Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 19 (ANI): Devotees continue to arrive in large numbers at the Magh Mela Kshetra on Monday, to take a holy dip at Sangam.
Ravi Shukla, a devotee from Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, said that the government has made good arrangements for devotees at the Magh Mela in Prayagraj.
“It was a wonderful experience… Everything went well… yesterday I took a dip in the holy Ganga and today came here… The government has made good arrangements to accommodate the devotees. I didn’t face any problems,” he said
Aadarsh Shukla echoed the sentiment and said, “The government has taken care of all the arrangements amazingly. It was a very good experience.”
The Prayagraj Divisional Commissioner Soumya Agarwal on Sunday said that three crore devotees had already taken a holy dip during the Magh Mela.
“Today, on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, more than 3 crore devotees have already taken the holy dip… There is a continuous crowd on the ghats… Everything is normal.” Agarwal told ANI.
Earlier, flower petals were showered on the devotees who arrived for a ‘snaan’ at the Sangam in Prayagraj on the occassion of Mauni Amavasya. During the festival, a helicopter showered flower petals on the large gathering of devotees present on the Ghat for a holy dip during the ongoing Magh Mela.
On this occassion, Prayagraj District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma stated that the ritual of the holy bath began at 12 midnight. He noted that despite heavy fog throughout the night, devotees continued to arrive in large numbers, and the influx of pilgrims remained strong since morning. He also said that around 3 crore devotees had taken the holy dip by 12 PM.
“The bath on Mauni Amavasya bath started at 12 o’clock at night. The devotees continue to arrive. Although there was a lot of fog at night, devotees still reached in large numbers. The bath has been going on at every ghat since morning….The weather is very pleasant,” Verma told ANI.
“The sunlight is good… Till 12 PM, more than 3 crore devotees had taken the holy dip… The number of devotees arriving has decreased now…” added Verma.
The Prayagraj District Magistrate further stated that the Magh Mela is proceeding in an organised manner, and security officials are deployed across all sectors to ensure safety in the area. (ANI)