Worshiping sacred river and the sea, 18 lakh pilgrims take holy dip at Ganga Sagar on Makar Sankrant

New Delhi, January 15: Citing the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Wednesday, around 18 lakh pilgrims from different parts of the country, and neighbouring Bangladesh and Nepal took holy dip at the confluence of the sacred Ganga and the Bay of Bengal.

 

"Over 30 lakh people have gathered here for the pilgrimage, breaking all previous records. Till 8 am, around 18 lakh people have taken dips in the holy waters. Several lakhs are waiting", a senior official of the state government said in a a statement.

 

 

Every year on Makar Sankranti, lakhs of Hindus flock the Sagar Island in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district to take the holy dip and offer prayers at the Kapil Muni temple. "Last year, we had a record number of 20 lakh pilgrims visiting the island. This year, that record has been broken as we have witnessed over 30 lakh pilgrims arriving. It was peaceful and the pilgrims have also appreciated our arrangements," the official added.

 

 

While security has been beefed up in the island, around 100 km from Kolkata, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is monitoring the situation. Besides deploying senior officers, around 10,000 police personnel and civic volunteers have been posted for the gathering the Ganga Sagar Mela. Security officials are also keeping a watch on the waters and patrolling is being done, the release read. Drones and around 1,000 CCTV cameras are being used.

 

Further amid tight security, thousands of people took holy dips at Babughat, Doi ghat, Baje Kadamtala ghat, Saradamani ghat, Ratanbabur ghat, Bagbazar ghat and Kumartuli ghat, all on the banks of the Hooghly river in Kolkata. "The picture was similar on the other bank of the river in Howrah where many took dips at Telkal ghat, Shibpur ghat and Ramkrishnapur ghat", they said.

 

 

Makar Sankranti marks the end of the month with the winter solstice and the start of longer days. It is known by various names in different parts of the country and in West Bengal it is celebrated as Poush Sankranti, after the Bengali month Poush. Hindus believe that taking dip at the Ganga Sagar, the confluence of the sacred river and the sea, will help one achieve moksha or salvation.