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Holy Dip! Thousands of Hindu devotees gather for Magh Mela Festival amid severe cold in Prayagraj

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Purnima as part of the Magh Mela Festival on January 25 (Thursday). Despite a severe cold wave worshippers donned traditional dresses and took a dip in the icy waters.

The ongoing 54-day annual Magh Mela witnessed pilgrims arriving in large numbers for the Paush Purnima dip, considered the second bathing day. The festival was celebrated with religious fervour and enthusiasm, marking the beginning of the month of Magha, a time for spiritual development and rejuvenation in Hindu tradition.

Hindu tradition views the pilgrimage to Magh Mela as penance for past mistakes, with bathing in the holy rivers seen as a means of cleansing devotees from sin. Despite the challenging weather conditions, hundreds of thousands of devotees thronged to take a holy dip in the Ganga River, demonstrating their 'devotion to the Lord' on the auspicious day of Paush Purnima.

Pilgrims congregated on the banks of Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati, to take a holy dip. Bathing commenced at midnight and continued until late evening, with elaborate security arrangements in place.

According to local media, the Magh Mela administration set up 10 bathing ghats for pilgrim convenience and constructed police posts near the ghats for added security. Night shelters with a capacity for 2,500 devotees were also established for the month-long Kalpvas or austerity period.

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