BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: Pilgrims gather for Indian Mela
Some 60 million Hindus are expected to take part in the Ardh Kumbh Mela festival which has got under way in Allahabad in northern India.

This makes even the biggest music festivals seem so small… The longest running festival in the history of mankind, the Mela is more than 2,000 years old. It is held every 12 years near Allahabad, India. I watched a movie about this festival, “Shortcut to Nirvana” which shows how crazy-beautiful this festival is.