Lakhs take holy dip at Sangam

Lakhs of devouts took holy dip at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati here on Saturday on the occasion of Paush Purnima, the first main bathing of the month-long Magh Mela, amid incomplete arrangements. Coincidentally the Makar Sankranti bathing also took place today. Though devouts began having the holy dip a few minutes after midnight but the actual rush started in the wee hours when a huge mass of bathers thronged the river all along its course.

Paush Purnima, Makar Sankranti together enhance significance

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Lakhs of devouts took holy dip at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati here on Saturday on the occasion of Paush Purnima, the first main bathing of the month-long Magh Mela, amid incomplete arrangements. Coincidentally the Makar Sankranti bathing also took place today.

Though devouts began having the holy dip a few minutes after midnight but the actual rush started in the wee hours when a huge mass of bathers thronged the river all along its course. By 3 pm the administration had claimed a turn-out of more than 20 lakh bathers. And they were still coming in droves even after the Sun had started receding towards the west.

The crowd was expected to swell again in the evening as, according to astrological calculations, the actual Makar Sankranti would begin in the evening.

Sources said, even the administration failed to make the real estimate of the turn-out of people because of over three-kilometre long natural ghat which the river has carved out itself this time. Moreover, the crowd did not appear bent upon having a dip in the main Sangam alone. As a result there was hardly any rush of devotees at the main Sangam point.

The natural ghats came as a great relief for the police and the Mela administration. Though sand bags were placed in steps at many places including the Sangam point for the facility of the people but the VIP ghat had better arrangements than what had been extended for the common man. Majority of the devotees who just come for a dip and leave do not expect much from the administration. Their approach is different than those who spend the month praying on the banks of the Sangam.

All that they need is a path to tread upto the river. But the administration could not even provide this facility to them. Checker plates laid on the dusty roads were seen popping up from the ground at many places making even the walk upto the river from the bund difficult for the people.

They were seen avoiding the unhooked checker plates in a bid to avoid being injured.

Spraying of water through pressure pumps was also far from adequate. As a result clouds of dust and sand caused great inconvenience to the devotees.

As regards the crowd, there were claims and counter claims.

Many observed a lesser turn-out of people in comparison to last year's while others felt the turn-out was not less by any yard stick. According to them the actual assessment of the crowd could not be made because of the vastness of the Sangam area and the natural ghats which the river had created on its own.

Had it not been so there would have been accidents and mishaps making things difficult for the police and the administration, quipped a cop.