A Sadhu (holy man) reaches out and blesses a man on February 6, 2013, in Allahabad, India, during the Kumbh Mela. Other activities besides bathing include religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy men and women and the poor, and religious assemblies. 
 
"Kumbh Mela" is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus gather to bathe in a sacred river. The event is believed to be the largest religious gathering on earth, and is held every 12 years on the banks of the 'Sangam'- the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. A bath here is said to wash away all of one's sins and free one from the cycle of rebirth. It is considered to be largest peaceful gathering in the world with over 100 million people from January 14 - March 15, 2013.