| Maha Kumbh begins in Prayagraj, nearly 60 lakh devotees take holy dip | | |  Agencies
MAHAKUMBH NAGAR, Jan 13: A thick blanket of fog could not blur their vision, the cold breeze failed to reduce their energy levels and the bone-chilling water of river Ganga in Sangam area could not dampen their excitement, as lakhs of devotees from different walks of life took the holy dip on the occasion of 'Paush Purnima' on Monday.
The Maha Kumbh 2025 commenced here amid chants of bhajans and slogans.
The excitement was clearly visible in the Sangam area as the pilgrims and devotees --- mostly in groups --- walked towards river Ganga and took a holy dip chanting 'Jai Ganga Maiyya'.
"Till 9.30 am, around 60 lakh pilgrims had taken dip," the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement.
The state government also said that a large number of devotees from India and abroad were seen at the Sangam Ghat.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath extended his greetings on the occasion of 'Paush Purnima'.
"Where there is a confluence of cultures, there is also a confluence of faith and harmony. Maha Kumbh-2025 is giving the message of 'unity in diversity', Prayagraj is providing an encounter with Sanatan along with the welfare of humanity," he said on X.
26-year-old Arjun Tripathi, a resident of Prayagraj, was among the devotees, who had turned up early to take a dip.
"I have come here with my wife Ranjana to take the dip. I have been visiting the Kumbh Mela and the Magh Mela on a regular basis since my childhood days. I feel completely satisfied and contended after taking the dip," he told PTI.
Tripathi, who stays barely 7 kilometres from Sangam area, also said that he had asked his friends to accompany him and enjoy the first major 'snaan' of the Maha Kumbh but "they did not turn up probably due to cold weather".
Manjeet, a resident of Haryana's Rohtak, said that it was a "good experience".
"The water is good and taking a dip was a good experience. I will also be taking a dip on the occasion of Makar Sankranti and will be staying here for a week," he said.
Lucknow resident Rajendra Prasad Tripathi, who came here with his wife Urmila, said that he "felt very nice after taking the dip". "May Maa Ganga bless all of us," he added.
Appreciating the arrangements made for the devotees, Kailash Narayan Shukla and Arvind Rajput from Rath in Hamirpur said that "good arrangements were made for the pilgrims and we had no problems in taking the holy dip".
Banda resident Ram Naresh Mishra, who accompanied them, said the "policemen were also present near the bathing area and we did not face any problem".
Neela Chatterjee, a resident of Kolkata, was initially a bit reluctant to take the dip, but she "felt happy and satisfied" after taking the dip. She said that she would be going to Varanasi from Prayagraj.
'Jai Shri Ram', 'Har Har Mahadev' and 'Jai Ganga Maiyya' chants could be regularly heard as the pilgrims moved towards the bathing area in groups.
A group of women from Uttar Pradesh's Siddharth Nagar were busy singing folk songs before taking a dip on the occasion of 'Paush Purnima'.
The policemen were also seen guiding the pilgrims towards the bathing area.
A team of YouTubers from South Korea was seen capturing various shots of the Maha Kumbh on their cameras, while the tourists from Japan were seen taking information from local guides on witnessing the huge crowd here.
Sanatani devotees from various European countries, including Russia and the United States, not only witnessed this great festival of faith and unity but also took a holy dip.
Christina from Spain was one among them. She praised this wonderful moment wholeheartedly on seeing the grandeur of the Maha Kumbh, the statement added.
A huge crowd from Prayagraj, and from other states like Bihar, Haryana, Bengal, Odisha, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh was seen at various ghats of Prayagraj, including Sangam, the statement said.
The people selling puja items and applying tilak to the devotees on the ghats near Sangam Mela area in Maha Kumbh Nagar appeared extremely busy.
Pradeep Upadhyay, who was seen applying tilak to the devotees, said that he did this work during the Kumbh in 2019 as well but people are more enthusiastic this time.
Echoing similar sentiments, Phulpur resident Santoshi Devi, who is running a retail shop of puja items in the Sangam area, said the Ganga Jal storage cans are in great demand.
The present edition of the Kumbh is being held after 12 years, though seers claim the celestial permutations and combinations for the event are taking place after 144 years, making the occasion even more auspicious.
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