MAHAKUMBH NAGAR, Feb. 13 -- Prem Kumar Jha and his wife Gauri Devi from Borghat, a hamlet in Bihar's Madhubani, completed their month-long stay on the banks of the Sangam on Wednesday. After embracing a life of austerity and minimalism for weeks, they bathed in the holy rivers on the fifth official bathing festival of Maghi Purnima.

Ram Narayan and his wife Beena Devi were also excited to return home in Bihar. They bathed twice a day in the Ganga and performed rituals every day since the first bathing festival of Paush Purnima on January 13, which marked the commencement of not only the Mahakumbh but also the month-long period of Kalpvas.

Similarly, Ram Achal Mishra from Pratapgarh completed his 18th Kalpvas. To him, the opportunity to ...