PRAYAGRAJ: An estimated 9 lakh devotees, seers, saints and kalpwasis took a holy dip in Sangam — the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers — on the fifth and second last snan of the ongoing Magh Mela on Wednesday.
The bathing, which commenced from Tuesday night, continued till late Wednesday evening. Around 4.5 lakh devotees took the holy dip by 11am and the numbers swelled to 7 lakh by 3pm and 9 lakh by evening. With the completion of Maghi Purnima snan, the majority of kalpwasis returned to their native places.
SP (Magh Mela) Dr Rajiv Narayan Mishra told TOI that the snan passed off peacefully without any untoward incident. He said, “Around 9 lakh pilgrims, devotees and kalpwasis took the holy dip on the auspicious occasion.”
He said, elaborate security arrangements were put in place and cops maintained a strict vigil in and around the mela campus throughout the day.
Streets leading to Sangam on Wednesday were packed with pilgrims, with traffic and civil police remaining busy in managing the traffic.
As the majority of vehicles carrying kalpwasis were moving towards Lucknow, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur and Ayodhya, the teliyarganj road witnessed a massive jam for more than an hour.
