In pictures: Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious festival, in full swing

Feb 4: Millions of Hindu devotees have joined the world’s largest religious gathering at a holy city in northern India, bathing in its sacred waters in a spectacle of colour and devotion.

A staggering 400 million people are expected to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, or the festival of the Sacred Pitcher, which began January 13 and runs until February 26 in the city of Prayagraj.

Safety concerns over the sheer number of people concentrated in one place were heightened last month following a fatal crowd crush at the festival. However, throngs of people have continued to gather in the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three holy rivers – the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati – to purify their sins and take another step closer to “spiritual liberation.”

Every 12 years the festival carries the prefix “Maha,” which means great, as it’s the largest gathering of the Kumbh Mela that’s held every three years in one of four cities.

The gathering is particularly well known for attracting large crowds of Hindu holy men, or sadhus, who travel from across the country. Sadhus are ascetics who have renounced worldly goods and life and are famous for their dreadlocks, ash-covered bodies and bright – sometimes minimal – clothing.

A Naga Sadhu applies ash after a holy dip on the third royal bath of Basant Panchami during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj on Monday, February 3. R.Satish Babu/AFP/Getty Images

Hindu pilgrims enjoy a ride on a hand cart during the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela festival on Saturday, February 1. R.Satish Babu/AFP/Getty Images

A Hindu devotee performs rituals after taking a holy dip on Thursday, January 30. Deepak Sharma/AP

A mourner sits at the site of a deadly crowd crush, where pilgrims were killed in a frantic rush to take a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three holy rivers, during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj, on Wednesday, January 29. Atul Loke/The New York Times/Redux

Devotees cross over a barricade after a deadly crowd crush on the day of the second Shahi Snan, or royal bath on January 29. Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Police personnel watch a live feed of AI-powered CCTV cameras at the police control room during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival on Tuesday, January 28. Atul Loke/The New York Times/Redux

Newly-initiated Naga Sadhus perform rituals by the Ganges on Saturday, January 18. Sanjay Kanojia/NurPhoto/Getty Images

A Hindu holy man, or Sadhu, performs evening prayers inside a camp on Friday, January 17. Niharika Kulkarni/AFP/Getty Images

An aerial view shows the temporary camp set up for Hindu devotees on Thursday, January 16. Sanjay Kanojia/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Naga Sadhus take a holy dip in the sacred waters of the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three holy rivers on the occasion of 'Makar Sankranti' the first royal bathing day of Kumbh Mela on Tuesday, January 14. Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images

Naga Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, arrive to take a holy dip on January 14. Niharika Kulkarni/AFP/Getty Images

A policeman on horse controls the crowd of devotees before the Royal bath of Naga Sadhus on January 14. Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images

Sadhvis or Hindu holy women take part in a mass bathing ritual during the royal bath on January 14. Idrees Mohammed/AFP/Getty Images

A Sadhu sits on the banks before taking a holy dip in the sacred waters of Sangam, the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, on Monday, January 13. Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Hindu devotees arrive at Sangam, where the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati meet, to take a dip on the holy day of Paush Purnima on January 13. Sanjay Kanojia/NurPhoto/AP

Hindu pilgrims wait in a queue outside a temple to offer prayers after taking a holy dip on January 13. Idrees Mohammed/AFP/Getty Images

Devotees cross the temporary pontoon tank bridge over the Ganga River on January 13. Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images

A young acrobat performs a tightrope walk as people arrive at the Maha Kumbh Mela festival on January 13. Idrees Mohammed/AFP/Getty Images

A Hindu devotee smeared with ash dances during a religious procession ahead of the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj on Friday, January 10. Niharika Kulkarni/AFP/Getty Images