Maha Shivaratri to mark last day of Kumbh Mela today, one crore devotees expected to take holy dip in Sangam

Prayagraj: The Sangam, which is the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, is all set to witness the last dip of the Kumbh Mela on Maha Shivaratri on Monday, after more than 22 crore devotees took a holy bath over the duration of the festival. “This day symbolises the last holy bath of the Kalpvasis and is directly related to Lord Shiva. As per the mythology, this day is awaited in the heavens as well,” Gunjan Varshney, president of Ram Naam Bank situated at Civil Lines, told PTI. She also said it was on this day that Lord Shiva got married, and hence is eagerly awaited by his followers, who worship him. Explaining the significance of Maha Shivaratri, Ashutosh Varshney of Grah Nakshtram, who has set up his camp at the mela, said, “Maha Shivaratri marks the culmination of the Kumbh and the prominent bathing days. And this time Maha Shivaratri is falling on a Monday — the day dedicated to Lord Shiva, which is falling after a long time.” [caption id=“attachment_5836601” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] The Kumbh Mela, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, was held in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj from 15 January on Makar Sakranti to 4 March 2019. “This is a very rare coincidence and the Sangam area will remain more crowded than previous years since it is the last bating day,” he said. He also said ‘Rudrabhishek’ of ‘shivling’ is also done on this day. In the Kumbh held in Sangam city, there were six bathing dates. “Of these, shahi snaans were held on occasions of Makar Sankranti (15 January), Mauni Amawasya (4 February) and Basant Panchami (10 February). “Apart from this, ‘parv snaans’ have been held on the occasion of Paush Poornima (21 January) and Maghi Poornima (19 February),” Varshney said. Elaborate arrangements have been made by administration for the last bathing ritual of the Kumbh, which expects around one crore devotees at the mega event held at the Sangam. “Around one crore devotees and pilgrims from different walks of life are expected to take a dip in Sangam on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri. More than 22 crore people have so far taken dip in the ongoing Kumbh,” Kumbh Mela Adhikari Vijay Kiran Anand said. The Uttar Pradesh Police has also geared up for a seamless and incident-free Kumbh, spread over 3,200 hectare land in Sangam city. “The entire Kumbh Mela area has been demarcated into nine zones and 20 sectors with the deployment of over 20,000 police personnel, 6,000 homeguards, 40 police stations, 58 outposts, 40 fire stations, 80 companies of central force and 20 companies of PAC,” Director General of Police (DGP) of UP OP Singh had earlier told PTI. With a view to counter any terrorist activity, Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) commandoes, anti-sabotage commandoes with snipers, bomb disposal units, sniffer dog squads and intelligence units have also been pressed into service, Singh said. The Kumbh draws lakhs of pilgrims over the course of approximately 55 auspicious days to bathe at the Sangam. It is celebrated four times over a course of 12 years.