Lucknow: Several lakh devotees took a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj on the occasion of Magh Purnima on Saturday, marking the end of a month-long ‘Kalpvas’.
Chanting ‘Har Har Gange’, a sea of humanity thronged different ghats at Sangam from 4 am on Saturday morning. It is believed that those who take bath in holy river Ganga on Magh Purnima get rid of their sins. The bath will continue till sunset and authorities claim that over 50 lakh pilgrims are expected to take bath on the day.
Among devotees were Kalpvasis, who have been camping here since the 57-day long Magh Mela began on January 14. They keep fast for one month and face all hardships to come closer to God to attain ‘Moksha’. The Magh Purnima bath marks the end of their one-month long Kalpvas (solace). After taking a holy dip in Sangam on Saturday, they will leave for their destinations.
IG K.P. Singh said that special traffic arrangements have been made to provide safe passage to Kalpvasis who will start returning to their homes after today’s bath. Since the inflow of traffic will much higher in the city, we have fixed separate exit routes for the convenience of those going back after spending a month at Magh Mela ground, he added
Unprecedented security arrangements have been made at the Magh Mela ground in view of heavy influx of people coming to the city. Commandos from the RAF, ATS and STF have been deployed to foil any terror attack and plain-clothes intelligence sleuths and bomb disposal squad are keeping a watch on any suspicious activity within the mela ground.
Several lakh devotees took holy dips in Ganga in Varanasi, GarhMukteshwar and other cities also. Others took baths in Saryu in Ayodhya and Yamuna in Mathura.
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