Over 3 mn take holy dip on Mauni Amavasya
PRAYAGRAJ: Millions of pilgrims take dip in holy waters of Sangam on occasion of Mauni Amavasya which started from wee hours on Thursday.
Hindus believe that a dip in the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati not only washes away one’s sins but also helps achieve the goal of divine salvation- more so on the auspicious occasions like Mauni Amavasya.
The crowds were far bigger than what the religious fair witnessed since it took off on Makar Sankranti on January 15.
Mela administration claimed that over 2.6 million devotees took the holy dip in the sacred waters till 2pm and the numbers crossed 3 million by 6pm.
The arrival of devotees towards Sangam nose and other ghats started since Wednesday night itself and continued till late Thursday evening.
Despite threat of Covid-19, the pilgrims turned up at Sangam in large numbers even as security personnel advised them to wear masks and follow other protocols like maintaining social distancing.
For the ordinary pilgrim, the dip was the fulfilment of a longcherished desire. While the bathing began in the wee hours, there were hundreds of thousands sprawled across the sandy banks under the open skies, waiting for the first rays of the sun to take their plunge.
“The most auspicious time begins with the break of dawn. We don’t mind waiting for the whole night here... it will be worthwhile,” said Durgawati, a 65-year-old woman who had trooped in along with 20 women like her from Mirzapur.
Multi-layer security and crowd management plans were in place to ensure smooth arrival and exit of devotees. Local pilgrims preferred early morning Snan and majority of them reached Sangam on foot while those from far off places reached Sangam city through trains, buses and private vehicles before trekking on foot to the ghats.
Senior police officials including district magistrate Bhanu Chandra Goswami, ADG zone Prem Prakash, IG range KP Singh, SSP Sarvshrestha Tripathi and other officials remained active and inspected security arrangements at different ghats. They supervised crowd management and traffic diversions while also keeping an eye on mela area at Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC).
Mela area and at many prominent crossings in the city, bhandaras and prasad distribution by local individuals, organizations and seers were organised all through the day to feed pilgrims and earn blessings.
Special arrangements were made at Prayagraj Junction and other railway stations for smooth movement of pilgrims. For better crowd management, senior railway officials kept an eye on crowd at platforms.
Meanwhile, security personnel kept close watch in mela area on suspicious objects and persons. Police and paramilitary jawans manned the ghats, entry and exit points while LIU and Intelligence Bureau officials also remained active at mela area.