Modi takes holy dip at Sangam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took the holy dip at the Sangam - the holy confluence of sacred Ganga, Yamuna and mystical Sarawasti rivers - and prayed for peace and prosperity of the nation.

Clad in a grey sweater, Modi, who is reportedly nursing a cold and cough, took the dip in a specially marked area at the ongoing Kumbh Mela. With folded hands, he then turned all around in the waist-deep water.

Dressed in an orange kurta and wrapped in a saffron shawl, the Prime Minister then participated in the 'Triveni Puja' conducted by a group of priests, offering milk, fruits, a red saree and chandan to the holy rivers.

Amid chanting of hymns, the prime minister also did a brief 'Sankalp' for which he later offered some 'dakshina' to the priests. He was accompanied by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey during the rituals.

Modi later also performed the 'Aarti' and interacted with the priests who conducted the puja. A scared thread was tried to his right wrist as a symbol of blessings that come from propitiating the holy rivers.

The Prime Minister, who had arrived in Prayagraj in a special Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper, was received by the Chief Minister, Health Minister Siddhartha Nath Singh and district officials at the helipad.

--IANS

md/vd