Hindu pilgrims have descended to the banks of the Ganges river in northern India, shrugging off COVID-19 risks for the start of the Kumbh Mela religious festival that regularly attracts millions.

India’s severe outbreak has not stopped devout Hindus from making the pilgrimage to Haridwar in Uttarakhand state.

Holy men known as sadhus are a regular feature at the Kumbh Mela, camping by the river and offering blessings to those who come for the holy immersion.

This footage was filmed and produced 11 March 2021.
Hindu pilgrims have descended on the banks of the Ganges river in northern India, shrugging off COVID-19 risks for the start of the Kumbh Mela (Pitcher Fair), a religious festival that regularly attracts millions.

India’s severe outbreak – the second-most coronavirus infections in the world and more than 150,000 deaths – has not stopped devout Hindus from making the pilgrimage to Haridwar in Uttarakhand state.

Holy men known as sadhus – boasting extraordinary dreadlocks and often smoking cannabis – are a regular feature at the Kumbh Mela, camping by the river and offering blessings to those who come for the holy immersion.

The river’s banks teemed with pilgrims and vendors while families laid out plastic sheets to put their belongings on while they took turns to plunge in the river.