Prayagraj February 3 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau): The Maha Kumbh witnessed its third grand ‘Amrit Snan’ on the auspicious occasion of Basant Panchami, drawing hundreds of thousands of devotees from across the globe, all seeking spiritual liberation through the sacred dip, which was going on smoothly, officials said.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been personally monitoring the situation since 3.30 am from Lucknow, according to officials.
At the break of dawn, sadhus, including the ash-smeared Nagas from various akharas, began their ceremonial journey towards the Triveni Sangam.
By 6 am, the first of the akharas had completed their bath while the process was going on smoothly for others, including the Juna Akhara, whose Nagas are a major attraction of the event, officials said. Visuals showed that rose petals were showered in the area using a helicopter.
As for the ordinary pilgrims, by 4 am, 16.58 lakh devotees had taken the holy dip, with the overall figure of those who took the dip since January 13 reaching 34.97 crore, Information Director Shishir said, adding the figure included 10 lakh kalpvasis and 6.58 pilgrims.
The Basant Panchami holy bathing ritual assumes significance in the wake of the stampede during the previous Amrit Snan on Mauni Amavasya (January 29) which resulted in at least 30 deaths and left 60 others injured.
The Uttar Pradesh government expects a footfall of around five crore pilgrims on Monday alone.
Determined to prevent any more untoward incident since ‘Mauni Amavasya’, the Uttar Pradesh government has reinforced security and crowd management measures. With Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath personally inspecting preparations on Saturday, additional personnel, medical staff, and resources have been deployed to ensure a “zero-error” Amrit Snan on Monday.
Summary: 1.6 million devotees took a holy dip at Triveni Sangam during Maha Kumbh’s sacred ‘Amrit Snan’ on Basant Panchami.