Maha Dalai Lama (Great Dalai Lama)

On the sandy banks of the Sangam with the yellow-robed Shankaracharya of Kanchi (one of India's top four Hindu religious leaders), he held a traditional wick lamp and chanted prayers on the banks. "Hindus and Buddhists, we are two sons of the same mother," His Holiness told the crowds when he appeared on stage with several spiritual leaders, all of whom stressed the close ties between their religions. The Hindus, the Buddhists, the Jains and the Sikhs all grew in India. "Of course there is a disagreement between the Hindus and the Buddhists on the existence of the 'atman', the individual soul," His Holiness said. "But people should not emphasize this unessential controversy. To quarrel over petty issues is the sign of narrow-mindedness."

The 42-day festival is held at the Sangam, where the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers converge; bathing in the Sangam, it is said, absolves sins, stops the cycle of death and rebirth, and speeds the way to nirvana, or liberation. His Holiness, traveling with an entourage of 80 monks and tight security, participated in a session of traditional Hindu evening prayers, and gave a talk on World Peace and Human Values, but declined to take a holy dip in the Ganges, saying it was too cold! On the peak bathing day, more than 32 million devotees waded into the waters for spiritual cleansing, and organizers of the event estimated more than 70 million people visited the festival.