lakhs of devotees on Thursday took a holy dip in sacred water bodies adjoining gurudwaras and other religious places in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to mark the harvest festival of Makar Sankranti.
Braving the cold, people thronged to holy sarovars in Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Pehowa, Muktsar, Amritsar, Anandpur Sahib, and Bathinda and took bath.
Makar Sankranti is one of the major harvest festivals celebrated in the country. The winter festival which is called Maghi in Punjab and Makar Sankranti in Haryana is celebrated with observance of rituals in the two north Indian States.
Apart from being a harvest festival, Makar Sankranti also marks the beginning of an auspicious phase.
lakhs of devotees took bath at historic gurdwara sarovars at Muktsar, Faridkot, Nanaksar, Takhtupura, and Daroli Bhai on the occasion of Maghi mela.
In Himachal Pradesh, devotees were seen congregating at Tattapani, 50 km from the state capital Shimla and Manikaran, home to a Sikh shrine in Kullu district, for holy dips in the Satluj and Parvati rivers respectively, officials said.
Tattapani and Manikaran are known for hot water springs with high sulphur concentration.
For the first time, the natural and prominent hot springs located along the Satluj in Tattapani disappeared after the construction of the 800 MW Koldam hydroelectric power project executed by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). Its reservoir has submerged the hot springs.
Earlier, Tattapani saw more than 25,000 devotees offering prayers during a holy bath on Makar Sankranti at natural hot water springs there.
The devotees also took holy dip in Vashist temple, located on the outskirts of the popular tourist resort Manali. The temple is situated on the left bank of Beas river, also known for its hot springs.
The festival of Makar Sankranti marks the beginning of warmer and longer days compared to the nights.