[00:05.59]More than 70 million Hindus have begun
[00:07.66]to gather on the banks of the River Ganges
[00:10.18]in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh
[00:12.20]for the religious festival of Maha Kumbh Mela.
[00:15.32]The festival is held every twelve years,
[00:17.57]in order to commemorate the mythological
[00:19.79]falling to earth of four drops of a liquid
[00:22.26]believed to confer immortality.
[00:24.78]The event began this week with
[00:26.32]a parade of sadhus--
[00:27.68]Hindu holy men living lives
[00:29.21]of strict simplicity--
[00:31.21]accompanied by parades of elephants and richly-
[00:33.35]decorated chariots.
[00:35.28]A thirty-square-mile tent city has been built
[00:37.56]to house pilgrims who have traveled
[00:39.44]from all over the world for the event,
[00:41.79]described by many as the "largest religious
[00:44.02]gathering on earth".
[00:45.74]Bathing in the River Ganges on one of the six
[00:48.05]selected days is said to wipe away
[00:49.74]the sins of seven lifetimes.
[00:53.46]3 Australian English
[00:57.26]An unexpected downpour of rain last weekend
[00:59.57]helped to douse the bushfires which have been
[01:01.40]raging in New South Wales
[01:02.54]for the past fortnight.
[01:03.84]Around 45 mm of rain fell in the space
[01:06.37]of only eight hours,
[01:06.37]
