Amid elaborate arrangements, over 1.60 crore people took a dip at the Sangam till 12 pm on Wednesday on the occasion of Maghi Purnima during the Maha Kumbh here, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement.

The sacred bath began early Wednesday with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath monitoring the event from Lucknow.

With the Maghi Purnima bath, the month-long kalpavas also ended and around 10 lakh kalpvasis started leaving the Maha Kumbh mela area. The administration requested them to follow traffic rules and use only authorised parking spaces.

While lakhs of devotees headed to the Sangam Nose to take a dip, the Uttar Pradesh government in a statement said that by 12 pm, 1.59 crore people had taken the ritual dip at the Triveni Sangam and other ghats.

Devotees from across the country and abroad had started arriving at Mahakumbh Nagar on Tuesday night for the sacred Maghi Purnima bathing festival.

In anticipation of the massive influx, Variable Messaging Displays (VMDs) were activated across the mela grounds, providing real-time guidance and instructions to pilgrims. These displays played a crucial role in assisting devotees, ensuring a smooth and organized bathing experience at the Triveni Sangam.

On the special directives of Chief Minister Yogi, the Mahakumbh Nagar administration had made extensive arrangements to accommodate the devotees, ensuring that no inconvenience was faced by them during their pilgrimage.

Continuous announcements were made urging devotees not to linger on the ghats after their bath and to move towards their destinations swiftly. This streamlined the bathing process and enhanced crowd management during Maghi Purnima.

Maha Kumbh Mela DIG Vaibhav Krishna says, :Today is Maghi Purnima and more than one crore people have taken the dip. Our arrangements are quite good and police deployment is there at all places. Crowd is moving comfortably. Our SOPs are being followed.”

Kumbh SSP Rajesh Dwivedi said, “The movement of devotees is going on smoothly and we are taking care of all (crowd) pressure points.”

“We have made elaborate arrangements during the previous 'snan' on Basant Panchami too. Our arrangements have been further augmented this time,  he said.

Talking about security arrangements in place for today’s snan, the SSP said, “More deployment has been done at all the pressure points. Along with that, we are briefing people to ensure a smooth movement.”

Mahakumbh Nagar SSP Rajesh Dwivedi said aerial surveillance and strict anti-drone measures have been put in place to ensure safety.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath greeted everyone on the holy bathing festival.

“Heartiest greetings to all the revered saints, religious leaders, kalpvasis and devotees who have come for the holy bath at the sacred Triveni in Maha Kumbh 2025, Prayagraj. May everyone’s life be filled with happiness, prosperity and good fortune by the grace of Lord Shri Hari. May Maa Ganga, Maa Yamuna and Maa Saraswati fulfill everyone’s wishes,” he said in the post.

According to officials, the meal area was declared a ‘no vehicle zone’ from 4 am on Tuesday, while the entire city became a ‘no-vehicle zone’ from 5 pm onwards, with an exemption for emergency and essential services.

To avoid traffic chaos, designated parking lots were marked for public and private vehicles.

Prayagraj ADG Bhanu Bhaskar said special police forces were deployed at all places where crowd management becomes challenging.

Srinivas, who has come from Andhra Pradesh to take a dip, said, “It feels good. The UP government has made good arrangements. Many thanks to Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

Another devotee, Gayatri, said, “I am very happy to be here at the Kumbh Mela on this auspicious occasion. The UP government has created a good atmosphere here. Actually being a Hindu, this is the first time I have really felt like an Indian. People have shown their religiousness and unity has been promoted."

The state Transport Department arranged 1,200 additional shuttle buses, which were available for the devotees every 10 minutes, the officials said.

The Maha Kumbh will conclude on February 26 with the final amrit snan on the occasion of Mahashivratri.