About two months long Prayagraj Kumbh has successfully concluded with it’s sixth bathing festival of Maha Shivratri. The Prayagraj Kumbh attracted more than 24 crore bathers on different bathing festivals including Makar Sankranti, Paush Purnima, Mauni Amavasya, Vasant Panchami, Maghi Purnima and Maha Shivratri. For the first time in the history of Prayagraj Kumbh, an unprecedented rush of devotees was witnessed throughout the Mela period.
Maha Shivratri, sixth and the last bathing festival of Prayagraj Kumbh, was celebrated yesterday with religious fervour and enthusiasm. Large number of devotees thronged the Sangam the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati braving cold and rains from mid night. Prayagraj Mela Authority has said that above one core 10 lakhs devotees took holy dip on the occasion. Mela administration had developed about eight kilometers long eight ghats at Sangam and other areas of the Mela for pilgrims. 27 Special trains and thousands of buses were put into service to ferry the devotees. Elaborate security arrangements were in place in and around the Mela area. Several dignitaries including Union and State Ministers took holy dip on the occasion.
Mela was spread over 3200 hectares of land and divided into 20 sectors. 20 pantoon bridges were erected on the river Ganga to connect the different sectors. For the first time Prayagraj Kumbh successfully put its name in Guinness Book of World record in three fields including sanitation and cleaning, traffic plan and mob management and paint your city. Representatives of the world record book visited the Mela and observed the three days Mela administration. They have handed over three certificates to the Mela Authority in this regard. For the First time President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Union Ministers of the country, Governors and Chief Ministers and State Ministers of different state governments not only visited the Kumbh but also took holy dip at Sangam. Similarly representatives of 72 countries put their national flags at Kumbh and more than 3500 representatives from different countries visited the Mela. Thousands of Non Resident Indians also visited the Kumbh and took holy dip. Prime Minister of Mauritius with his wife also visited the Kumbh and took holy dip and met saints and Sears.
Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Amit Khare also visited the Prayagraj Kumbh and took holy dip. He also visited the camps of All India Radio and Doordarshan and high tech exhibition of BOC set up at the Mela on the lives of Father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel.
Sunil Shukla/Prayagraj Kumbh
