabad the holiest of them all.
More than 2,000 years old, the festival is a meeting point for the Hindu sadhus, some who live in forests or Himalayan caves, and who belong to dozens of inter-related congregations.
To cope with the flow of people, authorities in Uttar Pradesh have installed 35,000 toilets, laid 550 kilometres (340 miles) of water pipes and 155 kilometres (95 miles) of temporary roads at the riverbank site.