India's Hindu Kumbh Mela festival begins in Allahabad

Thousands of people have been bathing at the confluence of two rivers in the Indian city of Allahabad on the opening day of the Kumbh Mela festival.

Pilgrims are bathing at the point where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers converge, with up to 10 million more set to do so by the end of the day.

The event, which takes place once every 12 years, is billed as the biggest gathering of humanity on Earth.

More than 100 million people are expected to attend the 55-day festival.

In 2001, more than 40 million people gathered on the main bathing day of the festival, breaking a record for the biggest human gathering.

Hindus believe that taking a dip during the festival will rid them of their sins and help them achieve salvation.

The report says that the festival is expected to draw over a million foreign tourists too.

The Kumbh Mela has its origins in Hindu mythology - many believe that when gods and demons fought over a pitcher of nectar, a few drops fell in the cities of Allahabad, Nasik, Ujjain and Haridwar - the four places where the Kumbh festival has been held for centuries.