A Hindu devotee offers prayers after taking a ritualistic bath at the Triveni Sangam, the meeting point of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, during the annual Magh Mela festival in Allahabad, India, on Jan. 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) (Caption amended by RNS)
(AP) — The Magh Mela is an annual gathering of Hindu pilgrims in Allahabad, India, on the banks of the Triveni Sangam — the confluence of three rivers considered holy by Hindus: the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims make the journey over the 45-day period of Magh Mela, which translates from Hindi to mean “festival of the 11th month.”
Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, prepare their tent at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three rivers considered holy by Hindus, for the Magh Mela festival in Allahabad, India, on Dec. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Hindu devotees cross a temporary pontoon bridge to arrive at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three rivers considered holy by Hindus, during the annual monthlong Magh Mela, a Hindu religious festival in Allahabad, India, on Dec. 31, 2017. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Indian Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, perform rituals at the Triveni Sangam, the meeting point of three rivers considered holy by Hindus, during the annual festival of Magh Mela in Allahabad, India, on Jan. 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Indian Hindu devotees arrive to perform rituals at the Triveni Sangam, the meeting point of three rivers considered holy by Hindus, during the annual Magh Mela festival in Allahabad, India, on Jan. 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
A Hindu woman lights an oil lamp and offers prayers after taking a ritualistic bath at the Triveni Sangam, the meeting point of three rivers considered holy by Hindus, in Allahabad, India, on Jan. 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Hindus take ritualistic baths at the Triveni Sangam, the meeting point of three rivers considered holy by Hindus, in Allahabad, India, on Jan. 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Indian Hindu devotees warm themselves around a fire after taking ritualistic baths at the Triveni Sangam, the meeting point of three rivers considered holy by Hindus, during the annual traditional fair of Magh Mela in Allahabad, India, on Jan. 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)