Thousands of devotees flock to Sangam to take holy dip on Maghi Purnima

Over one crore devotees are likely to participate in the fifth royal bath of the Kumbh Mela this year.

Prayagraj: Hundreds and thousands of devotees, seers, pilgrims and tourists on Tuesday flocked to Sangam – the confluence of three holy rivers - Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati - to take a holy dip on the auspicious occasion of "Maghi Purnima".

The officials expect over a crore of devotees to participate in the fifth royal bath of the Kumbh Mela this year.

Prayagraj: Devotees at #KumbhMela2019 offer prayers on the occasion of Maghi Purnima today. pic.twitter.com/87Z08puPqW — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) 19 February 2019

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the heavy rush of people that started arriving in Kumbhnagar here since Monday night, said Vijay Kiran Anand, officer-in-charge of the Kumbh.

He said there were 96 watch towers placed across the Mela area along with 440 CCTV cameras maintaining a round-the-clock vigil.

Security has been beefed up following the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, a police official said. 

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Kumbh, K.P. Singh said that the "Maghi Purnima" holy dip was also crucial for the security as thousands of devotees who had taken a one-month-long `Kalp Vaas` will be returning on Tuesday. 

Many special trains and buses of the Uttar Pradesh State Roadways Corporation (UPSRTC) have been deployed into service for their homebound journey.