Maha Kumbh Festival

Photos of the Week

An Indian child dressed as Hindu god Shiva to seek alms reacts to camera at Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges and Yamuna during the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. Millions of Hindu pilgrims are expected to attend the Maha Kumbh festival, which is one of the world's largest religious gatherings that lasts 55 days and falls every 12 years. During the festival pilgrims bathe in the holy Ganges River in a ritual they believe can wash away their sins. (AP Photo/ Rajesh Kumar Singh)

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Cambodia Sihanou... The sun sets behind a tower of the cremation for Cambodia's late former King Norodom Sihanouk, near the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. The body of Sihanouk who died on Oct. 15, 2012 at age 89 is scheduled to be cremated on Feb. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Britain Auction A Bonhams employee looks at an antique fire screen bearing a display of Blue Ulysses Swallowtail Butterflies during a media opportunity at Bonham's Auction rooms in London, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. The fire screen is estimated to fetch between 1,200 - 1,800 Pounds (euro 1,500 - 2,200; US$ 1,900 - 2,900) in the Gentleman's Library Sale which will be held on January 29-30. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Deep Freeze Arctic sea-smoke rises from Portland Harbor where the Bahama-based oil tanker, the Teesta Spirit, unloads it's fuel, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, in South Portland, Maine. A stubborn cold front continues to grip the region. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The 57th Preside... President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama share a dance during the Commander-In-Chief Inaugural ball at the Washington Convention Center during the 57th Presidential Inauguration Monday, Jan. 21, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
Russia Epiphany Russian Orthodox believers swim in the icy water on Epiphany at a pond in at a pond in Tyarlevo village outside St.Petersburg, Russia, early Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. The temperature in St.Petersburg is -26C ( -14.8 F). Thousands of Russian Orthodox Church followers plunged into icy rivers and ponds across the country to mark Epiphany, cleansing themselves with water deemed holy for the day. Water that is blessed by a cleric on Epiphany is considered holy and pure until next year's celebration, and is believed to have special powers of protection and healing. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)
Germany Weather A car passes ice and snow covered trees near Oberpoebel, eastern Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/dpa, Arno Burgi)
2013 Dakar Rally... KTM rider Ruben Faria of Portugal competes at the start of the 13th stage of the 2013 Dakar Rally from Copiapo to La Serena, Chile, Friday, Jan. 18, 2013. The race finishes in Santiago, Chile, on Jan. 20. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Moon Jupiter Con... The Planet Jupiter is seen in conjunction just above the waxing gibbous Moon on Monday night, January 21, 2013, from Tyler, Texas. (AP Photo/Dr. Scott M. Lieberman)
South Korea's Um... Umbrellas are displayed in front of Seoul City Hall in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. This display symbolizes Seoul public officials' intention to be an umbrella for Seoul citizens.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Mali Fighting Children and adults alike play soccer on a dusty field in Segou, central Mali, some 240 km (140 miles) from Bamako Monday Jan. 21, 2013. French troops in armored personnel carriers rolled through the streets of Diabaly on Monday, winning praise from residents of this besieged town after Malian forces retook control of it with French help a week after radical Islamists invaded. The Islamists also have deserted the town of Douentza, which they had held since September, according to a local official who said French and Malian forces arrived there on Monday as well. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
Paris Fashion A model wears a creation by Lebanese fashion designer Georges Hobeika as part of the Women's Spring/Summer 2013 Haute Couture fashion collection presented in Paris, Monday , Jan. 21 2013 (AP Photo/ Jacques Brinon)
Big Wave Contest... Colin Dwyer competes during heat 4 of the Mavericks Invitational big wave surf contest in Half Moon Bay, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Russia Weather A man fishes from the banks of the Moscow River in Kolomenskoye park, Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. Moscow temperatures on Sunday dropped to -14 degrees Celsius (6.8 degrees Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)
La Tamborrada Ma... ''Tamborilleros'' wearing their uniform shelter from the rain, march in the traditional ' La Tamborrada', during 'El Dia Grande', the main day of San Sebastian feasts, in the Basque city of San Sebastian, northern Spain, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. From midnight to midnight companies of perfectly uniformed marchers parade through the streets of San Sebastian playing drums and barrels in honor of their patron saint. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
India Beating Re... An Indian army conductor leads a military band during rehearsals for the upcoming Beating Retreat ceremony near the Presidential Palace in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. The ceremony is held annually on Jan. 29. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Maha Kumbh Festi... An Indian child dressed as Hindu god Shiva to seek alms reacts to camera at Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges and Yamuna during the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. Millions of Hindu pilgrims are expected to attend the Maha Kumbh festival, which is one of the world's largest religious gatherings that lasts 55 days and falls every 12 years. During the festival pilgrims bathe in the holy Ganges River in a ritual they believe can wash away their sins. (AP Photo/ Rajesh Kumar Singh)
India Republic D... Women and men wearing traditional attire from the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh perform a music and dance routine in front of their state tableaux that will participate in the Republic Day parade, during a press preview in New Delhi, India , Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. India celebrates Republic Day on Jan. 26. (AP Photo/ Saurabh Das)
Hong Kong Chines... People walk past Chinese New Year decorations at a shopping mall to celebrate the Year of the Snake as the Chinese lunar New Year starts on Feb. 10 in Hong Kong Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
Highlanders Fest... A horseman is pulling a man on skis at the Kumoterki race during the Gazdowska Parade in Bialy Dunajec in southern Poland January 20, 2013. Every year in January and February, hundreds of highlanders arrive to Pohale to take part in the traditional event, which has become one of the main tourist attractions of the area. Foto: Lukasz Gagulski/dapd/FORUM
MLK Holiday Para... Miami-Dade carnival dancers perform at the annual Martin Luther King Day parade in Miami, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013, as the nation honors civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
Mars McLaughlin ... This image provided by NASA shows the layered rocks on the floor of the McLaughlin Crater on Mars taken Sunday Jan. 20, 2013 showing sedimentary rocks, on right, that contain spectroscopic evidence for minerals formed through interaction with water according to scientists. The scene covers an area about one-third of a mile (about 550 meters) across. It was takne by The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. (AP Photo/NASA)
Philippines Reli... Hundreds of Roman Catholic devotees join the procession with images of the Infant Jesus to celebrate its feast day Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013 at Manila's Tondo district in the Philippines. Tens of thousands of devotees in this predominantly Catholic country in Asia, celebrate the Feast Day of the Infant Jesus, with the largest celebration being held in the second premier city of Cebu in Central Philippines. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Philippines Army Troops of the Philippine Army's Special Forces march during the Change-of-Command ceremony for the new Philippine Army chief at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig city, east of Manila, Philippines Tuesday Jan. 22, 2013. Lt.Gen. Noel Coballes succeeded Gen. Emmanuel Bautista who was appointed Chief-of-Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Deep Freeze A Commuter bundles up against extreme cold conditions Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, in Chicago. Temperatures in the area were hovering around zero with sub-zero wind chill reading hitting 10 below. Forecasters say waves of frigid Arctic air began moving over the region Saturday night Jan. 19, 2013. Temperatures are expected to rebound Wednesday Jan. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Lithuania Weathe... Swans and ducks swim in the partially frozen Neris river as the temperature drops to -18 degrees Celsius (0 Fahrenheit) in Vilnius, Lithuania, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
India Republic D... Indian Air force planes present a fly past during a dress rehearsal for the annual Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. India celebrates Republic Day annually on Jan. 26. (AP Photo /Manish Swarup)
Japan Internatio... A woman looks at a scale model of a historic Japanese cathedral, the Yumedono or dream hall, of Horyuji temple during the 24th International Jewelry Exhibition in Tokyo, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. The model, which is made of genuine stone, is priced at 36 million yen (US$ 408,000). (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
Monaco Circus Fe... Performers show their skills during the awards ceremony for the 37th Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival, in Monaco, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Sebastien Nogier, Pool)
Toxic Fog Utah Smog from an inversion hangs over the Utah State Capitol Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013, in Salt Lake City. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has singled out the greater Salt Lake region as having the nation's worst air for much of January, when an icy fog smothers mountain valleys for days or weeks at a time and traps lung-busting soot. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Warehouse Fire Chicago firefighters battle a five-alarm blaze in single digit temperatures at a warehouse on the city's South Side, Bridgeport neighborhood Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Newly Inaugurate... In this photo taken on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013 an unidentified polar bear in the newly inaugurated Arctic Circle, in Copenhagen Zoo. The area will be open to the public from Feb 5. (AP Photo/Polfoto, Stine Bidstrup)
Bolivia's Presid... Musicians perform after Bolivia's President Evo Morales, not in picture, delivered his state of the nation address in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. Morales is marking his seventh year as president. During his address Morales said his ally Hugo Chavez "is now receiving physical therapy" after cancer surgery in Cuba so that he can return home to Venezuela. Morales says he expects to see the Venezuelan president attending "international events" soon. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Taiwan Military Taiwanese soldiers operate M60-A3 tanks during a military exercise in Hualien, Taiwan, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
Russia Weather Steam from an electric power plant rises over Red Square with historical museum, left, St. Basil's cathedral, central, and Kremlin, right, in downtown Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. After two weeks of snowfall Moscow enjoyed a cold sunny day. The Lenin Mausoleum, bottom center, is seen covered for reconstruction. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)
Graffiti Artwork... Brazilian graffiti artist Eduardo Kobra (C) puts the final touches to his piece of art in tribute to Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, next to his assistants, at the financial center on Sao Paulo's Avenida Paulista January 22, 2013. Kobra created the 56-metre (61-yard) tall graffiti artwork as a tribute to Niemeyer, one of the 20th century's most influential modernist architects. Niemeyer died in December 2012, aged 104. (REUTERS/Nacho Doce)
India Republic D... Members of India's military band rehearse for the upcoming Beating Retreat ceremony as workers, unseen, test the illumination at Raisina hill where India's most important ministries and the presidential palace are housed, in New Delhi, India,Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. The ceremony is held annually on Jan. 29, marking the end of republic day celebrations. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Five Lakes Skati... Participants of the Five Lakes Skating Tour skate on one of the lakes near Giethoorn, northern Netherlands, Thursday Jan. 24, 2013. Some 15,000 skating enthusiasts participated in the first tour on natural ice, but a stretch of rapidly deteriorating ice forced organizers to call off the tour after a few hours. Dutch police later stopped people from reaching the area. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Spain Catalonia ... Pro-independence supporters wave their "estelada" flags as they celebrate the results of a symbolic declaration of sovereignty in front of Catalonia's Parliament in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday Jan. 23, 2013. The parliament of Spain's powerful northeastern region of Catalonia has approved a largely symbolic declaration stating the region is a sovereign entity, paving the way for a referendum on independence from Spain. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Quantum Key West... In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, 52 Class sailboats cross the start line, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013, for the third day of racing at the Quantum Key West sailing regatta in Key West, Fla. Ran, right, skippered by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom, is in second place. (AP Photo/Florida Keys News Bureau, Ken Stanek)
Netherlands Ligh... A light and water show are seen at an amusement park in Kaatsheuvel, the Netherlands on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. The amusement park, usually only open for the summer, now hosts a winter show to entice more visitors. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
China Air Pollut... Houses and buildings are seen on a heavy haze in Shanghai, China, on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. Air pollution is a major problem in China due to the country's rapid pace of industrialization, reliance on coal power, explosive growth in vehicle ownership and disregard for environmental laws, with development often taking priority over health. The pollution typically gets worse in the winter because of an increase in coal burning. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Alabama Weather The sun sets along the coast near Alabama Port, Ala., Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. Partly cloudy skies and moderate temperatures are forecast for the next few days, bringing with it the opportunity to colorful sunsets. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
India Border Sec... A female Indian Border Security Force (BSF) officer, center, leads a squad of her male and few female colleagues during their passing out ceremony in Bangalore, India, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. BSF with a total strength of about 250,000 personnel including women is one of the world's largest border patrol forces established in 1965. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Ukraine Circus A circus artist performs with dogs during the opening concert in the new, 2013 season in Ukraine's National Circus in Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, Jan.24, 2013. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Israel Jewish We... The Ultra-Orthodox Jewish bride, granddaughter of Satmar Rebbe of Williamsburg, Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, fulfills the Mitzvah tantz during her traditional Jewish wedding in the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, Israel, early Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. The bride enters to the men section to fulfill the Mitzvah tantz, in which family members and honored rabbis are invited to dance in front of the bride, often holding a gartel, and then dancing with the groom. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Islam’s Prophet ... Yemeni security personnel stand guard as they search people arriving during the celebration of moulid al-nabi, the birth of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
Bagan Ancient Te... Mist obscures ancient temples in the sunrise in Bagan, central Myanmar, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)
Washington Weath... The sun rises behind the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, on a cloudy day in Washington. A winter weather advisory has been issued for the area with light snow excepted later in the evening. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)
Annual Buddhist ... Tamed elephants stand at a temple garden ahead of an annual Buddhist festival in Kalaniya, on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
India Muslim Fes... Indian Muslims hold religious flags , seen through the smoke from firecrackers as they participate in a procession to mark the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammed in Mumbai, India, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)