Watch pics and videos of the Kumbh on Twitter: the world’s largest peaceful gathering over the next 50 days

This could well be the first Kumbh Mela that people can experience in real time and in the virtual world. Even as more than 12 crore people are expected to take part in the Kumbh Mela over the next 50 days, when devotees will take holy dips at the sacred confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, Twitter has already exploded with pics and videos. See some of the pics and videos below.

There will be magnificent processions of seers and their disciples, and members of various 'akharas' to take part in the ritual of 'shahi snan', also known as 'rajyogi snan', at the start of Kumbh.

'Shahi snan' is the central highlight of the Kumbh Mela and the most important part of the celebration. It is only after the completion of 'shahi snan' that people are allowed to take the holy dip.

The auspicious bathing days of the 2019 Kumbh Mela are Makar Sankranti (January 15), Paush Poornima (January 21), Mauni Amawasya (February 4), Basant Panchami (February 10), Maghi Poornima (February 19) and Mahashivratri (March 4).

Around 2,000 tents, 15 crore makeshift toilets have been set up and over 25,000 sweepers were deployed to keep the area clean. These amenities have been set up at a dedicated tent city on the plains of the Yamuna and the Ganga to accommodate the devotees. These tents have been equipped with all the modern facilities, similar to that of a five-star hotel.