Two million take dip in icy Ganges

Millions of Hindu pilgrims have plunged into the icy waters of the Ganges, hoping to wash away their sins during a religious festival that occurs only once every 12 years.

The Kumbh Mela is believed to be one of the largest religious gatherings in the world. It is expected to draw up to 65 million people before it ends on February 21.

With temperatures dipping to 3C, devotees folded their hands in prayer before rushing into the cold waters at 2am local time.

Nearly two million people were estimated to have bathed in the first six hours.

"This has become a family ritual and tradition," said 95-year-old Malti Agarwal, who came from the eastern city of Calcutta with her family of 40. "We do it at every Kumbh festival."

The 43-day festival takes its name from Hindu mythology when the gods seized a pot of nectar that made them invincible in their war against the demons.

One of the gods made off with the pot, spilling drops on 12 spots, four of them in India and the rest in the heavens. One drop is said to have fallen where the Ganges joins the Yamuna River and the mythical Saraswati River. Hindus believe the baths will help wash away their sins, speeding their achievement of nirvana.

Members of a warrior sect of holy men called Naga Sadhus, marched toward the river banks holding hands or flailing spears and long poles. Orange-robed priests walked alongside women who led children to the water by the hand.

Hundreds of buses, trucks and cars heading to the festival grounds led to chaos on all the four roads approaching Allahabad, about 360 miles south-east of New Delhi.

Thousands of soldiers and police - equipped with closed circuit television and bomb detectors - guarded against terrorist attacks, stampedes and crime among the pilgrims crowding in tents or sleeping outside in the winter cold.