Millions of pilgrims and naked, ash-smeared ascetics take holy dips in India's mega Hindu festival

PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) — Tens of thousands of naked Hindu ascetics and millions of pilgrims took dips in freezing water at the confluence of sacred rivers in northern India on Tuesday, in the first of a series of major baths in the Maha Kumbh festival, the largest religious congregation on Earth.

Holding tridents, swords, spears and small two-headed drums, ash-smeared Hindu holy men marched and rode chariots at sunrise toward the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers in the northern city of Prayagraj. The men — with matted dreadlocks and crowns of marigolds — chanted religious slogans praising Hindu deity Lord Shiva on the way to the bathing site in a large procession with singing, drumming and blowing of horns.

Millions of Hindu pilgrims followed them into the confluence.

The Maha Kumbh festival — held every 12 years — started Monday, with more than 15 million pilgrims bathing in the holy rivers, according to officials. Over about the next six weeks, the festival is expected to draw more than 400 million people, many of whom will take part in elaborate rituals.

Hindus believe that bathing at the confluence will cleanse them of their sins and release them from the cycle of rebirth.

Among the bathers was Venkatesh Ramaling, a tech specialist from southern Pune city.

“It is amazing to see how people are just diving in such cold water. People have such strong faith here, and looking at them I feel inspired,” Ramaling said. “After taking the bath, I feel really good and full of positivity."

The festival has its roots in a Hindu tradition that says the god Vishnu wrested a golden pitcher containing the nectar of immortality from demons. Hindus believe that a few drops fell in the cities of Prayagraj, Nasik, Ujjain and Haridwar — the four places where the Kumbh festival has been held for centuries.

The Kumbh rotates among the four pilgrimage sites about every three years on a date determined by the cosmic alignment of the sun, moon and Jupiter.

This year’s festival is the biggest and grandest of them all.

Authorities have built a sprawling tented city on the riverbanks to accommodate the holy men, pilgrims and tourists visiting the festival. The government has provided more than $765 million for the event, hoping to impress India’s largely Hindu population and draw visitors from around the world.

“It is some culmination, some distillation of so much spiritual pursuit, so it is fascinating to see everyone with one purpose," said Stephen Barker, a New York-based artist who was at the festival.

The tent city is equipped with 3,000 kitchens and 150,000 toilets. About 50,000 security personnel are also stationed in the city to maintain law and order and crowd management.

On Tuesday, millions thronged to the riverbanks, with some carrying clothes, blankets and food on their heads and others lugging wheeled bags. Entire families and groups of people from faraway villages marched in huge lines as security personnel blared warnings to avoid stampedes that have marred the festival in the past.

Rajnish Diwedi, a senior police official who oversees security at the festival, said at least 2,700 cameras, some powered by AI, are being used to send crowd movement and density information to four central control rooms, where officials can quickly deploy personnel. Police are also using automated systems to avoid stampedes, he said.

Groups of Hindu ascetics have set up sprawling camps at the site, with tens of thousands of pilgrims visiting them to hear religious discourses and attend prayers. These ascetics — called Naga Sadhus — are part of religious orders that were once mercenary armies who generally revere Hinduism’s Lord Shiva.

Sri Digambar Ishwargiri, a Naga Sadhu who traveled from western Junagadh city, about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) from Prayagraj, said a dip in the holy waters is a step toward attaining salvation. He sat cross-legged beside a small wood fire and a ceremonial trident inside a tent as devotees visited him for blessings.

“This is the holy place for salvation,” Ishwargiri said, adding that ascetics like him are “soldiers of the Hindu religion.”

"We safeguard our faith,” he said.

Bathing takes place every day at the site, but on the most auspicious dates, Hindu ascetics charge toward the holy rivers at dawn.

Many pilgrims also stay for the entire festival, observing austerity, giving alms and bathing at sunrise every day. The river baths, prayer, meditation and yoga sessions and other religious rituals are organized by Hindu ascetics and supported with public funds.

Associated Press video journalists Shonal Ganguly and Rishi Lekhi contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Hindu ascetics and holy men bathe at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the second day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Media personnel jostle to photograph Hindu ascetics and holy men bathing at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the second day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Followers make a barrier to the path on which senior Hindu ascetics and holy men walk in a procession to bathe at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the second day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Hindu ascetics and holy men immerse an idol before bathing at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the second day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Hindu ascetics and holy men and their guru offer a cloth to the water as the prepare to bathe at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the second day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Devout Hindus gather at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on one of the most auspicious day Makar Sankranti, for the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

A policeman controls the crowd at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on one of the most auspicious day Makar Sankranti, for the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Hindu pilgrims take a holy dip at Hooghly River on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Tamil women cook special food to celebrate the harvest festival of Pongal at Dharavi, one of the Asia's largest slums, in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Tamil women cook special food to celebrate the harvest festival of Pongal at Dharavi, one of the Asia's largest slums, in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Hindu pilgrims take a holy dip at Hooghly River on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Naga Sadhus, or naked hindu holy men, take holy dips at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on one of the most auspicious day Makar Sankranti, for the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Hindu ascetics and holy men bathe at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the second day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

A Hindu pilgrim offers prayer with an oil lamp after taking a holy dip at Hooghly River on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Hindu pilgrims perform rituals after taking a holy dip at Hooghly River on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Hindu pilgrims perform rituals after taking a holy dip at Hooghly River on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Hindus take holy dips at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on Makar Sankranti, an auspicious bathing day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Devotees throng the banks where ascetics are bathing at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on Makar Sankranti, an auspicious bathing day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Hindu ascetics arrive for ritualistic dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on one of the most auspicious day Makar Sankranti, for the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Naga Sadhus of Juna Akhara arrive for ritualistic dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on one of the most auspicious day Makar Sankranti, for the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Naga Sadhus of Niranjani Akhara arrive for ritualistic dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on one of the most auspicious day Makar Sankranti, for the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Naga Sadhus of Juna Akhara perform rituals at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on one of the most auspicious day Makar Sankranti, for the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Hindus bathe at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on Makar Sankranti, an auspicious day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Naga Sadhus for ritualistic dips at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on one of the most auspicious day Makar Sankranti, for the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Policemen on horseback control the crowd at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on Makar Sankranti, an auspicious bathing day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Hindu devotees cross a pontoon bridge after taking a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on one of the most auspicious day Makar Sankranti, for the Mahakumbh festival, which is one of the world's largest religious gatherings, celebrated every 12 years in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Hindus wait for a holy procession at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on Makar Sankranti, an auspicious bathing day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Naked Hindu holy men or a Naga Sadhus of Maharirwani Akhara gets ready at their camp for a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on one of the most auspicious day Makar Sankranti, for the Maha Kumbh festival, which is one of the world's largest religious gatherings, celebrated every 12 years in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Naked Hindu holy men or a Naga Sadhus of Maharirwani Akhara gets ready at their camp for a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on one of the most auspicious day Makar Sankranti, for the Maha Kumbh festival, which is one of the world's largest religious gatherings, celebrated every 12 years in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Nude Hindu holy men or a Naga Sadhus of Maharirwani Akhara prepare for a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on one of the most auspicious day Makar Sankranti, for the Mahakumbh festival in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh state, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Hindu holy men or a Naga Sadhus of Maharirwani Akhara prepare for a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on one of the most auspicious day Makar Sankranti, for the Mahakumbh festival in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh state, India, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss Iran's deadly protests at the request of the United States, even as President Donald Trump left unclear what actions he would take against the Islamic Republic.

Tehran appeared to make conciliatory statements in an effort to defuse the situation after Trump threatened to take action to stop further killing of protesters, including the execution of anyone detained in Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “All options remain on the table for the president.”

Iran’s crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,615, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. The death toll exceeds any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The sound of gunfire faded Thursday in the capital, Tehran. The country closed its airspace to commercial flights for hours without explanation early Thursday and some personnel at a key U.S. military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate. The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait also ordered its personnel to “temporary halt” travel to the multiple military bases in the small Gulf Arab country.

Here is the latest:

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that U.S. President Donald Trump and his team had communicated to Iranian officials that there would be “grave consequences” if killing continues against protesters in Iran.

“The president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday, were halted,” she said.

But Trump continues closely watching the situation, she said.

“All options remain on the table for the president,” Leavitt said.

Abdul Malik al-Houthi, leader of the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group, said on Thursday that “criminal gangs” were responsible for the situation in Iran, accusing them of carrying out an “American-Israeli” scheme.

“Criminal gangs in Iran killed Iranian citizens, security forces and burned mosques,” he said without providing evidence. “What’s being committed by criminal gangs in Iran is horrific, bearing an American stamp as it includes slaughter and burning some people alive.”

He also said that the U.S. imposed economic sanctions on Iran to create a crisis leading to the current issues in the country with the end goal of controlling Iran.

Yet he said the U.S. has “failed in Iran” and that Iranians “will not yield to America.”

The president of the European Union’s executive arm says the 27-member bloc is looking to strengthen sanctions against Iran as ordinary Iranians continue their protests against Iran’s theocratic government.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday following a meeting of the EU’s commissioners in Limassol, Cyprus that current sanctions against Iran are “weakening the regime.”

Von der Leyen said that the EU is looking to sanction individual Iranians —apart from those who belong to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard — who “are responsible for the atrocities.”

She added that the people of Iran who are “bravely fighting for a change” have the EU’s “full political support.”

Canada’s foreign minister says a Canadian citizen has died in Iran “at the hands of the Iranian authorities.”

“Peaceful protests by the Iranian people — asking that their voices be heard in the face of the Iranian regime’s repression and ongoing human rights violations — has led the regime to flagrantly disregard human life,” Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand posted on social media Thursday.

“This violence must end. Canada condemns and calls for an immediate end to the Iranian regime’s violence,” she added.

Anand said consular officials are in contact with the victim’s family in Canada. She did not provide details.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies announced Thursday that a local staff member was killed and several others were wounded during the deadly protests in Iran over the weekend.

Amir Ali Latifi, an Iranian Red Crescent Society worker, was working in the country’s Gillan province on Jan. 10 when he was killed “in the line of duty,” the organization said in a statement.

“The IFRC is deeply concerned about the consequences of the ongoing unrest on the people of Iran and is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the Iranian Red Crescent Society,” the statement continued.

U.S. President Donald Trump has hailed as “good news” reports that the death sentence has been lifted for an Iranian shopkeeper arrested in a violent crackdown on protests.

Relatives of 26-year-old Erfan Soltani had said he faced imminent execution.

Trump posed Thursday on his Truth Social site: “FoxNews: ‘Iranian protester will no longer be sentenced to death after President Trump’s warnings. Likewise others.’ This is good news. Hopefully, it will continue!”

Iranian state media denied Soltani had been condemned to death. Iranian judicial authorities said Soltani was being held in a detention facility outside of the capital. Alongside other protesters, he has been accused of “propaganda activities against the regime,” state media said.

Trump sent tensions soaring this week by pledging that “help is on its way” to Iranian protesters and urging them to continue demonstrating against authorities in the Islamic Republic.

On Wednesday Trump signaled a possible de-escalation, saying he had been told that “the killing in Iran is stopping.”

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union’s main foreign policy chief said the G7 members were “gravely concerned” by the developments surrounding the protests, and that they “strongly oppose the intensification of the Iranian authorities’ brutal repression of the Iranian people.”

The statement, published on the EU’s website Thursday, said the G7 were “deeply alarmed at the high level of reported deaths and injuries” and condemned “the deliberate use of violence” by Iranian security forces against protesters.

The G7 members “remain prepared to impose additional restrictive measures if Iran continues to crack down on protests and dissent in violation of international human rights obligations,” the statement said.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has spoken with his counterpart in Iran, who said the situation was “now stable,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Abbas Araghchi said “he hoped China will play a greater role in regional peace and stability” during the talks, according to the statement from the ministry.

“China opposes imposing its will on other countries, and opposes a return to the ‘law of the jungle’,” Wang said.

“China believes that the Iranian government and people will unite, overcome difficulties, maintain national stability, and safeguard their legitimate rights and interests,” he added. “China hopes all parties will cherish peace, exercise restraint, and resolve differences through dialogue. China is willing to play a constructive role in this regard.”

“We are against military intervention in Iran,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told journalists in Istanbul on Thursday. “Iran must address its own internal problems… They must address their problems with the region and in global terms through diplomacy so that certain structural problems that cause economic problems can be addressed.”

Ankara and Tehran enjoy warm relations despite often holding divergent interests in the region.

Fidan said the unrest in Iran was rooted in economic conditions caused by sanctions, rather than ideological opposition to the government.

Iranians have been largely absent from an annual pilgrimage to Baghdad, Iraq, to commemorate the death of Imam Musa al-Kadhim, one of the twelve Shiite imams.

Many Iranian pilgrims typically make the journey every year for the annual religious rituals.

Streets across Baghdad were crowded with pilgrims Thursday. Most had arrived on foot from central and southern provinces of Iraq, heading toward the shrine of Imam al-Kadhim in the Kadhimiya district in northern Baghdad,

Adel Zaidan, who owns a hotel near the shrine, said the number of Iranian visitors this year compared to previous years was very small. Other residents agreed.

“This visit is different from previous ones. It lacks the large numbers of Iranian pilgrims, especially in terms of providing food and accommodation,” said Haider Al-Obaidi.

Europe’s largest airline group said Thursday it would halt night flights to and from Tel Aviv and Jordan's capital Amman for five days, citing security concerns as fears grow that unrest in Iran could spiral into wider regional violence.

Lufthansa — which operates Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings — said flights would run only during daytime hours from Thursday through Monday “due to the current situation in the Middle East.” It said the change would ensure its staff — which includes unionized cabin crews and pilots -- would not be required to stay overnight in the region.

The airline group also said its planes would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace, key corridors for air travel between the Middle East and Asia.

Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for several hours early Thursday without explanation.

A spokesperson for Israel’s Airport Authority, which oversees Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, said the airport was operating as usual.

Iranian state media has denied claims that a young man arrested during Iran’s recent protests was condemned to death. The statement from Iran’s judicial authorities on Thursday contradicted what it said were “opposition media abroad” which claimed the young man had been quickly sentenced to death during a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in the country.

State television didn’t immediately give any details beyond his name, Erfan Soltani. Iranian judicial authorities said Soltani was being held in a detention facility outside of the capital. Alongside other protesters, he has been accused of “propaganda activities against the regime,” state media said.

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Thursday that his government was “appalled by the escalation of violence and repression” in Iran.

“We condemn the brutal crackdown being carried out by Iran’s security forces, including the killing of protesters,” Peters posted on X.

“Iranians have the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and access to information – and that right is currently being brutally repressed,” he said.

Peters said his government had expressed serious concerns to the Iranian Embassy in Wellington.

Women cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A demonstrator lights a cigarette with a burning poster depicting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of Iran's anti-government protests, in Holon, Israel, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)