Millions gather to 'purify souls' in bathing ritual

ALLAHABAD, India - Millions of Hindu devotees are gathering in northern India for the Magh Mela - one of the world's biggest religious festivals involving ritual bathing in the holy waters of the Ganges river.

An estimated 10 million Hindus descend on the city of Allahabad every January for the festival staged at the sacred meeting point of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers.

The 45-day Mela is currently under way, with pilgrims camping across Allahabad and joining the colorful throngs for dips in the venerated waters.