SANGAM (Allahabad): Mist envelopes a stretch of sand-bed cordoned off to create an expanse the size of five football fields. Down below, the waters of Sangam appear black under a 4.30am sky. Drenched under sodium vapour lights, the vast area is fenced off for tens of thousands of people with barricades of horizontal wooden beams.
The faithful wait breathlessly for the day's royalty, an army of sadhus from 14 akharas, to march in, their devotees holding up caparisoned umbrellas over the sect leaders' heads. All for Monday's Makar Sankranti shahi snaan. A few hundred worshippers throw themselves desperately into the waist-deep water as mounted policemen canter in to clear the ground. Cops blowing whistles reach a crescendo as rapid action force personnel with AK-47s slung from their shoulders arrive in what seems an over-explicit signal that the business end of the day is here. The ground is ready for the hermits.
And then it begins. After hours of wait for tens of thousands of people through the winter night, the moment of the day arrives with the energetic dash of the sadhus towards the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati amid cries of Har Har Mahadev and Bum Bhole.
From sadhus in sack-cloth and ashes to mahamandaleshwars in their silken finery, from women and children to Indian and foreign nationals, and from dancing Nagas with swords to dandiswamis with their tall wooden staffs, all rush into the Sangam in waves after human waves, a sight captured eagerly by hundreds of photographers, their movements scribbled by scrums of reporters all around.
Soon the main ghat is fragrant with sandalwood with sadhus emerging from the water and rubbing themselves with its powder. Garlands of marigold are tossed at devotees. Worshipped by people from villages as Lord Shiva's regal children, or as the Trinetra's incarnates themselves, the Nagas celebrate with a zealous display of calisthenics and mock sword fights.
It's a medley of songs, slogans and slokas, as more than 82 lakh people wade into the water throughout the day — which hasn't been without its fears of a stampede when hundreds of people surge ahead to reach for the waters where the snaan is on. The pressure from surging crowds leads to a wooden beam snapping, and a photographer perched on it falls to the ground. Alert policemen may well have prevented things from going awry.
The public address system crackles to life, asking bathers to leave the ghats after their holy dips immediately. Allahabad IG Alok Sharma, while pointing out that the snaan went off peacefully, admitted there were a few anxious moments.
Asked what the holy dip meant to him, Jeevanand Yogi from Andhra Pradesh said, "There is an invisible power today between the earth and the moon. This energy helps cure disease and clears all mental blocks."
Devendra Giri from Noida said, "Ganga jitni nirmal honi chaahiye, utni nahi hai. Hamey dukh hai iska (Ganga's water isn't as clean as it should be. It's sad." But a banker from Lucknow, Ashok Khanna, wasn't affected. "The event gives us a chance to revive our faith in spirituality, which is essential to keep humanity alive. I think our ancestors were very far-sighted to have thought of such a ritual," he said.
For the next 50-odd days, the Sangam city won't sleep. With crores of people expected to pour into Prayag every day, the largest gathering of humanity on earth under makeshift tents and open air with people from the world over, will celebrate India's deep and abiding connection with one of its greatest traditions, the Mahakumbh.
Sangam of 82 lakh devotees for holy dip
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Sangam of 82 lakh devotees for holy dip
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Sangam of 82 lakh devotees for holy dip
