Ardh Kumbh mela begins
Tuesday, 02 January , 2007, 17:45
Allahabad: About 80 lakh devotees are expected to take dip at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati Allahabad on Wednesday on the first day of Ardh Kumbh mela, considered as the largest religious congregation in the world after Kumbh, amid tight security.
A sprawling township of tents, marquees and well-decorated pandals have sprung up in an area of over 4,000 acres in this holy city.
Divided into 11 sectors, each under a separate magistrate the township is connected by a make-shift network of roads with a total length of about 75 km. Thousands of security personnel have been deployed at the venue to prevent any untoward incident.
Mehanivanis Akhara will lead the bathing procession followed by Niranjanis and then other Akharas. Approach from the Ganga side would be reserved for the sants, while that from the Yamuna side would be open to the common people.
About 80 lakh people are expected to assemble for Wednesdayís bathing considered less important compared to the Shahi Snan (royal bathing days) of Makar Sankanti (January 14/15), Mauni Amavasya (January 19) and Vasant Panchami (January 23), which are together expected to attract a crowd of seven crores.
There are two other auspicious days of bathing on Maghi Poornima (February 2) and Mahashivaratri (February 16).
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