Prayagraj Sangam

At Prayagraj the Yamuna, running clear and greenish, meets the wider and siltier Ganges, and the line where the two colours mix is visible from a boat; tradition adds the invisible Saraswati, making this a triveni, a meeting of three. Bathing here is considered especially meritorious, and the confluence is one of four sites of the Kumbh Mela, held in rotation, which at Prayagraj draws crowds counted in the tens of millions over several weeks and is described as the largest human gathering on earth. A temporary city of tents, roads and pontoon bridges is built on the sand each time.

What to look for

• The colour line - green Yamuna water meeting brown Ganges water.
• The bathing platforms - moored boats and platforms at the meeting point.
• The tent city - the temporary settlement built on the sands at Mela time.
• Akbar's fort - the Mughal fort standing above the confluence.

When to go

November to March; Magh Mela runs each winter and the Kumbh at its rotation. Outside festival periods the confluence is quiet and boats are easily hired. Summer is punishing.

Practical notes

Boatmen and priests at the confluence press hard for payments and donations. During Mela periods crowds are overwhelming and movement is heavily controlled. Water quality is poor.

Nearby

Varanasi lies east; Chitrakoot is southwest.