Prince or commoner, sadhu or not, everyone attends the Simhastha Kumbh. While the Naga sadhus -- with their ash-smeared bodies and long matted locks -- are the stars of the event, there are other religious figures as well. This year sadhus from 13 akhadas belonging to the Vaishnav and Shaiva sects arrived on horse-back, elephants, tempos and improvised jeeps. Some 15,000 police and other security personnel have been deployed to ensure everything goes off well.

Among the well-known personalities who took the holy dip this year was Jyotiraditya Scindia, the maharaja of Gwalior and Congress candidate from Guna in Madhya Pradesh.

Also See: The Night of Infinite Light