India's largest human gathering begins as 400 million join Hindu pilgrimage

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The so-called 'largest gathering of humans on Earth' has begun in India. Over the next six weeks, 400 million people are expected to take part in the Hindu pilgrimage. South Asia Bureau Chief Meghna Bali reports.

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00:00It's hard to fully capture the atmosphere here, but I'm standing on one of 29 bridges

00:08taking pilgrims to a sacred spot where the Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers

00:14meet.

00:15Now, over the next six weeks, millions of pilgrims will bathe here.

00:20They believe that this ritual washes away their sins and frees them from the cycle of

00:25rebirth.

00:28Mahakum is glorious.

00:30Pilgrims who come to bathe here on this occasion will be released from their mortal self.

00:33Now, this festival here in Prayagraj happens every 12 years, and the sheer size of it is

00:39staggering.

00:40Over 400 million people are expected to visit over the next few weeks.

00:45Many have travelled for days, even weeks to get here, some without any footwear.

00:51It's a sensory overload.

00:52There's the smell of incense, the sounds of chanting and the sight of devotees lining

00:57up for kilometres to reach these sacred rivers.

01:01This is a great festival.

01:02I'm really excited.

01:03I'm so much happy.

01:05So many people.

01:06Everyone loves God and everyone wants to take a bath.

01:09Now, the sheer logistics of this event are staggering.

01:13Authorities have essentially set up a temporary tent city across 40,000 square kilometres,

01:19complete with hospitals, public toilets and police checkpoints to manage these huge crowds.

01:25Despite the chaos, there's a deep sense of devotion here.

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