India inaugurates giant Hindu festival for 400 million pilgrims

Hindu pilgrims in India prepare to bathe in sacred waters for the Kumbh Mela festival.
Hindu pilgrims in India are preparing to bathe in holy waters for the Kumbh Mela festival, with organisers expecting 400 million people.
The millennial Kumbh Mela, a sacred display of religious piety and ritual bathing - and a logistical challenge of staggering proportions - is being held at the meeting point of the sacred rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.
Businesswoman Rina Rai's voice trembled with excitement as she recounted her "religious reasons" for joining the huge tented camp set up along the banks of the river in the north Indian city of Prayagraj (Allahabad).
"For me as a Hindu, it is an unforgettable event," said the 38-year-old woman, who has travelled about 1,000 km from Madhya Pradesh state to participate in the festival, which runs from January 13 to February 26.
Saffron-robed clergymen walk among the people and give blessings to the pilgrims, many of whom have walked for weeks to reach the site.
Organizers say the scale of the Kumbh Mela is that of a "temporary country" - the number of participants is expected to exceed the total population of the United States and Canada.
"Around 350-400 million pilgrims will visit, so you can imagine the scale of the preparations," festival spokesman Vivek Chaturvedi said before the opening.
Hindu monks carrying huge banners began marching to the river on Sunday evening.
Behind them were tractors converted into chariots carrying life-size idols of Hindu gods, accompanied by elephants as pilgrims cheered to the sound of drums and horns.
There is no official opening ceremony, but it is expected to begin in the cold hours before sunrise, when pilgrims will rush to the waters.
The festival is rooted in Hindu mythology - a battle between deities and demons for control of a pitcher containing the nectar of immortality.
The organizing authorities call it the great or "maha" Kumbh Mela. | BGNES, AFP