'Blessed to be at Maha Kumbh': PM Modi takes holy dip at Sangam

Modi took a boat ride with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to reach Triveni Sangam -- the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.

Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday took holy dip at the ‘sangam’ (the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Sarswati rivers) in the Maha Kumbh and offered performed ‘puja’ in accordance with the Hindu rituals on the bank of the Ganga.

Clad in saffron and with ‘rudraksh beads’ on his wrist and around neck, Modi, who arrived at the sangam by boat along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, took the holy dip alone amid chanting of Vedic hymns.

The Prime Minister gave ‘argya’ (offering water) to the Sun and performed ‘puja’ at the ‘Sangam Nose’ for around five minutes. He also performed 'aarti', offering milk, saree and flowers while performing puja on the banks of the Ganga. ‘’Felt blessed after taking the dip at the holy sangam like millions others,’’ the Prime Minister later posted on X.

He also acknowledged the greetings of the devotees, who had lined up on both sides of the rivers.

Modi spent around two hours in Prayagraj and didn’t meet the seers and saints as expected. He also didn’t visit the famous ‘Let Hanuman Temple’ and the ‘Akshayvat’ near the Ganga bank reportedly owing to the presence of a large number of devotees there.

According to the Hindu mythology, February 5 was an auspicious day as it was the ‘Ashtami’ (8th day) of ‘Guta Navratri’ in the Hindu calendar month of ‘Magh’.

Although tight security arrangements were made during the visit of the Prime Minister, the bathing at other Ghats at the Ganga continued unabated. A senior police official at the Mela area said that traffic was stopped briefly on the road leading to the VVIP Ghat.