Hindu devotees just had their Holy dip in the Ganges river, at the Kumbh Mela 2013 festival near Allahabad (India).

Those Hindu men are wearing the ritual rope loop. Those ropes are Hindu Sacred Threads, called "yajno pavitam" or Yajñopavītam.

For more information about the Hindu Sacred Threads, read en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upanayana and www.oldandsold.com/books/hindu/hindu-4.shtml.

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.