Hundreds of thousands of devout Hindus took a dip in the Shipra river on Saturday (21 May), the last auspicious bathing day of the Kumbh Festival being held in the central Indian city of Ujjain. The Kumbh – or pitcher festival – is one of the biggest spiritual spectacles in the Hindu religious calendar.

Hindu pilgrims bathe in the river believing it cleanses them of their sins and ends their process of reincarnation.