A festival has begun in India, held once every 144 years, and this year it will gather 400 million participants. This is reported by theguardian.com.

The main tradition of the festival is bathing in the water for the purification of the soul. In the Prayagraj region, three sacred rivers of Hinduism — the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati — meet.

The Indian government has spent 800 million dollars on the festival. Advertising materials feature photos of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the local governor.

To prevent people from getting lost at the festival, pilgrims will be given special bracelets. Safety will be monitored by thousands of underwater and aerial drones. A special mobile app has been created to help festival participants navigate the labyrinths of temples, bathing areas, as well as food and medical facilities. A special multilingual chatbot has been launched in WhatsApp to answer questions related to logistics and spiritual matters.

A show featuring 2,000 drones is planned for the festival, which will depict the story of Hindu mythology in the sky.