Dibrugarh, April 15 -- The air at the iconic Golden Pagoda in Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh was thick with festivity, prayer, and the joyful sound of splashing water on Wednesday, as thousands of devotees and revellers gathered to mark the International Maha Sangken Festival - popularly known as the Water Festival, one of the most vibrant and spiritually significant celebrations in the Buddhist calendar.

The three-day festival, which will run through April 16, drew massive crowds of Buddhist faithful from across the region and beyond, all converging at the revered Golden Pagoda - a spiritual landmark that stands as a symbol of peace and Buddhist heritage in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister...