ALLAHABAD, India A lunar eclipse and the cacophonous arrival of a famous holy man fed religious fervor on the second day of Hinduism's biggest festival on Wednesday as the crowd of pilgrims swelled to more than two million.

According to an AFP report, ash-smeared sages and their saffron-clad apostles headed for the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers before dawn to immerse themselves in the holy water during the full eclipse of the moon, an auspicious moment of the 42-day Maha Kumbh Mela Festival.

"This eclipse was sent by Lord Shiva, it gives power from the gods to the Ganges," said Anuj Kumar Singh, a student who shivered with cold after his bath at the place where Hindus believe a third, mythical river joins the other two.

Around him, near devotees immersed themselves in the gloom, their hands in supplication and only their lips moving as they muttered their prayers.

Officials at the Mela, which takes place in the northern Indian city of Allahabad once every 12 years, said up to three million people had taken a dip on Tuesday as a vast township of riverside tents sprung to life.