India’s huge Hindu festival, world’s largest religious gathering, kicks off in north

• The Maha Kumbh Mela, or Hindu pitcher festival, begins Monday in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj.
• Officials expect at least 400 million people to visit Prayagraj over the next 45 days.
• Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the festival has become an integral part of advocacy of Hindu nationalism. The festival is expected to boost the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s record of promoting Hindu cultural symbols for its support base. Critics say the party’s philosophy is rooted in Hindu supremacy.

Millions of Hindu devotees, mystics and holy men and women from all across India flocked to the northern city of Prayagraj on Monday to kickstart the Maha Kumbh festival, which is being touted as the world’s largest religious gathering.

Over about the next six weeks, Hindu pilgrims will gather at the confluence of three sacred rivers — the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati — where they will take part in elaborate rituals, hoping to begin a journey to achieve Hindu…