There is a Kumbh Mela occurring as I write this in Nashik,  close to Mumbai.  It seems relevant to revisit the main  reason why millions make their way to these gatherings.  That reason is an unswervable belief that sins will be washed away and escape from the burden of the ‘wheel of life’ will be come nearer.    The following gallery of people, often a mass of shape, form and colour, portrays mass bathing in the water of the Ganges in February 2013.  A significant number of these images have not been published before.