Tens of thousands gathered to take a dip in holy waters as the Maha Kumbh Mela kicked off in Prayagraj. About 400 million people are expected to attend the six-week festival. DW has the latest.

The Maha Kumbh Mela has commenced in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on. The 45-day religious gathering is significant for Hindu pilgrims and devotees as the event marks the completion of 12 Kumbh Mela cycles,

While the Kumbh Mela festival is ordinarly held every three years, rotating between several holy cities on the banks of these rivers, the Maha Kumbh Mela occurs only once every 12 years. Maha means “great”, and the event attracts the most devotees because it is considered the most auspicious and holy in the cycle.

Maha Kumbh Mela or Great Pitcher Festival begins in India on Monday, a Hindu sacred event that will be the world's largest gathering of humanity as it showcases religion, spirituality, tourism and crowd management.

On the banks of the Ganges River, the largest gathering of people in the world began in India’s Prayagraj, in northern Uttar Pradesh state.