Muslims use the term "peace be upon them" to ask for blessings on deceased holy men.
Throughout Sunday, millions of pilgrims and holy men (sadhus) belonging to various Hindu monastic orders bathed at Sangam.
Now, the term "peace be upon them" is invoked by Muslims as a way of blessing deceased holy men.
The Sufi sheikhs, or holy men, preached that a true Muslim could not tolerate the rule of foreign infidels.
The assembled holy men or sadhus represented various religious orders but the dreadlocked, naked Naga sadhus were the most visible.
Police officers, many of them on horseback, had a hard time controlling the crowds, as many of the bathers lingered to gaze at the colourful processions of the holy men.
The Kumbh Mela brings together Hindus of all castes and creeds, but its most famous attendees are the sadhus (wandering Hindu holy men who have renounced caste, money, possessions and social position).
One well-known sadhu, Parbat Giri, from Ahmedabad in the western Indian state of Gujarat, said the Mela was important because of the sense of community it gave holy men from different orders.
In his retelling, the fabled three wise men, who visited the infant Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, are not sages but thieves who escaped prison by posing as holy men.
It attracts an eclectic mix of Hindu holy men, Indian movie stars, pilgrims and curious tourists who come to bathe in the Ganges, India's holiest river, where drops of the nectar of immortality are believed to have been spilled from a pitcher by the gods at creation.
" The holy land for short men, he said, is Asia: "Shopping in Tokyo is like a dream.
The FBI makes arrests, usually of young men who it claims are holy warriors intent on attack.
Last Sunday, I witnessed millions of bedraggled men, women and children, young and old, on their way to a holy bath trudging towards the river silently carrying their bare belongings in sacks and cheap rexine bags.
BBC: Does the Kumbh Mela experience improve your well being?
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