Over 2.3 crore devotees take 'Amrit Snan' at Maha Kumbh on Basant Panchami

Lucknow: Millions of devotees took holy dip at Sangam and other banks of the Ganga on the third and the last Amrit Snan on the occasion of Basant Panchami on Monday at the Mahakumbh amid unprecedented safety arrangements.

An estimated 2.30 crore devotees had taken bath at different ghats of the Ganga and the Sangam till evening. Devotees were continuing to arrive at the sangam in large numbers.

According to the officials, the third Amrit Snan was going on with traditional religious fervour and that there was no report of any incident from anywhere in the Mela area.

Huge crowds of devotees were seen on the roads leading to the sangam. The pontoon bridges were packed with sangam bound devotees since late on Sunday night. The famous ‘Lete Hanuman Temple’ near the Ganga bank was closed after large crowds of devotees flocked the temple.

The panchayati Niranjani Akhara was the first to take the holy dip at the sangam followed by Juna Akhara and Kinnar Akhara. The saints and seers of all the 13 Akharas took holy dip at the sangam .

The devotees were seen collecting the soil from where the naga sadhus passed on their way to the sangam for the holy dip. Flower petals were also showered on the devotees from choppers during the Amrit Snan.

The officials said that chief minister Yogi Adityanath personally monitored the bathing from the war room set up at his official residence here since 3.30 AM. Senior officials were also with him.

Taking lessons from Wednesday’s stampede near the sangam bank during the second Amrit Snan on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya in which 30 devotees were killed and dozens others injured, the Mela administration had made foolproof safety arrangements.

The devotees were not allowed to gather on the sangam bank and were made to leave it immediately after bathing. Besides, the devotees were also encouraged to take bath at other ghats also.

The entire Mela area was declared a ‘no vehicle zone’ and all VVIP passes were cancelled. Additional security personnel were deployed at sensitive points to manage the crowd.