Maha Kumbh ends with last Amrit Snaan on Maha Shivratri, more than 2 crore devotees take holy dip

Lucknow: Forty five day long Maha Kumbh on the bank of the Ganga at Prayagraj concluded on Wednesday with the last Amrit Snan on the occasion of Mahashivratri with more than two crore devotees taking holy dip at the ‘sangam’ (the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Sarswati rivers).

According to the official sources, around 66 crore devotees from across the country and different parts of the world visited the Maha Kumbh and took holy dip at the sangam in the past 45 days.

Although the Maha Kumbh ended on Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath would formally declare closure of the biggest religious event on the Earth in Prayagraj on Thursday.

The entire Mela area resembled a sea of humanity since late night on Tuesday and the ghats of the Ganga and sangam were packed with devotees throughout the day.

Elaborate security arrangements were made to manage the huge crowds of devotees on the last Amrit Snan. The road leading to the sangam from the Prayagraj junction railway station was closed briefly in view of the huge crowd of devotees at the sangam. It was opened after the crowd pressure eased.

UP police chief Prashant Kumar said that artificial intelligence (AI) and other world class technologies were used for better crowd management in the Maha Kumbh ensuring smooth conduct of the event.

Sources said that the flow of arrival of the devotees in Prayagraj has decreased considerably but the administration now faced the daunting task of facilitating departure of millions of devotees from the town.

The officials said that the flow of devotees was expected to continue to the Sangam in the next few days and that essential facilities for them would remain in place for some days. The seers would start leaving the Mela from Thursday and the camps and pandals were likely to be dismantled within a week’s time.

The UP Roadways had arranged 4500 buses to ferry the devotees to their destinations. The railways has arranged special trains to take the devotees to their respective destinations.

The 45-day long event saw a number of important personalities visiting the Maha Kumbh and taking holy dip at the sangam. Important among those who took holy dip were President Droupadi Murmu, prime minister Narendra Modi and many of his cabinet colleagues, industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani and Bollywood personalities.

The Maha Kumbh also witnessed the anointment of ex-Bollywood actress Mamata Kulkarni. Social media influencer Harsha Richaria added glamour to the event while IIT Baba also hogged the limelight.

A stampede during the third Amrit Snan on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya last month resulted in the death of 30 devotees and left scores of others injured. The incident also saw a verbal duel between the BJP and its rivals with the latter criticising the arrangements at the Maha Kumbh.