INDIA – Nearly 15 million Hindus, six times the number expected, took a dip in freezing waters seeking absolution of their sins on Monday, the first day of India’s festival that could draw the world’s largest single gathering of humanity. Held every 12 years, the Maha Kumbh Mela or Great Pitcher Festival, as the religious event in the city of Prayagraj in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh is called, attracts more than 400 million visitors, both Indians and tourists. State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said 15 million devotees “earned the holy benefit of bathing in the uninterrupted and clean Triveni,” or the confluence of the rivers. Officials had expected the first ritual dip to draw 2.5 million visitors, followed by a “royal bath” on Tuesday reserved for ascetics, in the belief that it absolves them of sin and confers salvation from the cycle of life and death.

As many as 40,000 police officers are on guard to provide security and help manage the crowds, while surveillance cameras equipped with artificial intelligence AI capabilities will ensure continuous monitoring. “It is our festival,” said ascetic Hazari Lala Mishra, who took the holy dip himself before sunrise, which is considered an auspicious time. “(It is) the only festival for hermits and monks, and we wait for it desperately.” (Reuters)