Hindu pilgrims perform rituals after taking a dip at the confluence of the Ganges and the Bay of Bengal ahead of Makar Sankranti during the Gangasagar fair on Sagar Island, about 150 km south of Kolkata. , photo credit: AFP
Lakhs of pilgrims from across the country have started arriving at Sagar Island in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district to take a holy dip. gangasagaAn official said this on Saturday, January 14, 2023, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.
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Even though the auspicious hours of the holy bath would begin around 6.50 pm on Saturday, thousands of devotees took a dip in the morning at the confluence of the Hooghly river and the Bay of Bengal braving cold weather conditions and offered prayers to Kapil. Muni Ashram, he said.
More than 31 lakh pilgrims have reached the Gangasagar Mela, which is considered to be the biggest religious gathering after the Kumbh Mela, from January 5 to Friday evening.
Ram Swaran, a resident of Chaibasa in Jharkhand, said, “All my sins were washed away after taking a dip in the Ganges (Hooghly river).”
Some devotees were seen singing and dancing to reach the Gangasagar fair at Sagar Island, about 100 km from Kolkata.
“There is a saying ‘Shob Tirth Baar Baar, Gangasagar Ekbar’ (You can visit other pilgrimages many times, but Gangasagar only once). A visit to Gangasagar is enough to make up for the difficulties pilgrims face while coming here. Dip, said Latika Chatterjee, who came from Howrah district of West Bengal.
Meanwhile, personnel of the Coast Guard (ICG) and disaster management teams have stepped up vigil on the beach, while police and civil defense volunteers have been deployed at the Mela ground.
Over 1,000 CCTV cameras and 25 drones have been deployed to monitor the entire Mela ground.
The official said lakhs of pilgrims from across the country gather at Sagar Island for the annual event and the challenge for the South 24 Parganas district administration is to help people safely reach Gangasagar and vice versa while crossing the Muriganga river.
“Due to dense fog, ferry and bus services to Sagar Island remained suspended for about three-four hours in the morning and everything is normal now,” the district official said.
The state government has taken all measures including setting up of shelters on the island for visitors to the Gangasagar fair and the administration is expecting a huge crowd.
Sundarbans Development Minister Bankim Hazra was at the mela ground to oversee the arrangements along with state officials.