A vermilion dot on the forehead is one of India’s most widely accepted Hindu cultural insignias. At the Maha Kumbh festival, where millions are flocking to pray and bathe at the confluence of India’s holy rivers,

At least 30 people were killed and over 30 have been injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's biggest gatherings that occurs every 12 years.

Dozens of people were killed in a pre-dawn stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in northern India on Wednesday as tens of millions of Hindus gathered to take a dip in sacred river waters on the most auspicious day of a six-week festival.