Mauni Amavasya bathing today: Massive devotee influx expected for biggest bathing event of Magh Mela

Preparations for Mauni Amavasya on January 18 are complete, expecting 3-4 crore devotees. Enhanced security and traffic measures are in place.

All preparations have been completed for the Mauni Amavasya bathing scheduled for January 18, with the Mela administration expecting nearly three to four crore devotees to take a holy dip at the Sangam. By 6 pm on Saturday, around 1.5 crore people had already taken the ritual bath.

Devotees bathing at Sangam on the eve of Mauni Amavasya with Muhurat for the mega bathing festival set to commence at 11.53pm on Saturday night. (Anil Kumar Maurya/HT)

To manage the anticipated crowd, a new 600‑foot ghat has been constructed near the Kali pontoon. Traffic diversions have been enforced across key routes, and police personnel remain on high alert. Uttar Pradesh Roadways has deployed 3,800 buses across the state to facilitate the movement of devotees.

The entire Mela area has been divided into three major administrative zones. Under the zonal system, devotees coming from Jhunsi and Arail will not be allowed to enter the Sangam area and will instead be directed to bathe within their respective zones.

Saumya Agarwal, divisional commissioner, has instructed all departmental officers to remain alert and adhere strictly to duty plans. Revenue department employees have also been deployed this time to manage the stretch between every two poles to prevent crowd build-up. Satellite phones have been distributed to ensure better real-time coordination.

According to Director of Utthan Jyotish Evam Adhyatma Sansthan and astrologer Pandit Diwaker Tripathi Purvanchali, the Amavasya muhurat will begin at 11.53 pm on Saturday and will continue until 1.08 am on Monday.

Prep in points

Army to open fort gates in case of emergency

Mela Officer Rishiraj said that five lakh devotees had already reached the Sangam area on Friday for Mauni Amavasya. Additionally, nearly 30 lakh pilgrims had arrived a day before Makar Sankranti.

Mela area declared no-vehicle zone

Devotees to enter on foot

Bathing at 24 Ghats, 1000 sq ft of circulating area increased, ghats extended

Multi-layer security model, ambulance, green corridor for emergencies

Over 600 personnel will be deployed in the Sangam and Airavat Ghat zones alone.

A three-tier security ring has been established in the waters.

More than 15,000 police personnel have been deployed, and water police will maintain vigilance in the river.

1524 AI-based CCTV cameras installed in mela area