Kumbh Mela

(Newser) - Millions of people gathered and dipped in the Ganges River Monday as a second wave of COVID infections burned through India. Hindus observing Kumbh Mela, a religious festival and pilgrimage, crowded together to pray and bathe. Local police, fearing a stampede if social distancing rules were enforced, did little to...

(Newser) - One would have to imagine that the aftermath of what has been described as the "largest human gathering in history" wouldn't be pretty. The Wall Street Journal today confirms that is indeed the case. It presents photos taken three weeks after the end of the 55-day Kumbh Mela,...

(Newser) - At least 10 people were killed and a dozen more injured today after a stampede broke out at a train station in the northern Indian town where millions of devout Hindus gathered for a religious festival dubbed the "largest human gathering in history." As many as 20 people...

(Newser) - If you've never heard of the Kumbh Mela, well, you're sort of forgiven. As Quartz explains, the event is largely ignored by the West—even though it occurs every three years, with a big to-do every 12, and just so happens to be the "largest human gathering...