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In Pictures: Maha Kumbh Mela
The first of an expected 20 million Hindu devotees are arriving in Allahabad on the Ganges, which every 12 years hosts Hinduism's most important festival, the Kumbh Mela, or Pitcher Festival.
The Naga Sadhus, naked and ash-covered, are at the top of the hierarchy of holymen and will lead the bathing ritual
Devotees arrive at Allahabad from all over India ahead of the festival which begins on Tuesday
A group of women wait for accommodation in the tent city of Allahabad
Holymen belonging to Shri Panchdasham Akhara in a procession outside the Mauj Giri Baba temple in Allahabad
A holyman who considers himself as the incarnation of Brahma, the Hindu god believed to have created the universe
A boy dressed as Hanuman, the monkey god, begs from devotees waiting for accommodation
An entire temporary city of tents has sprung up and is being used to house the millions visiting
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