Millions of worshippers converge on Ganges site

	VIDEO
Go with pilgrims to Allahabad on the River Ganges, as CNN's Satinder Bindra reports Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

ALLAHABAD, India (CNN) -- Officials estimate that as many as 30 million people may take a dip in the sacred River Ganges on Wednesday, part of a 43-day-long Hindu spiritual festival that occurs in the northern Indian town of Allahabad once very 12 years.

The Maha Kumbh Mela (Great Pitcher Festival) is named for a pitcher of nectar fought over by gods and demons in a Hindu legend. A drop of the nectar, believed to convey immortality, splashed from the pitcher at four different spots in the course of the saga.

The Kumbh Mela is held every three years at each of the four sites -- but the Allahabad site is considered significant because the town lies at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers with the mythical Saraswati River.

A rare alignment of planets -- which won't be seen again for nearly 150 years -- makes this year's festival even more important.

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