A Catholic-run hospital and a college in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have offered free meals to Hindu devotees as mi-llions gather to attend the Kumbh Mela, dubbed the world’s largest religious gathering. Father Vipin D’Souza, director of Nazareth Hospital, said they are glad to lend hands to the pilgrims. The hospital, in collaboration with the Allahabad Diocesan Commission for Interreligious Dialogue, spon-sored free meals outside the hospital premises on Jan. 29 and Feb. 3 as thousands of devotees passed by a road leading to the Kumbh Mela venue, about five kilometres away. “We decided to organize the free meals for the devotees as they have been walk-ing more than 10-15 kilometres to reach the place,” D’Souza told. “Recognizing the needs of the weary pilgrims, we planned to give them tea, snacks, and other food items. We gave free medi-cine to some and treated four Hindu monks in our hospital for free,” he said. He added that between 25,000 to 30,000 pilgrims received various services from the hospital.  Kumbh Mela (festival of the Sacred Pitcher) is a major, centuries-old Hindu pilgrimage that involves bathing or taking a dip in a sacred river, such as the Ganges. It occurs once every 12 years. The 45-day-long festival began on Jan. 13 on the confluence of the Ganges-Yamuna-Sarasvati rivers at Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad), the largest city in Uttar Pradesh state. Hindus believe the ritual dip liberates them from sins and offers spiritual atonement.