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Magh Mela: Over 37 lakh pilgrims take dip at Sangam on Maghi Purnima
Over 37 lakh devotees took a dip at the Sangam on the fifth and penultimate bathing festival of Maghi Purnima in the ongoing Magh Mela here on Sunday, mela officials said
Over 37 lakh devotees took a dip at the Sangam on the fifth and penultimate bathing festival of Maghi Purnima in the ongoing Magh Mela here on Sunday, mela officials said. The bathing which commenced on Saturday night continued till Sunday night, they added.
The Maghi Purnima bathing also marked the end of the month-long Kalpvas started during which thousands of devotees follow a rigorous schedule of camping, performing rituals and attending religious discourses while observing austerity on the sandy banks of the Sangam.
Kalpvas had started with the first official bathing festival of Paush Purnima on January 6. Divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, district magistrate, Prayagraj, Sanjay Kumar Khatri accompanied by other senior officials, including Magh mela Adhikari Arvind Kumar Chauhan and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Magh Mela Rajeev Narain Mishra, monitored the bathing which passed off peacefully.
As per Magh Mela officer Arvind Kumar Chauhan, with each passing hour the count of devotees taking the dip swelled all through the day at the 14 temporary bathing ghats set up for the occasion.
According to him, till 8am on Sunday around 10 lakh people took the dip which swelled to 14 lakh by 10am and reached 20 lakh by 12 noon. By 3pm over 25 lakh people had taken the dip. As per the mela administration, over 37 lakh devotees took dip by late evening on the occasion.
Chauhan said with the end of Kalpvas, pilgrims in large numbers started their journey back home on Sunday evening. Special arrangements were made by UPSRTC for ferrying people leaving the mela. Many seers too started leaving the mela area. The 44-day annual religious fair, however, will only formally conclude with the Maha Shivratri bathing festival on February 18.
In view of devotees returning home, the district administration had put into effect a 62-hour route diversion beginning from Friday night onwards. The route diversion will end at Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, elaborate security arrangements were made in light of the ‘snan’.
A bomb disposal squad and other teams carried out a checking drive at Sangam, pontoon bridges, parking places and different ghats. Dog squads were also pressed into service to spot suspicious persons and objects.
Police personnel were under strict instructions to ensure smooth movement of pilgrims in the mela area as well as all 16 entry and their exit points. They were also directed to manage traffic in the city to avoid any snarls, said SSP Magh Mela Rajeev Narain Mishra. The policemen were also instructed to behave politely with pilgrims. Moreover, no vehicles were allowed to be parked on the routes towards Sangam area, he added.
