Around nine lakh pilgrims took the holy dip in the Ganga on the first snan of the ongoing Ardh Kumbh Mela on Makar Sankranti festival in Haridwar on Thursday amidst massive police bandobust.
The city was divided into nine zones and 31 sectors for providing fool-proof security in and around the holy city. Traffic arrangements had been made for Thursday and Friday, the two days of the first snan of the Kumbh Mela, to regulate the huge rush of pilgrims. Yet, the policemen had a tough time managing the vehicular traffic on the highways.
The local commuters faced difficulties reaching their work places as they were asked to show identity cards at various check points.
The turnout of nearly nine lakh for the snan was deemed to be a low one as per the police estimate. The lower count is being ascribed to a confusion over the bathing time as per the Hindu lunar calendar. The period starts on Thursday evening and lasts till Friday morning, according to the calendar.
Pilgrims came from all over the country to have the holy dip on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti. Since early morning, thousands of pilgrims were seen coming to Brahmkund, the sanctum sanctorum of Har-ki-Pauri. Songs in praise of the glories of lord Shiva and Ganga ringing in the background, thousands of people braved the morning chill to bathe in the holy river, revered as the cleanser of human sins and giver of the boon of moksha (salvation) from the cycle of births and deaths.
Though the pilgrim rush was manageable, district administration had made ample security arrangements, dividing the city into sectors and zones. This time due to the overlapping of the dates for Sankranti, the crowd has been divided on Thursday and Friday. The period of merit started in the morning and would continue till tomorrow noon as Sun entered Makar constellation in the evening, which is why Makar Sankranti main snan falls on Friday as per Hindu lunar calendar.
Astronomers calculate that for the next 60 years Makar Sankranti would fall on January 15. After every 431 years, the date cycles are reversed as per the lunar calendar and all Hindu festivals reel around these lunar dates.
Kusha Ghat, which generally sees hordes of pilgrims performing 'Janeu sanskar' or 'Upnayan sanskar' (wearing sacred thread), witnessed 10 odd pilgrims in the morning. Most of the pilgrims will go for such rituals on Friday, said one of the priests at the ceremonial ghat.
The local people were not allowed to go beyond Rishikul without showing their identity cards. The elderly and the kids had tough time walking their way towards Har-ki-Pauri.
Speaking to The Pioneer, SSP Santhil Abudai Krishna Raj S said, "Nearly 5.5 lakh people had taken the holy dip till 4 pm on Thursday. The figure is likely to reach to over seven lakh by the end of the day. However, we expect a larger turnout on Friday as hordes are expected to come from neighbouring areas. We are ready to tackle any eventuality."