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Millions of Hindu devotees gather in the northern Indian city of Allahabad for the religious festival of Kumbh Mela
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Worshippers believe that bathing in the River Ganges during the festival will absolve them from sin
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Kumbh Mela or the Pitcher festival is held in Allahabad once every 12 years
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Indian policemen on horseback clear the way for a religious procession near the banks of the Ganges
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A Sadhu, or a Hindu holy man, smokes marijuana on the banks of river Ganges ahead of the festival
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Sadhus, give up worldly pleasures and live away from the mainstream Indian life and culture
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The Kumbh Mela is believed to be the largest gathering of Hindus in the world
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According to Hinduism, it is believed that on a certain day at a certain time, four drops from a cask of heavenly nectar landed in four locations along the route of the River Ganges
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It is the most revered of rivers in the Hindu faith, even though it is one of the five of the most polluted rivers in the world
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Millions of Hindus immerse themselves into the confluence of the Yamuna and Ganga, which meets with the mythical river Saraswati, during the 55 -day festival