Every 12 years the main Kumbh Mela takes place in Allahabad where the holy Ganges and Yamuna rivers meet. The festival last 6 weeks and over 70 million people come from all over India as pilgrims to bathe in the holy river in order to wash away their sins, hopefully at one of the many important days determined by the astrologers. On the main bathing day over 100 000 sadhus, or holy men, start in the early morning working themselves up into a frenzy as they have priority to bathe at the sangam where the two rivers meet. A wide street fenced off with logs is cleared as a mass of naked holy men, guarded by sword wielding guards, push to get down to the river. Many photographers have their cameras destroyed by these wild men that stand above the law. Numerous times I had to squeeze into the crowd to save my cameras in order to get these images at the 2001 main bathing day. A few images are from the empty days in between.