1.5 crore devotees take Magh Purnima dip at Prayagraj

Braving severe cold conditions, around 1.5 crore devotees took a holy dip in the Ganga river and at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj on Sunday on the occasion of Magh Purnima , officials said.

According to the Magh Mela Authority , devotees began arriving in the mela area from midnight, and by 12 noon nearly 1.5 crore people had completed their ritual bath in the Ganga and at the Sangam. District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma said the Magh Purnima bath marks the conclusion of the month-long Kalpavas observed by Kalpvasis. He said family members also arrived in large numbers to take devotees back after the completion of their Kalpavas. Despite dense fog in the morning, the inflow of devotees continued and bathing proceeded smoothly at all ghats, Verma added.

As part of security arrangements, teams of the SDRF and NDRF were deployed across the mela area, while boatmen and divers with boats were stationed at every ghat. Adequate changing rooms were set up at the ghats for devotees’ convenience, and the entire mela area is being monitored through CCTV cameras and drones . Triveni Sangam Aarti Seva Samiti president Acharya Rajendra Mishra said around five lakh Kalpvasis would conclude their vows with the Magh Purnima bath. He added that the Magh Mela will conclude on February 15 with the holy bath on Maha Shivaratri .

Divisional Commissioner Saumya Agarwal said the Magh Mela is being organised across seven sectors spread over 800 hectares . To facilitate devotees, more than 25,000 toilets have been constructed and over 3,500 sanitation workers deployed. Magh Mela SP Neeraj Pandey said over 10,000 police personnel have been deployed to ensure devotees’ safety and smooth movement. He also said 42 temporary parking facilities with capacity for over one lakh vehicles have been set up for traffic management.