Over 1 crore devotees take dip in Ganga on Paush Purnima

Braving intense chill, over 1.07 crore devotees took a dip in the Ganga river here on Monday on the occasion of Paush Purnima -- the second auspicious bathing day of the Kumbh Mela.

From Sunday night itself, the Sangam area was buzzing with activity as devotees started arriving even as security forces maintained a close watch on the movement of pilgrims and visitors at the mela venue.

Even before the sunrise, devotees were seen coming out from the ghats after taking the dip.

"Over 1.07 crore devotees have taken a dip so far on the occasion of Paush Purnima. Drone cameras are being used to keep a watch and maintain vigil over the mela area," Mela adhikaari Vijay Anand told reporters here.

Officials repeatedly made announcements requesting devotees not to venture into deep waters and also keep an eye over suspicious elements in their vicinity and report it to the police.

The full moon was at its splendid best over Sangam before the break of dawn and devotional songs greeted visitors in the area.

Fog too was seen before the sunrise at various places in the Sangam area. However, it failed to dampen the mood of devotees, who turned up in large numbers for the Paush Purnima bath.

As the day progressed, the number of devotees coming to take the holy dip increased.

The Purnima or full moon day will also mark the beginning of Kalpwas (the period of austerity) at Kumbh Mela.

Elaborating on the significance of Paush Purnima, Swami Adhokshanand said, "Paush Purnima is a significant day for Hindus which falls on the full moon day of Paush in the Hindu calendar. On this day, devotees from different parts of the country assemble at Sangam to take a holy dip.

"Even Lord Krishna had said that in the Hindu calendar, he represents the month of Paush," he said.

Satish Shukla, who came from Kanpur for the holy dip, said, "Various facilities at the mela venue have improved significantly. The Ganga river looks a lot cleaner now as compared to earlier times."
In a statement issued in Lucknow, Adityanath said, "Paush Purnima, which is symbolised by 'Jap', 'Tap' and 'Daan', is one of the most ancient parv (festivals) of India."