Millions throng to Kurukshetra for holy dip during solar eclipse

It was a sea of humanity that arrived in this Haryana town to take a dip in the 'Brahmsarovar' on the occasion of the longest solar eclipse of the 21st century.

It was a sea of humanity that arrived in this Haryana town to take a dip in the 'Brahmsarovar' on the occasion of the longest solar eclipse of the 21st century on Wednesday.

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The administration here said that nearly 1.5 million (15 lakh) were expected to arrive for a holy dip at the 'Brahmsarovar' (Pond of Lord Brahma - the Hindu god considered the creator of the universe) on the occasion.

People started thronging the holy pond since 3 am on Wednesday even though the eclipse was expected to take place three hours later.

Kurukshetra, the land of the Hindu mythological epic battle of Mahabharata, is considered a holy place. The town is 110 km from Chandigarh.

Thousands of people from all over the country started arriving in Kurukshetra since Tuesday for the solar eclipse even though the eclipse here is expected to be only about 80 per cent.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made by the Haryana government, including nearly 10,000 police personnel and volunteers, to manage the devotees during the day.

Special buses and trains were run on Tuesday and Wednesday to ferry people to and from this town.