Millions of Hindu devotees, private and white men and women from all over India flock to the northern city of Prayagraj to participate in the event. Maha Kumbh Mela Festivalit is called the biggest religious meeting in the world.
About 400 million people are expected to join the three holy rivers – Ganges, Yamuna, and the legendary, invisible Saraswati – in the next 45 days, according to officials.
A large area along the river has been transformed into a huge tent city with over 3,000 kitchens and 150,000 toilets. Divided into 25 districts and spread over 40 kilometers (15 miles), the tent city also has buildings, roads, electricity, water, communication towers and 11 hospitals. Pictures depicting stories from Hindu scriptures are painted on the walls of the city.
Indian Railways has also set up more than 90 special trains that will make around 3,300 trips during the festival to transport the devotees, including regular trains.
About 50,000 security personnel are in the city to maintain law and order and control the crowd. More than 2,500 cameras, some powered by AI, will send information about people's movement and density to four central rooms, where officials can quickly dispatch people to avoid collisions.
Over the next six weeks, Hindu pilgrims at the site will participate in additional rituals, hoping to begin a journey to achieve the ultimate goal of Hindu philosophy: liberation from rebirth.
The festival originated from the Hindu tradition that the god Vishnu stole a golden jar that contained sweet nectar from demons. Hindus believe that a few drops fell in the cities of Prayagraj, Nashik, Ujjain and Haridwar, the four places where the Kumbh festival has been held for centuries.