Many believe that when gods and demons fought over a pitcher of nectar, a few drops fell in the cities of Allahabad, Nasik, Ujjain and Haridwar - the four places where the Kumbh festival has been held for centuries.

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In Hindu creation myths, the gods and demons fought over a kumbh (pitcher) containing the nectar of immortality, but during the fight four drops of the liquid fell to earth, one at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, one at Hardiwar in Uttarakhand, one at Ujjian in Madhya Pradesh and one at Nashik in Maharashtra.

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Up to 70m Hindus are expected to come to this city in eastern Uttar Pradesh to wash away their sins at one of the four spots where drops of the elixir of immortality fell from a pitcher as gods fought with demons to possess it.

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Black Monday is the name given to Monday, Oct. 19, 1987, when the Dow Jones industrial average fell dramatically, and on which similar enormous drops occurred across the world.

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Its GDP fell by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, following drops (albeit less alarming ones) in the previous two quarters.

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There was more downbeat news for the economy Thursday in the shape of a bigger than forecast decline in the April reading of the PMI services index, which fell to 54.3 from 57.1 consistent with sharp drops in construction and manufacturing detailed earlier this week.

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