Prayagraj, Jan 23 (PTI) More than one crore devotees took a dip in the Ganga and at the Sangam during the Basant Panchami bathing festival at the ongoing Magh Mela in Prayagraj on Friday, officials said.
An official of the Prayagraj Mela Authority said devotees began arriving in large numbers at the Sangam area from late Thursday night, and by 8 am on Friday, around 1.04 crore people had taken a ritual bath in the Ganga and at the confluence.
Tirtha purohit Rajendra Mishra said Basant Panchami holds special significance in Prayagraj as the city is believed to be the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.
He said the day is traditionally marked by wearing yellow clothes, donating yellow items and worshipping Goddess Saraswati.
Mishra said the festival also signals a change in season and is celebrated as a cultural event, with people applying gulal and observing rituals associated with the onset of spring.
Divisional Commissioner Saumya Agrawal said the Magh Mela has been organised across 800 hectares in seven sectors. More than 25,000 toilets have been constructed in the mela area and over 3,500 sanitation workers have been deployed, she said.
Agrawal said a tent city has been set up at the Magh Mela for devotees wishing to observe short-term ‘kalpavas’, with facilities for meditation and yoga. To facilitate smooth movement of pilgrims, bike taxis and golf carts have also been made available, she added.
Superintendent of Police (Magh Mela) Neeraj Pandey said over 10,000 police personnel have been deployed across the mela area to ensure the safety of devotees and smooth traffic movement.
Keeping crowd management and traffic flow in mind, 42 temporary parking facilities have been created this year, with capacity to accommodate over one lakh vehicles, he said, adding that bathing ghats with all basic amenities have been constructed for the Magh Mela 2025-26. PTI RAJ KIS DV DV
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