Editor's note: The India Kumbh Mela, also known as the Great Pitcher Festival, believed to be the world's largest religious gathering, is held every 12 years on the banks of the Sangam- the confluence of the holy rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. Hindus believe a festival dip at Sangam - where the rivers meet - will cleanse sins and help bring salvation.

The Kumbh Maha Mela in Allahabad, India, in 2013, the world's largest religious gathering. [By Tao Chen/China.org.cn]