Photos: India kicks off a huge Hindu festival, Maha Kumbh Mela

The Maha Kumbh Mela festival, which is billed as the largest religious gathering in the world, draws a large number of Hindu devotees, mystics, holy men and women from all over India.

At least 400 million people are expected at the confluence of the three holy rivers – the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical, invisible Saraswati – over the next 45 days, according to officials.

A sizable area along the rivers’ banks has been transformed into a sprawling tent city with 150, 000 restrooms and more than 3, 000 kitchens. Divided into 25 sections and spreading over 40 square kilometres (15 square miles), the tent city also has housing, roads, electricity, water, communication towers and 11 hospitals. On the city’s walls are murals that depict scenes from Hindu epictales.

In addition to regular trains, Indian Railways has developed more than 90 special trains, making nearly 3,300 trips during the festival.

To protect public safety and to enforce law and order, there are about 50 000 security personnel in the city. Four central control rooms will receive crowd movement and density data from more than 2,500 cameras, some of which are AI-powered, so that authorities can quickly dispatch personnel to prevent stampedes.

Over the next six weeks, Hindu pilgrims at the site will take part in elaborate rituals, hoping to begin a journey to achieve Hindu philosophy’s ultimate goal: the release from the cycle of rebirth.

Source: Aljazeera