Apart from personnel of paramilitary forces, around 100 swimmers were also deployed on ghats to keep a strict vigil and tackle any incident.
PRAYAGRAJ: The annual religious congregation Magh Mela came to a close at the Sangam with lakhs of devotees taking the holy dip on the last snan on Mahashivratri on Thursday. This also ended the 57 days of austerity and spirituality on the banks of the Ganga.
The Magh Mela, which began on January 14 amidst strict implementation of Covid-19 protocol, also witnessed mammoth Covid sampling drive, screening at entry gates and millions of devotees and pilgrims arriving on the banks of Ganga from different parts of the country to seek salvation and earn punya.
Mar 6, 2021 Kashmiri Muslims raise their hands and pray as the head priest, unseen, displays a relic believed to be a hair from the beard of the Prophet Mohammad during special prayers on the death anniversary of Abu Bakr Siddiq, the first Caliph of Islam, at Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) Worshippers gather around candles stuck to jars of honey, arranged as a cross, during mass for the ‘sanctification of honey’ at the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin church in the town of Blagoevgrad, south of the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. Despite the COVID19 pandemic, Bulgarian Orthodox Church marks the day of St. Haralampus, Orthodox patron saint of bee-keepers, by performing a ritual for health and rich harvest. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)
AP PHOTOS: A month of holy days and festivals, amid pandemic nwitimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nwitimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Devotees take holy dip on the auspicious occasion of Maghi Purnima
PRAYAGRAJ: Lakhs of devotees, from different parts of the state and the country apart from locals, took a holy dip in the Sangam on the fifth and second last bathing festival of Maghi Purnima, on Saturday. The bathing which commenced at 2.53 pm on Friday continued till Saturday evening despite the auspicious time ending at 1.52pm on Saturday.
Around 5 lakh devotees had taken the holy dip by around 12 noon and the numbers swelled to 6.5 lakh by 4pm. A total of 7 lakh devotees had taken a dip by 6pm, according to the mela administration.
PRAYAGRAJ, India — Millions of people have joined a 45-day Hindu bathing festival in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj, where devotees take a dip at Sangam, the sacred confluence