Shiite Muslim devotees reach to receive a blessing from the tomb of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammed's grandson, at the Imam's shrine in Iraq's central holy city of Karbala on September 6, 2023, during the Arbaeen religious festival commemorating his seventh century killing. (Photo by Hussein Faleh/AFP Photo)

Assamese girls wearing traditional Mekhela Chadar perform the Bihu folk dance during the Rongali Bihu festival, organized by All Assam Students Union in Guwahati, capital of the north eastern state of Assam, India, Saturday, April 13, 2024. (Photo by Anupam Nath/AP Photo)

American actress Shelley Duvall poses for photographers at the 30th Cannes Film Festival in France, May 27, 1977. Duvall, whose wide-eyed, winsome presence was a mainstay in the films of Robert Altman and who co-starred in Stanley Kubrick's “The Shining”, has died. She was 75. (Photo by Jean-Jacques Levy/AP Photo)

Dani Alves of Paris Saint-Germain and Spanish model Joana Sanz are pictured inside the photo booth prior to The Best FIFA Football Awards at Royal Festival Hall on September 24, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

A Japanese girl poses in a costume at a Chara Fes (character festival) event on October 26, 2003 in Tokyo. Cosplay (costume play) is becoming popular among Japanese youths, whereby participants dress up as their favourite characters from comics, computer games and animation. (Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images)

Actresses Vonnie Lui (R) and Yukiku Suou (L) attend the “3D s*x And Zen: Extreme Ecstacy” photocall at the Majestic Beach Pier during the 64th Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2011 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

“Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage in which Hindus gather at the Ganges river. The normal Kumbh Mela is celebrated every 3 years, the Ardh (half) Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at Haridwar and Prayag, the Purna (complete) Kumbh takes place every twelve years, at four places (Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik). The Maha (great) Kumbh Mela which comes after 12 “Purna Kumbh Melas”, or 144 years, is held at Allahabad.

The last Ardh Kumbh Mela was held over a period of 45 days beginning in January 2007, more than 70 million Hindu pilgrims took part in the Ardh Kumbh Mela at Prayag, and on January 15, the most auspicious day of the festival of Makar Sankranti, more than 5 million participated. The previous Maha Kumbh Mela, held in 2001, was attended by around 60 million people, making it at the time the largest gathering anywhere in the world in recorded history”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Sadhus (holy men) smoke at their camp near the ritual site at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers during the Ardh Kumbh Mela festival (Half Pitcher festival) January 18, 2007 in Allahabad, India. Millions of Hindu pilgrims have flocked to the largest religious gathering in the world which lasts for 45 days in northern India. The festival commemorates the mythical conflict between gods and demons over a pitcher filled with the “nectar of immortality”. Devotees believe that taking a holy dip in the Ganges at this time washes away their sins and paves the path to salvation. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

A monk prays during the annual Fire Festival held at the Konjoin Temple on June 28, 2006 in Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Every year around 1000 visitors come to participate and to wish for good luck at the 1200 year old Temple. (Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images)