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Holy men begin Indian Mela bath Millions of Hindus take holy bath
(about 5 hours later)
Thousands of Hindu holy men plunged into the Ganges river in the northern Indian town of Allahabad to mark the main day of the Ardh Kumbh festival. At least 18 million people have bathed so far in the river Ganges in northern India on the main day of the Ardh Kumbh mela, festival organisers say.
The new moon night, or Mauni Amavasya, is celebrated on Friday which becomes the most auspicious day in the six-week-long Hindu bathing festival. Thousands of Hindu holy men began the plunge near the town of Allahabad at dawn. Crowds are still arriving and bathing will continue into the night.
All roads leading to the site of the festival are teeming with pilgrims. It is thought to be the largest gathering of humanity on the planet.
It is being held at the confluence of three of Hinduism's holiest rivers - the Ganges, Yamuna and the Saraswati. Pilgrims believe that bathing at the confluence of three of Hinduism's holiest rivers washes away their sins.
The ash-smeared Naga sadhus ran into the river wearing nothing apart from marigold garlands. The mass bathing is taking place at Sangam, where the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers meet.
Most ran out after a quick dip in the river, but a few others splashed around. The new moon night, or Mauni Amavasya, is celebrated on Friday, making it the most auspicious day in the six-week-long festival.
Festival organiser PN Mishra told the AFP news agency that more than 20 million people were expected to bathe during the day.
Haggling
It is believed that bathing at Sangam - the site of the festival - purifies the body and soul and helps attain salvation.
A steady stream of pilgrims has been pouring into the Sangam area since early on Thursday morning and people continued to arrive until late in the night.
I don't know the significance of this day, but my Guru knows it Narayan Das Hindu Kumbh festivals Ex-pilot reborn as guru In pictures: Pilgrims gather
Men with duvets and blankets slung across their shoulders, women carrying or holding small children by hand, saffron robed sadhus - or holy men - are all at the site.
No traffic is allowed on the roads leading up to the river and thousands of policemen and paramilitary troops have been deployed all over the city to ensure the orderly movement of people.
Under the alert eyes of security officials, hundreds of vendors sell marigold flowers and sweets, sacred thread and cans to take away the Ganges water.
Also on sale are religious books, cheap plastic toys, sunglasses and bags.
A group of women, dressed in brightly coloured saris, try out colourful glass bangles.
Haggling and bargaining are the order of the day here.
Groups of people are squatting by the roadside, after trekking for miles to get here. Many say they are looking for places to stay for the night.
The Mela area, spread out over several kilometres, has been turned into a tent city with thousands of tents - big and small - covering every bit of the ground.
The festival began on 3 January and concludes on 16 February, but the most auspicious day for a dip at Sangam is on Friday.
Special daySpecial day
It is a day when sun, moon, Venus and Mercury are in the zodiac of Capricorn, a rare but perfect alignment of planets, devotees believe. Ash-smeared Naga sadhus ran into the water at the start of the day wearing nothing apart from marigold garlands.
And most people here say taking a dip in the river on such a day will bring eternal joy to the bather. href="/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/south_asia_hindus_take_dip_at_holy_festival/html/1.stm" onClick="window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/south_asia_hindus_take_dip_at_holy_festival/html/1.stm', '1169211390', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=600,height=530,left=312,top=100'); return false;">Hindus take dip at holy festival href="/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/south_asia_hindus_take_dip_at_holy_festival/html/1.stm" onClick="window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/south_asia_hindus_take_dip_at_holy_festival/html/1.stm', '1169211390', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=600,height=530,left=312,top=100'); return false;" >In pictures
Many believe they will receive salvation The mela's chief organiser, RN Tripathi, said more than 18 million people had taken a holy dip by 1700 hours local time (1130 GMT).
But many have no clue as to why Mauni Amavasya is such a special day. Another two million people are expected to have followed suit by the end of the day.
Narayan Das has come all the way from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. The Mauni Amavasya is a day when sun, moon, Venus and Mercury are in the zodiac of Capricorn, a rare but perfect alignment of planets, devotees believe.
"I don't know the significance of this day, but my Guru knows it, he told me to come here and that's why I'm here," he says. One pilgrim, Shri Mahant Vindgiri, explained why the day was so special.
Satprakash Shukla is from the Sant Kabir Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh. "The planetary alignment is such that sun rays, when they fall on the Ganges, turn the river water into nectar. So bathing here today is equivalent to drinking nectar," he says.
He has been coming to Allahabad for the past 48 years to bathe at Mauni Amavasya.
"Our ancestors believed that this was an auspicious day for bathing. So we believe in it too," he says.
Bishnu Padma Datta is from Calcutta, in the state of West Bengal.
"It's the maha snan (big bath). Bathing on this day will bring us salvation," he said.
Some say all amavasyas - or new moon nights - are auspicious for bathing in the Ganges, but Mauni (silent) Amavasya is also special as many pilgrims do not speak until they have had their bath.Some say all amavasyas - or new moon nights - are auspicious for bathing in the Ganges, but Mauni (silent) Amavasya is also special as many pilgrims do not speak until they have had their bath.
"It is believed that on this day taking a bath without breaking your silence will bring the benefit of performing millions of yagnas," says Gulab Singh Yadav, a resident of Allahabad. "It is believed that on this day taking a bath without breaking your silence will bring the benefit of performing millions of yagnas [ritual offerings]," says Gulab Singh Yadav, a resident of Allahabad.
Tent city
The BBC's Geeta Pandey, who is at the festival, says all roads leading to the site are teeming with pilgrims and more keep arriving.
Hindu Kumbh festivals Ex-pilot reborn as guru In pictures: Pilgrims gather
Men with duvets and blankets slung across their shoulders, women carrying or holding small children by hand, saffron-robed sadhus - or holy men - are all at the site.
Many have trekked for miles.
No traffic is allowed on the roads leading up to the river and thousands of policemen and paramilitary troops have been deployed to ensure the orderly movement of people.
Under the alert eyes of security officials, hundreds of vendors sell marigold flowers and sweets, sacred thread and cans to take away the Ganges water, our correspondent says.
The Mela area, spread out over several square kilometres, has been turned into a tent city with thousands of tents - big and small - covering every bit of ground.
The festival began on 3 January and concludes on 16 February. Organisers expect about 60 million people to attend over the six weeks.