In a gesture rich with symbolism and spiritual significance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday presented the holy water ...

India will soon be among the top three economies of the world, and its missions on artificial intelligence, semiconductor and ...

Dignitaries present at the event included London MP Navendu Mishra, former UK Union Minister and House of Lords member ...

Addressing the Indian community, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar lauded PM Modi's leadership, calling him a "transformational ...

People offer prayers at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers, during the Maha Kumbh Mela Festival, in Prayagraj, India, on January 13, 2025. Adnan Abidi/Reuters.

PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) — Hindu devotees, mystics and holy men and women have gathered in India's northern city of Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh festival, the world's largest religious gathering.

Reuters. A woman prays on the banks of the Ganges River during the "Maha Kumbh Mela", or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, January 13, 2025.

Hindu devotees gather at a holy site where a stampede occurred during the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, on Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) ...

The Maha Kumbh Mela has always been an important symbol of Hinduism, though it was usually not politicized until the recent rise of the idea of India as a Hindu nation.

Item 1 of 3 Naga Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, shout religious slogans before taking a dip during the "Maha Kumbh Mela", or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, January 14, 2025.

A six-week Maha Kumbh Mela or Great Pitcher Festival begins in India on Monday, a Hindu sacred event that will be the world's largest gathering of humanity as it showcases religion, spirituality ...

The Maha Kumbh festival has had stampedes in the past. In 2013, at least 40 pilgrims who were taking part in the festival were killed in a stampede at a train station in Prayagraj .