The largest religious gathering in the world! According to astrologers, the 'Kumbh Fair' takes place when the planet Jupiter enters Aquarius and the Sun enters Aries.
Thousands of devotees and holy men converged in India's northern holy Haridwar city to take a dip in the Ganges on the occasion of 'Somvati Amavasya', no moon day that falls on March 15 Monday, in traditional Hindu calendar, during the ongoing Maha Kumbh, the main religious fête for Hindus.
Married women take the dip for a happy married life and for the long life of their husbands. They also worship the pipal tree ( a sacred tree) on the day. They also perform different rituals and undertake Somavara Amavasya Vrat.
Kumbha Mela is a sacred Hindu pilgrimage that takes place at the following four locations of India:
Prayag, Allahabad at the confluence of three holy rivers - Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, Haridwar where the river Ganga enters the plains from Himalayas Ujjain, on the banks of shipra river, and Nasik on the banks of Godavari river.
There is also a popular belief the soul of ancestors will rest in peace if children and relatives take a holy dip in the sacred rivers.