Vast streams of pilgrims from far and wide have poured into Allahabad in northern India for one of the high points of the great Hindu festival, the Kumbh Mela.
Published:
14 January 2001 y., Sunday
Some eight million people are expected to bathe in the Ganges river on Sunday - known as Royal Bath Day - which Hindu astrologers regard as particularly auspicious for washing away past sins.
The pilgrims were due to be led to the water just before dawn by naked ascetics belonging to one of the seven main Hindu orders.
They are bathing at what is considered to be one of the holiest spots in India - the confluence of the Ganges with two other mythical rivers, the Yamuna and Saraswati.
Thousands of police have been deployed to maintain order since the Maha Kumbh Mela - or Great Pitcher Festival - began earlier in the week.
Twelve years ago, when the event last took place, 40 people were crushed in a stampede. Organisers estimate that as many as 70 million people may attend the festival by the time it reaches its climax early next month.
Šaltinis:
BBC News
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
Moon bears pierced with metal tubes to extract an ingredient used in medicine have been saved from captivity in China.
more »
Georgian acrobat Ramaz Garshaulishvili is trying to revive interest in the circus by demonstrating his rope walking skills.
more »
The latest trend for New Yorkers who are low on storage space - storing clothes in the oven and kitchen cupboards.
more »
Around the world 10 million people live in refugee camps - more than the population of several small European Union countries combined.
more »
On World Press Freedom Day on 3 May the Commission will officially launch the Lorenzo Natali Prize for 2010.
more »
What was once some of Albania's most beautiful coastline has been turned into toxic dumping grounds. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.
more »
A set of two-square-metre capsule apartments in Beijing give struggling individuals a chance to have their own space.
more »
The World Bank is adding its weight to efforts to save the world's endangered tigers.
more »
The statue of the Little Mermaid that has sat atop Copenhagen's harbour for nearly a hundred years is unveiled at the Shanghai World Expo.
more »
Beijing city officials have come up with a novel way to combat the stench of the city's growing rubbish tips.
more »