Parasuram Kund

Deep in the eastern Himalaya, where the Lohit river bursts from the mountains onto the plains, lies Parasuram Kund, one of the most important pilgrimage sites of eastern India. Legend holds that the sage-warrior Parashurama, having killed his own mother on his father's command, came here to wash the axe stuck to his hand of the sin of matricide — and the waters absolved him, freeing the blade.

Every year on Makar Sankranti in mid-January, tens of thousands of pilgrims from Assam, Arunachal and across the country descend on the kund to take a holy dip in the icy river, believing it cleanses a lifetime of sins. A large mela springs up around the site, and the normally remote valley fills with tents, chants and bonfires.

The setting is spectacular: fast grey-green water, forested ridges, and the sense of standing at the very edge of the Himalaya. For most of the year it is a quiet, almost austere place; for a few days each January it becomes one of the great gatherings of the region.