Prayagraj (UP), Feb 1 : Around 1.5 crore devotees took a dip in the Ganga and at the Sangam on the occasion of Magh Purnima here on Sunday, braving severe cold wave conditions, officials said.
According to the Magh Mela Authority, devotees began arriving from midnight, and by 12 noon nearly 1.5 crore pilgrims had performed ritual bathing in the Ganga and at the confluence.
District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma said Magh Purnima marked the final holy bath for kalpvasis, who have been observing kalpvas (month-long practice of austerity) for the past one month at the Magh Mela.
Family members of the kalpvasis have also arrived to take them back home, he said.
Verma said that even though dense fog prevailed in the morning, a large number of devotees continued to arrive and bathing was being conducted smoothly at all ghats.
Adequate security arrangements have been put in place, with teams of the SDRF and NDRF deployed across the mela area, along with boatmen and divers at all ghats.
He added that sufficient changing rooms have been provided at the ghats, while CCTV cameras and drones are being used to monitor the entire mela area.
Triveni Sangam Aarti Seva Samiti president Acharya Rajendra Mishra said around five lakh kalpvasis will conclude their month-long kalpvas with the Maghi Purnima bath.
The Magh Mela will conclude on February 15 with the Mahashivratri bathing festival, he said.
Divisional Commissioner Soumya Agrawal said the Magh Mela has been spread across 800 hectares in seven sectors, where more than 25,000 toilets have been constructed and over 3,500 sanitation workers deployed.
Superintendent of Police (Magh Mela) Neeraj Pandey said more than 10,000 police personnel have been deployed across the mela area to ensure devotees’ safety and smooth movement.
He said 42 temporary parking facilities with a combined capacity of over one lakh vehicles have been created to facilitate traffic management. (PTI)
