Holy men take ritualistic dip on the auspicious day of Basant Panchami at Sangam, the confluence of sacred rivers the Yamuna, the Ganges and the mythical Saraswati, during the Kumbh Mela or the Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The Kumbh Mela is a series of ritual baths by Hindu sadhus, or holy men, and other pilgrims at Sangam that dates back to at least medieval times. Pilgrims bathe in the river believing it cleanses them of their sins and ends their process of reincarnation