Sawt Falasteen - India's Modi takes ritual dip at Hindu mega-festival

Many millions of people have already bathed in the confluence of rivers at the Kumbh Mela, a six-week-long Hindu celebration of prayer and bathing held every 12 years.

Modi, dressed in a saffron-coloured top and counting prayer beads in his hands, waded out thigh-deep to the holiest site of the Sangam, the meeting point of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers.

He then dunked his head under the waters several times, watched by vast crowds packed along the river banks in the north Indian city of Prayagraj, in Utter Pradesh state.

Modi said he was "blessed" to take part, calling it a "moment of divine connection".

"Like the tens of millions of others who have taken part in it, I was also filled with a spirit of devotion," he added in a statement.

Hindus believe that those who immerse themselves in the waters cleanse themselves of sin, breaking free from the cycle of rebirth and ultimately attaining salvation.

Organisers say the scale of the Kumbh Mela is that of a temporary country, boasting that as many as 400 million pilgrims are expected to attend.

Last month, at least 30 people were killed and many more injured after a surging crowd spilt out of a police cordon and trampled bystanders.

More than 380 million people have so far taken a dip in the rivers during the festival, which began last month and runs until February 26, according to state government figures.

Modi was accompanied by Yogi Adityanath, a hardline Hindu monk and Uttar Pradesh state chief minister, a key figure in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Yogi's successful management of the mega event was seen as a critical test for the 52-year-old firebrand leader, viewed as a potential eventual successor to Modi, 74.

But the deadly stampede on January 29 took the sheen off Yogi and his government's claims touting the stellar management of the event promoted on billboards across the city.

Modi's visit to the Kumbh coincides with state elections in the capital New Delhi, where the BJP is the main challenger to the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party, led by charismatic Arvind Kejriwal.

I.Yassin--SF-PST