Kumbh Mela's origins are deeply rooted in a mythical battle between Hindu gods and demons over a kumbh (pitcher) filled with the nectar of immortality. The story goes that the pitcher broke in the fight, scattering drops of nectar in four riverside cities: Nashik, Ujjain, Haridwar, and Allahabad. When the planets align in the same position as the original battle (approximately every 3 years), pilgrims flock to these four places, while the larger Maha Kumbh Mela happens every 12 years in Allahabad. The Maha Kumbh Mela that took place in January-March 2013 attracted more than 120 million people.

The highlight of the mela (fair) is the most auspicious bathing day (Mauni Amavasya Snan), when bathers wash away their own sins from this lifetime as well as those of their family’s 88 previous generations. This ensures liberation from the eternal cycle of rebirth for oneself and one’s ancestors. An estimated 30 million people bathed together in the Ganges on February 10, 2013.