Amid chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev,’ thousands of devotees thronged the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj on Wednesday (Feb 26) for the last sacred dip of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh. The last bath coincides with the festival of Mahashivratri and is one of the most auspicious muhurat’s for the Amrit snan.
The world’s biggest religious gathering began on January 13 and has so far drawn a record-breaking 65 crore pilgrims. As per the Uttar Pradesh Government, by 2 am on Wednesday, over 1.166 million (11.66 lakh) devotees had taken a dip, with the number swelling to 4.11 million (41.11 lakh) by 6 am.
A spectacle of faith
As the final auspicious ‘snan’ began, pilgrims from across India—Gujarat, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Delhi, and beyond—flocked to the ghats, reports PTI. International visitors, including a group from Nepal, arrived to witness the closing day of the world’s largest spiritual gathering, Maha Kumbh.
Many devotees camped overnight, eager to immerse themselves in the sacred waters at ‘Brahma Muhurt’ (a 48-minute period that begins one hour and 36 minutes before sunrise). Others performed their rituals before dawn. Security personnel kept a watchful eye, ensuring smooth movement and preventing overcrowding at the ghats.
What is the significance of Mahashivratri at Maha Kumbh?
Mahashivratri, as per Hindu mythology, marks the divine union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It holds profound importance at the Kumbh Mela. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva played a key role in the Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean), which led to the emergence of the Amrit Kumbh (nectar pitcher)—the very essence of the Kumbh Mela.
Record-breaking footfall
The UP government revealed that on Tuesday alone, attendance at Maha Kumbh reached 330 million (1.33 crore), pushing the overall footfall past 64 crore—surpassing the populations of every country except India and China. To manage the overwhelming crowd, authorities enforced a “no-vehicle zone” across the Mela area and deployed extensive police personnel tasked with implementing strict crowd control.
DIG (Kumbh) Vaibhav Krishna emphasised the administration’s focus on crowd control.
“We are prepared particularly to handle a two-pronged situation, one is the rush of devotees at the ghats including Sangam and the other is crowd management at five main shivalayas in the mela area where devotees will offer sacred waters to Lord Shiva,” he told PTI.
“We are expecting the footfall on Wednesday to be higher than it was on Tuesday,” he noted, adding that no VIP treatment will be given to anyone on the last day of Maha Kumbh.
Article source: wionews.com
