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Kumbh Festival Begins
Nasik, July 31: A year-long Kumbh Mela or pitcher festival has begun in western India.
Nasik, July 31: A year-long Kumbh Mela or pitcher festival has begun in western India.
Thousands of devotees took part in the Kumbh mela or the pitcher festival, which began on Wednesday (July 30) in India`s western Nasik city, amidst tight security.
According to Hindu mythology, Nasik was one of four places where the nectar of immortality fell on earth after spilling from a pitcher as gods and demons fought over the vessel.
More than five million people are expected to arrive in the twin temple towns of Nasik and Trimbekeshwar, 200 km from Mumbai, for the holy congregation.
The Kumbh normally lasts six weeks, but a rare alignment of the stars will make this one a year-long event. The high point of the festival will be at dawn on August 17, when thousands of ash-smeared sadhus, or holy men, and other devotees will bathe in the Godavari in what is called "Shahi Snan" or royal bath.
About 18,000 security officials stood guard as hundreds of saffron-clad holy men and devotees marched through the riverside town where festival began, two days after a bomb explosion in western Mumbai.
The biggest Kumbh, which takes place every 12 years in the northern city of Allahabad, drew almost 100 million people, the largest gathering of mankind ever at a single spot, when it was last held two years ago.
According to Hindu mythology, Nasik was one of four places where the nectar of immortality fell on earth after spilling from a pitcher as gods and demons fought over the vessel.
More than five million people are expected to arrive in the twin temple towns of Nasik and Trimbekeshwar, 200 km from Mumbai, for the holy congregation.
The Kumbh normally lasts six weeks, but a rare alignment of the stars will make this one a year-long event. The high point of the festival will be at dawn on August 17, when thousands of ash-smeared sadhus, or holy men, and other devotees will bathe in the Godavari in what is called "Shahi Snan" or royal bath.
About 18,000 security officials stood guard as hundreds of saffron-clad holy men and devotees marched through the riverside town where festival began, two days after a bomb explosion in western Mumbai.
The biggest Kumbh, which takes place every 12 years in the northern city of Allahabad, drew almost 100 million people, the largest gathering of mankind ever at a single spot, when it was last held two years ago.