The world's largest human gathering has begun in India, with 15 million people taking a holy dip, at the confluence of three sacred rivers on the first day of the Kumbh Mela. The massive turnout has raised concerns about keeping the holy Ganges River, clean.
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00:00It is the first day here at the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj in India.
00:08And as you can see, this place is absolutely packed.
00:11Now this is just one of the many entrances to get here.
00:15People are so charged up, proud that they're able to make this once in a 12 year event.
00:21400 million Hindus that are expected to come here over the next 45 days.
00:26Their goal is to bathe in the sacred Ganga River or the Ganges River.
00:30And what makes this place particularly sacred is the confluence of three sacred rivers.
00:36The Ganga, as I said, the mythical Saraswati and the Yamuna.
00:40And their goal is to bathe in these waters and they believe after which that they'll
00:44be cleansed of all their sins and be free from the cycle of rebirth.
00:49Now with these higher than expected numbers, it will be a challenge for authorities to
00:53keep the place clean.
00:55In fact, the Uttar Pradesh government, where this event is happening, has already been
00:59ordered by what's called the National Green Tribunal to make sure that no sewage seeps
01:05into these sacred rivers so that people, when they're bathing, can do it in a safe way.
01:10Now these rivers have in the past been criticised for how dirty they've been.
01:14But for some of the devotees here, their faith is so strong that they don't care.
01:20The Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers are looking clean.
01:25This is just the beginning of this mega festival where people from all walks of life across
01:30India and abroad are able to spend the next 45 days exploring themselves spiritually.