Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday took a dip in Hindu holy water in the northern city of Prayagraj, hosting the Maha Kumbh Mela – the biggest gathering of humanity in the world.
Visuals showed Modi stepping into the river water and offered prayers as the priest gave a Vedic mantra on loudspeakers.
The state of Uttar Pradesh takes place every 12 years, this festival is a witness to millions of religious Hindus, which collects to bathe in water at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati of the holy rivers in a period of 45 days.
Hindus believe that taking a dip in water will be the sins of the past and free the theme free from the cycle of rebirth, which will help with salvation.
According to officials, some 400 million people were expected to attend the event this year which ended on 26 February.
Modi’s visit in view of deadly stampede
A week after Modi’s visit, dozens of people were released after a stampede at a meeting.
While official figures kept death great at the age of 30, the opposition leader claimed that the number is very high.
He has accused Modi’s federal government and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government of hiding the number and details on the incident in Uttar Pradesh.
Edited by: Wesley Dakri
