Four million people bathe after warrior priests

Four ash-smeared warrior priests rode horses to the bank of the Ganges to mark one of the holiest days of the Hindu festival, the Kumbh Mela.

Millions of pilgrims have waited for the ascetics to bathe before joining them in the belief that their sins would be washed away, speeding their achievement of Nirvana.

In the morning, four million completed the centuries-old ritual, which occurs every 12 years.

As many as 70 million are expected to dip into the river's chilly waters for a holy bath during the 43-day celebration, which began on Tuesday.

Six days during the festival are considered particularly auspicious bathing days, including Sunday, which is known as Royal Bath Day.

In past Kumbh Melas, clashes between two rival warrior sects have led to stampedes, resulting in hundreds of deaths. Tragedy has been averted this time thanks to an agreement by representatives of the two Hindu sects that the Niranjans would go in before the Junas.

Two surveillance helicopters and 100,000 policemen kept watch over the festival grounds as the pre-dawn bathing began to a roar of "Har har Mahadav" or "Hail Mahadav," a traditional Hindu chant taken up by warriors before battle. Mahadev, also known as Shiva, is the Hindu god of destruction.

Pilgrims threw garlands at the priests and the holy men flung the garlands back at the crowds. As the bathing progressed, priests entertained the crowds with acrobatics, sword and trident fights. Meanwhile, religious songs and Hindi film music blared over the loudspeakers.

"Bliss, pure bliss. The dirt in my soul and the fatigue in my body have both been washed away," said BD Arora, a pilgrim from Jalandhar in the northern state of Punjab.

Kumbh Mela derives its name from a Hindu myth that tells how the gods and demons fought over a "kumbh," or pot, of nectar that would give them immortality. Legend has it that one of the gods ran off with the pot, spilling four drops of nectar near four blessed cities.

While the cities alternate holding Kumbh Mela, the festival in Allahabad, 360 miles (580 kilometers) east of New Delhi, is considered the most blessed because it lies near the confluence of rivers considered sacred by Hindus: the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.