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President Droupadi Murmu on Monday visited the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj and took a holy dip at the Sangam. Maha Kumbh, which began on Paush Purnima (January 13), is the world's largest spiritual and cultural gathering, attracting devotees from across the globe. It will continue until Mahashivratri on February 26.
The country's first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, had also taken a holy dip during the Maha Kumbh.
In a post on X, President said, “Today I had the good fortune of bathing in the holy confluence of Maa Ganga, Yamuna and the inner stream Saraswati in the divine atmosphere of Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. This huge gathering of faith and belief is a wonderful and living symbol of India's rich cultural heritage. Maha Kumbh gives the message of unity and spirituality to humanity. I pray to Maa Ganga that she keeps her blessings on everyone and keeps spreading happiness and peace in everyone's life.”
Meanwhile, President also feeds migratory birds at Triveni Sangam.
“During her day-long visit to Prayagraj, the President will take holy dip and perform Pooja at Sangam, perform Pooja and Darshan at Akshayvat and Hanuman Mandir, and also visit the Digital Kumbh Anubhav Centre,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement issued on Sunday.
Sangam is the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the mystical Saraswati rivers.
According to a Uttar Pradesh government release, Murmu will also offer prayers at the Akshayavat and Bade Hanuman Temple, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accompanying her.
Severe traffic congestion stretching for kilometers was observed on the routes to the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj on Sunday, prompting Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav to urge the government to make emergency arrangements for the stranded devotees.
The Prayagraj Sangam railway station was also closed due to the overwhelming crowd outside. By 6 pm on Sunday, over 1.42 crore devotees had taken a dip in the Ganga and Sangam, with more than 42 crore devotees having participated in the ritual so far, according to data from the fair administration.
ADCP (Traffic) Kuldeep Singh said, "The number of vehicles is very high and the passengers are trying to come as close as possible to the Maha Kumbh Mela area. Due to this, there is a long jam.”
Singh said that almost the same crowd is coming now as had come on 'Mauni Amavasya'.
“The distant parking lot is 50 per cent full. The nearest parking lot is a small parking lot, while the distant parking lot is big,” he said.
He said that the vehicles of the local people do not run on the bathing festival, but now all types of vehicles are running.
In the last (2019) Kumbh, there was not so much crowd, especially on normal days, but this time such a huge crowd is coming on normal days, Singh said, adding the crowd of devotees does not seem to reduce for the next few days.
(With inputs from agencies)
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