Naga Sadhus led the third and final Amrit Snan of Maha Kumbh at sunrise on Monday. All 13 akharas and more than 25mn devotees participated in the sacred bathing ritual at Triveni Sangam on the final day of Basant Panchami, which stretched from 9.14am Sunday to 6.52pm Monday.
The two-day event saw the total count of pilgrims taking a holy dip surpass 38mn, with the overall number of visitors to Maha Kumbh exceeding 370mn since Kumbh began on Jan 13. Authorities anticipate that the figure will cross 500mn before the festival concludes on Feb 26.
Security was tightened following the tragic stampede on Mauni Amavasya (Jan 29), which resulted in 30 deaths and left 60 injured. The security setup and crowd-control measures ensured that the Basant Panchami Amrit Snan concluded peacefully.
At 3.30am, UP CM Yogi Adityanath convened a high-level meeting from the “war room” at his Lucknow residence, personally monitoring the situation at the mela grounds. “This grand event fosters the spirit of peace, prosperity, and harmony in society,” the CM said, extending greetings to the seers and pilgrims.
The acharyas and mahamandaleshwars of the 13 akharas arrived in regal fashion, seated atop elaborately decorated chariots mounted on tractor trolleys, followed by long processions of ascetics. First to reach the Sangam was Shri Panchayati Akhara Mahanirvani, with the rest following in a disciplined flow.
30 die in stampede
At least 30 pilgrims died and over 60 were injured in a stampede on Akhara Marg on Wednesday last after a rush of visitors converging on Sangam for a dip in the opening hours of Maha Kumbh's Mauni Amavasya - the most auspicious period in the 45-day event's calendar - led to barricades collapsing and opened the gateway to chaos for close to an hour.
Among the deceased, one belongs to Gujarat and is believed to be Mahesh Somabhai Patel from a village in Visnagar, Mehsana district. The 1-2am tragedy capped a crowd management nightmare, marked by over 120mn pilgrims swamping the Maha Kumbh area over the past three days leading to Mauni Amavasya. Nearly 55mn had taken a dip in the waters of Sangam by late Tuesday, official data confirmed. As the night wore on, the congregation grew.
Bhutan King takes holy dip with UP CM Yogi Adityanath
Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offered prayers at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj on Tuesday. Bhutan King accompanied by Yogi Adityanath arrived in Prayagraj to attend the Kumbh Mela. Earlier in the day, Yogi Adityanath welcomed Jigme Wangchuck at Lucknow Airport and presented him a bouquet of flowers. The two dignitaries then boarded the plane for travelling to Prayagraj.
