Over the coming 45 days, an estimated 400 million Hindus are expected to come together for Maha Kumbh Mela. The festival is held every 12 years but the "Maha" or grand Kumbh Mela takes place only every 144 years, "marking the 12th Kumbh Mela and a special celestial alignment of the sun, moon and Jupiter", said The Guardian.

The massive, fluted tree trunks are painted with bright colorful patterns signaling Prayagraj’s preparation for the 45-day Maha Kumbh festival, during which tens of millions are expected to visit. Hindu devotees will keep arriving in the north Indian city from across the country to bathe at the confluence of the Ganges,

Millions of Hindu pilgrims gathered on Tuesday at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Sarasvati rivers to take part in the first holy bath of the Kumbh Mela, the world's largest religious gathering.