Hindu pilgrims take a holy bath in the ocean on Makar Sankranti More than 700,000 Hindu pilgrims and sadhus - the holy men - are expected to gather at the confluence of the River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal during the Gangasagar Mela to take a 'holy dip' in the ocean on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, a holy day of the Hindu calendar considered to be of great religious significance in Hindu mythology. IMAGES