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 ALLAHABAD, India (AP) - Ash-smeared and naked Hindu saints led millions of devotees Wednesday in a pre-dawn holy dip at the meeting of three major rivers in northern India, starting a weeks-long pilgrimage to wash away their sins.
Chanting religious hymns and "Har Har Gange," or "Long Live the Ganges (River)," a multitude of men, women and children jumped into the water at 4:54 a.m., a moment chosen as auspicious by Hindu priests. Few seemed to mind the chilly winds and a low of 42 F.
"Initially, I felt some cold. But one dip and the cold was gone," said Ram Vir Upadhaya, a retired government official.
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