Makar Sankranti: Over 1 cr people take dip at Prayagraj’s Magh Mela

Prayagraj: More than one crore devotees took a holy dip in the Ganga and the Sangam at the ongoing Magh Mela here on Thursday on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, officials said.

According to the Mela administration, people thronged the Ganga ghats from 12 in the night. Till evening, 1.03 crore devotees took a holy dip in the river.

On Wednesday, on the occasion of Ekadashi, over 85 lakh people had taken a dip in the river.

Pilgrims were urged here to complete the ritual bath and move ahead without spending unnecessary time at the ghats, and refrain from using oil and soap.

District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma said devotees began bathing early in the morning, and the process continued smoothly throughout the day at the Sangam as well as sector-wise ghats.

He said public announcements and police personnel were regularly informing pilgrims to take the dip in an orderly manner and proceed towards their destinations so that incoming devotees do not face inconvenience.

“We have also appealed to devotees not to use oil and soap at the ghats so that incoming pilgrims do not face any difficulty or inconvenience,” Verma said.

He added that water police, along with NDRF and SDRF teams, remained deployed, and no contingency plan had to be invoked so far despite the heavy rush.

The Magh Mela administration official said bathing began from midnight, and by 12 noon, over 72 lakh people had performed the ritual bath.

A resident, Gauri Ojha, said she considered herself fortunate as she has been able to take a dip at the Sangam every year.

“As a resident of Prayagraj, I feel blessed that I can bathe at the Sangam during the Magh Mela. The significance of today’s bath is enhanced by the Sun’s transition into Uttarayan,” she said.

Ojha added that she had brought a special vessel of water from Varanasi and had also collected Sangam water, which she would later offer to Lord Shiva.

She noted that facilities for women had improved considerably.

“Changing rooms are now available at the ghats, which were not there a few years ago. Earlier, women and girls faced difficulties, but the arrangements are much better now,” she said.

She added that pilgrims should also ensure proper disposal of used clothes and materials at the ghats.

Another resident, Preeti, said the experience of bathing at the Sangam on Makar Sankranti was “extraordinary” and praised the arrangements made by the administration.