M A I N   N E W S

7 million take dip at Kumbh

KUMBH NAGAR, Jan 14 (UNI, PTI) — Naga ascetics led a grand, colourful procession of seven million pilgrims under a moon lit sky in a 12-year-ritual of purification in the waters of Triveni at the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the mythical Sarswati.

On the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, the Maha Kumbh’s first shahi snan began at about 5.30 a.m. with the dramatic entry on the ghats of Mahamandaleshwars of 13 Akharas seated on guilded chariots and palanquins weilding swords, trishuls and spears.

The traditional rivalry between the Juna and the Niranjani Akharas for primacy in the holy dip was settled in ambience. The royal march of the sadhus began from the eastern banks of the Ganga at around 3 a.m. to traverse the 2-km route to the ghat.

The Nirmohi Akhara kept away saying its 30,000 sadhus had felt slighted by the inadequate arrangements of the administration.

Thousands of people camped on the sands around the Sangam area since midnight to witness the sacred rituals.

Watched by television cameras from across the world, some of the sadhus rode in on velvet-bedecked horsebacks as saffron flags tied to their spears fluttered in the cold breeze.

After offering prayer songs, shlokas, bells, floral tributes, all of them entered the waters in large groups to take the “shahi snan”, or royal bath, using mud as soap, kamandals as mugs. They offered prayers again before leaving as royally as they came.

At the other ghats of the Ganga, millions of “kalpwasis” took the holy dip seeking forgiveness and ‘nirvana.’ At “Prayag” or “Teerthraj”, the holiest pilgrim centre, they have come from all parts of the globe. Hundreds of boats took them to the sangam nose, seagulls screeching and swimming along them.

Meanwhile the mela administration on Sunday decided to debar all locals and tourists from the Sangam area on the forthcoming ‘snan’ days to prevent clicking of ‘controversial’ photographs of Naga sadhus.

“Today, there were reports galore that some locals and tourists, not part of the media team, mixed with bare-bodied naga sadhus and took some controversial snaps of them,” Kumbh Nodal Officer Sadakant told newspersons here.

In view of these “unfortunate” incidents “we have decided that nobody should be allowed to hurt the religious sentiments of the revered sadhus,” Mr Sadakant said.

Therefore, he added, in the coming ‘snan’ days, especially the Mauni Amavasya Snan on January 24, only mediapersons would be allowed in the Sangam area.