More than 16 lakh devotees took a holy dip here at the Sangam, the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna rivers and the mythical Saraswati, on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti marking the onset of the Kumbh Mela.
"We were expecting about 10 lakh to come for the dip in the first half of the day, but the numbers have already crossed 16 lakh by 2 p.m.," an official told IANS here.
The Akharas that went for the Shahi Snan so far are Maha Nirvani, Atal, Niranjani, Anand, Juna, Avahan, Panchagni, Nirvani Ani, Digambar Ani, Nirmohi Ani and Naya Udaseen. The Akhras that are still awaiting are Bada Udaseen and Nirmala.
Prayagraj: 33,000 earthen lamps lighted at #KumbhMela for construction of Ram Temple; a saint, Moni Maharaj, says, "We'll light total 11 lakh lamps in a month. We believe that the construction of Ram Temple will start immediately after the conclusion of Kumbh" pic.twitter.com/wf3duPtKJd
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 15, 2019
Soon after midnight, throngs of devotees who have gathered here for the fair from within the country and abroad began proceeding towards the bathing ghats.
Loud religious chantings as well as melodious singing of 'bhajans' reverberated through the by-lanes of this Uttar Pradesh city for most of the night.
From now until March, up to 120 million pilgrims are expected to descend on Prayagraj in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state for the Kumbh Mela https://t.co/a2t1kEyPUU pic.twitter.com/BdhPWLSk9Q
— CNN (@CNN) January 15, 2019
Visitors reached the ghats that were lit up like Diwali in a hue of multiple colours, amid heightened security and waited for the "Shahi Snan" (royal bath) to begin.
The moment arrived just before dawn around 5 a.m. when with prayers in their breath, they took the holy dip in the water as cold as ice.
The 13 'Akharas' participating in the "Shahi Snan" on Tuesday each have been allocated about 45 minutes each by the Kumbh authorities. The ceremonial bath has drawn huge crowds while devotees continued to throng Prayagraj in large numbers.
#KumbhMela: Culture, People, Colours, Faith. Daniel from Brazil says #Kumbh2019 is very organised and Impressive.
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) January 14, 2019
Discover Kumbh, Discover India.#GroundReport: Shashank pic.twitter.com/0MBuNqiWio
Beautiful picture @smritiirani ji 😍🙏 #Kumbh2019 #ShahiSnan pic.twitter.com/8UkpTAqPis
— Manak Gupta (@manakgupta) January 15, 2019
The "Shahi Snan" is considered among the most significant components of the Kumbh Mela.
Elaborate security arrangements were in place and pontoon bridges have been constructed to lead the visitors to the 5-kilometre bathing ghat at Sangam.
AFP factfile on the 2019 Kumbh Mela, the world's largest religious gathering, where millions of Hindus will gather for ritual baths in the sacred waters of the Ganges River pic.twitter.com/v0HzvuMstL
— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 15, 2019
Security personnel have been deployed at all entry and exit points of these bridges.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a video on Twitter shortly after the "Shahi Snan" ceremony began, marking the official beginning of the fair.
प्रयागराज में आरंभ हो रहे पवित्र कुम्भ मेले की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 15, 2019
मुझे आशा है कि इस अवसर पर देश-विदेश के श्रद्धालुओं को भारत की आध्यात्मिक, सांस्कृतिक एवं सामाजिक विविधताओं के दर्शन होंगे।
मेरी कामना है कि अधिक से अधिक लोग इस दिव्य और भव्य आयोजन का हिस्सा बनें। pic.twitter.com/qAxJtNrUPn
कुम्भ २०१९ में सांस्कृतिक कार्यक्रम की कुछ झलकियां। #kumbh2019 #MakarSankranti2019 #SanskritiKumbh pic.twitter.com/4NW3FksiAo
— Kumbh (@PrayagrajKumbh) January 14, 2019
The Kumbh Mela is held every six years while the Maha Kumbh takes place every 12 years.
According to officials, about 15 crore devotees are expected to partake in the pilgrimage, which, according to legends, opens the doors to heaven.
'Akhada beyond sexuality': Transgender Akhada participates in Kumbh Mela for the first time ever https://t.co/q2xJgG3NL5
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) January 15, 2019
Over 40,000 LED lights have been used by the administration to light up the bathing ghats as well as illuminate the historic city.
The Kumbh Mela will reach its culmination on March 4, which alo marks the Maha Shivratri, the last of the six dates for the "Shahi Snan".
At Rs. 4,200 Crore, This Year's Kumbh Mela Is The Costliest Ever
The Uttar Pradesh government has allocated Rs. 4,200 crore for the Kumbh Mela being held in the 'sangam' city of Allahabad, which is over thrice the budget of the Maha Kumbh in 2013, making the mega pilgrimage perhaps the costliest ever.
"The UP government has allocated Rs. 4,200 crore for 2019 Kumbh Mela. The previous state government had spent around Rs. 1,300 crore for the Maha Kumbh, which was held in 2013," state Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal told.
Where to stay at the Kumbh Mela? Here are 5 luxury camps listed by @CNTIndia https://t.co/RaNudyTtD2 #KumbhCalls #Kumbh2019 #IncredibleIndia
— Incredible!ndia (@incredibleindia) January 15, 2019
He said that apart from this, some other departments have also allocated funds for the mega event.
Mr Agarwal said this time the Kumbh Mela area has been doubled as compared to the previous years.
This year's Kumbh Mela is spread over an area of 3,200 hectare as compared to 1,600 hectare area in the previous mela's.
The endeavour of the UP government has always been to enhance the facilities for the public and establishing facilities at the ground level has been a big task, the minister said.
Some Glimpse of #Kumbh at #Prayagraj#kumbhmela pic.twitter.com/qQRKxOORa9
— Shalini KapoorTiwari (@ShaliniKTiwari) January 15, 2019
The Kumbh Mela (the festival of the sacred pitcher) is anchored in Hindu mythology. It is the largest public gathering and collective act of faith anywhere in the world.
Ardh Kumbh is held in every six years, while the Kumbh Mela comes after 12 years.
The Yogi Adityanath government has renamed Ardh Kumbh as Kumbh and the Kumbh as Maha Kumbh.
The mela draws tens of millions of pilgrims over the course of approximately 48 days to bathe at the sacred confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati river.
Luxury tent#kumbh pic.twitter.com/GqieYYfmn2
— Shubhankar Singh ( SKS ) (@itsshubhankar_) January 12, 2019
The congregation includes Ascetics, Saints, Sadhus, Sadhvis, Kalpvasis and pilgrims from all walks of life.
In all there are six auspicious bathing dates in this Kumbh - Makar Sankranti (January 15), Paush Poornima (January 21), Mauni Amawasya (February 4), Basant Panchami (February 10), Maghi Poornima (February 19) and Mahashivratri (March 4).
For the first time at the Kumbh Mela, a transgender ashram known as the Kinnar Akhara and led by rights activist Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi from Mumbai, joined the first bathing day. https://t.co/VJyBWqSrJk #Kumbh2019 pic.twitter.com/RI8ilknwbk
— Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) January 15, 2019