Full moon brings 45 lakh for Sangam dip

SANGAM (Allahabad): More than 45 lakh devotees and 'kalpwasis' - pilgrims who live in the Sangam area for one month in January every year -- took the holy dip at Sangam on the occasion of Paush Poornima or full moon of January, a day considered particularly auspicious, and which effectively begins the rush of people towards the Mahakumbh snan that goes on for one whole month.
The day marks the beginning of month-long austerity period for kalpwasis, who will stay on the banks of Sangam. During this period, Kalpwasis live in tents, listen to discourses, give alms, eat once a day and perform ritual baths daily to free themselves from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
Devotees began congregating on the banks since three am. Hundred of them threw themselves into waist-deep water as Jal police personnel tried their best to control the crowds. Since their numbers kept growing, the police did not let them spend much time bathing at all the 18 ghats. But this did not dampen pilgrim fervor, who arrived from across the country and abroad, for the reinvigorating bath amid chants of "Jai Ma Gange".
Cops kept appealing to devotees with the help of public address systems to leave immediately after the dip. IG Alok Sharma, while pointing out that the event was peaceful, admitted that it took some effort to manage the crowds at pontoon bridge number two.
Divisional commissioner Devesh Chaturvedi told TOI that the snan went on till three pm and around 42 lakh people went into the river.
The mela police had deployed around 13,000 policemen, including 22 inspectors, 400 sub-inspectors, 4,500 constables, 4,000 home guards, 10 companies of PAC, 10 companies of central para-military forces and 200 cops from Uttarakhand police.
IG Sharma said that apart from Sangam, the highest number of pilgrims visited the Ganga-Prasad ghat, South Jhunsi, in sector 12. The flow of crowd, he said, was continuous for 10 hours (between three am and one pm). Additional crowd was seen on pontoon bridge number two, where the police had to divert the route to manage pedestrians. Besides, the police also worked on emergency schemes in view of increasing rush of pilgrims.
Asked what the holy dip meant to him and his family, Jaipur-based RK Sharma said, "One could only realise the energy and devotion here and there seems an invisible influence attracting millions of people." Such devotion undoubtedly helps people to get over their worries, he added. Praveen from Kanpur said, "It's a combination of faith in spirituality which keeps humanity alive."