UP: 4.52 crore take holy dip at Sangam on Mauni Amavasya

More than 4.52 crore devotees took a holy dip at the Sangam on Sunday on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, the most auspicious ritual bath of the Magh Mela, officials said. A senior mela administration official said devotees began arriving at the Sangam ghats from midnight, braving dense fog, and continued to stream in through the early morning hours. A brief disruption occurred in the morning when police stopped Jyotirpeeth Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati from proceeding to the Sangam along with a large number of followers. According to figures released by the Mela administration, the footfall touched 1.3 crore by 8 am, rose to 3.15 crore by noon and reached 3.82 crore by 4 pm. By the end of the day, the total number of pilgrims who took the holy dip stood at 4.52 crore.
Despite severe cold and dense fog that reduced visibility to less than two metres and forced devotees to walk hand in hand, the flow of pilgrims remained uninterrupted. Mela officer Rishiraj said that devotees continued to arrive throughout the day and the bathing proceedings remained incident-free. As per religious belief, those unable to undertake the month‑long Kalpavas during Magh can attain its spiritual merit by bathing on Mauni Amavasya. Many prominent religious leaders participated in the sacred bath, including Jagadguru Shankaracharya Govardhan Peeth Swami Adhokshajanand Devteerth Ji Maharaj. The Dandi Swami seers observed tradition by bathing at nearby Ganga ghats, while Kalpavasis emerged from their camps through the fog to perform rituals and complete their vow of silence. Members of the Khak Chowk Management Committee also took a collective dip at Triveni.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath described the aerial showering of flower petals over devotees as “a tribute to faith and a salutation to the great Sanatan culture.” In another message, on X, he extended a warm welcome to seers, akhadas and devotees arriving for the holy dip, praying that “the blessings of Mother Ganga and Lord Surya” bring renewed energy and fulfilment to their lives. Security personnel remained on high alert throughout the day, with PAC and RAF teams deployed at all entry and exit points of the mela. Senior police officers maintained a close vigil on mela proceedings as well as the movement of devotees through live feeds from AI-enabled CCTV cameras at the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC).