Lakhs of pilgrims take dip in Sangam on Maghi Purnima
The month-long period of rigorous schedule began with Paush Purnima
PRAYAGRAJ: Lakhs of devotees took a holy dip in the Sangam on the fifth and penultimate bathing day of Maghi Purnima during the ongoing 57-day Magh Mela-2021, here, on Saturday. The bathing which commenced at 2.53 pm on Friday continued till Saturday evening despite the auspicious time ending at 1.52 pm on Saturday.
The Maghi Purnima bathing also marked the end of the month-long Kalpwas during which some devotees follow a rigorous schedule, performing rituals and attending religious discourses on the sandy banks of the Sangam.
The month-long period of austerity and devotion had commenced with the second official bathing festival of Paush Purnima on January 28. As the pilgrims took a dip in the holy waters, flower petals were also sprinkled on them from a helicopter on special instructions of the state government to mark the auspicious occasion.
Bhanu Chand Goswami, district magistrate, Prayagraj, accompanied by senior administrative and police officials including IG KP Singh, DIG Sarvshreshth Tripathi and SP Mela Rajiv Narayan Mishra monitored the bathing which passed off peacefully without any untoward incident.
As per Magh Mela officer Vivek Chaturvedi, with each passing hour the count of devotees taking the dip swelled. According to him, till noon on Saturday, around 5 lakh devotees had taken a dip, which swelled to 6.5 lakh by 4pm. The mela administration expected over 7.5 lakh to take a dip by late evening on the occasion.
Chaturvedi said that with the end of Kalpwas, a large number of pilgrims started their journey back home on Saturday evening. Special arrangements were made by UPSRTC for ferrying people leaving the mela after the bathing. Many seers too started leaving the mela area with most already in preparations to head to the Haridwar Kumbh set to begin with the Maha Shivratri bathing on March 11.
In view of a large number of devotees returning home, the district administration had put into effect a 62-hour route diversion beginning from Friday morning onwards. The route diversion will end at midnight on Sunday.
Meanwhile, elaborate security arrangements had been 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.
The police personnel were under strict instructions to ensure smooth movement of pilgrims in the mela area and their exit points. They were also directed to manage traffic in the city to avoid any snarls, informed IG KP Singh.
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.
The officials had also directed policemen to make pilgrims follow Covid-19 protocols and not to allow large assemblies at one place.