Hindu family sitting in circle on the straw-covered river bank, praying and performing a Hindu ceremony, before taking the holy bath in the Ganges River.

Hundreds of thousand Hindu pilgrims are gathering before dawn on the bank of the Ganges river, near the Sangam, during the Kumbh Mela 2013 festival near Allahabad (India)

The Triveni Sangam is the confluence of the Yamuna and the Ganga (Ganges) rivers, and this is the holiest place to take the ritual baths during the Kumbh Mela.

This was the early morning of January 27 (a full-moon night, called Paush Purnima), one of the most auspicious mornings for taking the holy bath. The yellowish color is caused by the dim sodium-vapor street lights.

Kumbh Mela is the largest festival on Earth, taking place once every 12 years, with more than 50 million Hindu pilgrims gathering to pray and bathe in the holy Ganges river.

For more photos and info about the Kumbh Mela festival, read the album description.