The man appears in a silhouette after rising from the river. His dreadlocked hair is flicked backwards, sending a stream of water in a clockwise swirl. Others surround him, with some holding the saffron flag of Hinduism, all repeating a centuries-old ritual that Hindus believe cleanses them of their sins and releases them from the cycle of rebirth.
The photo of a Naga Sadhu — a Hindu ascetic — at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers in the northern city of Prayagraj, is emblematic of the ongoing Maha Kumbh festival, the largest religious congregation on Earth. Here, millions Hindus have been taking dips in freezing water at the confluence of rivers — two worldly and one mythical — to attain salvation.
