1.30 Crore Devotees Take Holy Dip In Ganga To Celebrate Mauni Amavasya Amid Covid-19

Officials on Tuesday confirmed that about 1.30 crore people have taken a holy dip in the Ganga river on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya till 12pm amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Till 11 pm on Monday, around 50 lakh devotees had taken bath in the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj, the Magh Mela authorities said.

Panda Bhola Tripathi, who has been providing Pind Daan to the pilgrims in Magh Mela area since morning, said that the Muhurta of Mauni Amavasya started from 2:20 pm on Monday, which was till 11:16 am on Tuesday. However, devotees are likely to take a holy dip in the Ganges by evening. 

He told that according to the scriptures, if the date of Amavasya starts a few moments before sunset on Monday, then it is called 'Somvati Amavasya' in which the work of ancestors can also be done. The ancestors are satisfied by offering Pind Daan and Tarpan on Amavasya.

According to the Mela Office, various teams of police have been deployed at different places in the entire Mela area for smooth movement and safe Sangam bath. Vigilance is being maintained by water police, SDRF and divers. Along with this, every step of the way is being monitored through CCTV and drone cameras in the entire Mela area.

Parking arrangements have been made at six places in the fair area itself so that there is no inconvenience to the devotees and bathers coming to the fair. Devotees continue to come to the fair area since yesterday, the Mela officials said.

Notably on Sunday, the Chief Secretary of the state, Durga Shankar Mishra, visited the Magh Mela and expressed the hope that one crore devotees would take a holy dip in the Ganges on Mauni Amavasya. He visited the entire fair area and took stock of the facilities.