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Allahabad, February 10
The chill in the atmosphere in and around the Sangam here failed to dampen the spirit of around 1.5 crore people who gathered on Sunday for the third ‘shahi snan’ at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.
Even before the dawn broke, scores of people hailing from different walks of life had taken the dip with their friends and family. As a bright sunny day progressed, the number of devotees and enthusiasts taking dip went up.
“Around 1.5 crore people have taken a dip on the occasion of Basant Panchami. Close to 50 lakh devotees had taken dip before the sunrise,” Kumbh Mela Adhikari Vijay Kiran Anand said.
He also said all ‘akharas’ had completed the ‘shahi snan’ (royal bath).
With Sunday’s figures, the total number of pilgrims taking the holy dip during the Kumbh this year (up to February 10) has touched 16.44 crore, officials said.
The continuous cold breeze sweeping the mela area could not deter the devotees from taking the dip in Sangam. They chanted devotional hymns eulogizing various gods and goddesses. Chants of ‘Har Har Gangey’ and ‘Jai Ganga Maiyya’ filled the air as devotees poured in and around the bathing ghats.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed his gratitude to all akharas and saints on the successful conduct of three shahi snans and a total of four snans during the ongoing Kumbh.
However, UP Cabinet minister and leader of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) Om Prakash Rajbhar questioned the statistics of the pilgrims turning up at the mega event.
“On what basis are they (government) claiming that around 15 crore people have visited the Kumbh Mela? Can they tell which route has been opted by the devotees and pilgrims, while arriving at the Kumbh and departing from it?” Rajbhar told reporters.
The mela commenced on January 15 on Makar Sankranti, the first bathing day, and the Mahashivratri on March 4 will mark its last bathing day. — PTI
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