Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took holy dips in sacred river waters in the northern city of Prayagraj on Wednesday as he joined millions of people at the Maha Kumbh Mela, a week after dozens died in a stampede at the event.

The man appears in a silhouette after rising from the river. His dreadlocked hair is flicked backwards, sending a stream of water in a clockwise swirl. Others surround him, with some holding the saffron flag of Hinduism,

The Triveni Sangam is the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna and is the site of Maka Kumbh where nearly 30 crore people have taken the dip so far. Hindu religious belief says that mythical river Saraswati also joins Ganga and Yamuna at Sangam.

Dozens of people were killed in a pre-dawn stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in northern India on Wednesday as tens of millions of Hindus gathered to take a dip in sacred river waters on the most auspicious day of a six-week festival.