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Added on the 14/01/2022 10:44:37 - Copyright : AFP EN
Kolkata, Jan 13 (EFE/EPA).- Thousands of Hindu pilgrims on Wednesday gather for an annual holy dip in the icy cold waters of an island in eastern India to mark the end of winter solstice, amid the coronavirus pandemic. Hindu devotees every year during this time bathe in what they believe sacred waters of the Ganga Sagar island that marks the point where the Ganges river, considered holy by Hindus, meets the sea.The pilgrims now gather for the Ganga Sagar festival that begins on Jan. 13 at the island, located some 130 kilometers (81 miles) south of Kolkata, in the Ganges delta. Ganga Sagar is one of India's most coveted pilgrimages and every year millions of devout Hindus travel to the Gangasagar fair - the largest annual gathering of devotees in India and the second largest overall among Hindus, after the Kumbh Mela - on the Sagar Island, in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. (Camera: PIYAL ADHIKARY). SHOT LIST: GOVERNMENT HEALTH STAFF COLLECT SWAB OF A HINDU PILGRIMS FOR A COVID-19 RAPID TEST AT A TEMPORARY HOSPITAL NEAR THE BAY OF BENGAL AT SAGAR ISLAND, AND PILGRIMS ARRIVING FOR THE SECOND DAY OF GANGA SAGAR FAIR ON SAGAR ISLAND, SOUTH OF KOLKATA, INDIA.
Thousands of Hindu holy men and devotees take a dip in the river in Ujjain city on the last day of the pitcher festival. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).
Thousands of Hindu devotees take a dip in the waters of a reservoir on the banks of India's sacred Godavari river. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).
Thousands of Hindu devotees take a dip in the waters of a reservoir on the banks of India's sacred Godavari river. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).
Tens of thousands of Hindus take a dip in an Indian river during a festival, believing it will cleanse them of their sins. Yiming Woo reports.
Pope Francis holds Holy Mass in the EXPO International Exhibition Center grounds in Nur-Sultan during the second day of his Apostolic visit to Kazakhstan. IMAGES