The Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival in Allahabad India, occurs every twelve years. In 2013 about 120 million people attended the festival, with 30 million arriving in one day alone, estimating it to be the largest mass gathering of humanity ever. Religious pilgrims and sadhus (holy men) come from all over India, risking the inevitable stampedes, simply for the auspicious act of taking a bath in the holy waters of the sacred Ganges River. Unfortunately, the cleanliness of the river is not as pure...
more »The Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival in Allahabad India, occurs every twelve years. In 2013 about 120 million people attended the festival, with 30 million arriving in one day alone, estimating it to be the largest mass gathering of humanity ever. Religious pilgrims and sadhus (holy men) come from all over India, risking the inevitable stampedes, simply for the auspicious act of taking a bath in the holy waters of the sacred Ganges River. Unfortunately, the cleanliness of the river is not as pure as the intent of the religious act itself: the Ganges is the fifth most polluted river in the world.
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