Over Rs 14.4 lakh take dip on first day of Makar Sankranti in Prayagraj

PRAYAGRAJ: Amidst tight security arrangements and bright sunshine after many days, over 14.40 lakh devotees including seers, saints, kalpwasis and pilgrims took holy dip in Sangam on Saturday on the first day of Makar Sankranti.
All the 16 ghats recorded a sizable attendance of devotees throughout the day.
The footfall of devotees coming from far-flung states like Chattishgrah, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, etc., started increasing in the early morning and reached its peak between 11 am and 2 pm.
Officials said devotees started thronging the ghats at 4 am and sunny conditions encouraged devotees to take dip and perform rituals on the banks of the Ganga. The footfall of devotees was recorded around seven lakhs and 12 lakh at 11 am and 4 pm, respectively.
Commissioner of police Ramit Sharma told TOI, "Over 14.40 lakh devotees had taken dip till 6 pm and the number will go up with many more arriving till late evening. "Foolproof security arrangements were in place in and around mela with teams of ATS commandos and personnel of para-military forces deployed at all static locations. The first day of Makar Sankranti snan passed off peacefully and no untoward incident was reported."
ADG (Prayagraj zone) Bhanu Bhaskar said, "Moderate rush was witnessed at Sangam ghat from early hours and devotees from all over the country flocked the Mela campus to take holy dip and perform rituals. Elaborate security arrangements have also been made for the second day of Makar Sankranti on Sunday."
A team of senior police officers, including ADG (Prayagraj zone) Bhanu Bhaskar, commissioner of police (Prayagraj) Ramit Sharma, IG (Prayagraj range) Chandra Prakash and additional police commissioner (Prayagraj) Akash Kulhary checked security arrangements. They also took stock of boats deployed for ferrying pilgrims to check whether devotees have worn life-saving jackets or not while taking seats. Foot patrolling was also intensified on the Mela campus.
Apart from holy dip, daan rituals and special puja, religious processions were also taken out by religious organisations towards Sangam. Devotees of all age groups including youngsters and children took holy dip amidst chanting of 'Har Har Gange' and 'Om Namah Shivay'.
A devotee from Jabalpur, Sushma, said: "Holy dip at Sangam on the occasion of Makar Sankranti will free us from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth." Sushma along with family members arrived at Sangam noze early to take holy dip.
Many devotees, including saints and seers, were spotted entering waist-deep water and taking dip.
Police equipped with the latest security gadgets maintained a strict vigil throughout the day. The Mela police had deployed around 5,000 policemen, including ATS commandos and personnel of para-military, for crowd and traffic management.
Personnel of Jal police asked a group of youths spending leisure time on the banks of the Ganga to leave and regulated the flow of the crowd to avoid congestion.
A group of devotees from Madhya Pradesh travelled 500 kilometres to arrive at Sangam - the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati - and took holy dips.
"A dip at Sangam in Prayagraj on the occasion of Makar Sankranti is considered pious and we aim to do same in the coming years," said Tripti, a devotee from Dabra, adding, "I along with my relatives and neighbours have come to Prayagraj for the first time to witness the Sangam and take holy dip."