Makar Sankranti celebrated across state, lakhs take dip in Ganga

Tribune News Service

Haridwar/mussoorie, Jan 14

About four lakh devotees thronged Ganga ghats across Haridwar and Rishikesh on the pious occasion of Makar Sankranti today. There was a huge rush of devotees for holy dip at Ganga ghats during the special timing from 7:32 am to 2:05 pm.

Pilgrims from across the country thronged Brahma Kund, Har-ki-Pauri, Malviya ghat, VIP ghat, Birla ghat, Kushawrat ghat and Nai Sota in Haridwar and Muni-ki-Reti, Triveni, Laxman Jhula, Parmarth Niketan and other Ganga ghats in Rishikesh for a holy dip from early morning hours.

After having a dip, devotees also paid obeisance at various revered shrines of the twin pilgrim cities.

Ganga Sabha members and teerth purohits observed special rituals for the deity Ganga, Sun, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva.

SSP Rajeev Swarup said festive bathing went off peacefully as the mela administration had made elaborate security and traffic arrangements. He added that a bomb disposal squad, sniffer dogs, a mounted cavalry squad and intelligence sleuths were deployed in the core mela zone and other sensitive pockets.

Prayers offered at Uttarkashi temples

Thousansds of devotees took a holy dip in the Ganga at Uttarkashi on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. They offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath, Hanuman, Bhairon and Kandaar Devta Temple.

The devotees along with the palanquin of local deities thronged the banks of Ganga known as Bhagirathi there and took a dip in the holy water amid the beating of traditional drums.

Over 50,000 persons took a holy dip in early hours amid beating of traditional drums and tight security, informed district administration officials.

Seven-year-old Sandeep, a resident of Kumalda village in Uttarkashi district, took his first dip in the freezing waters of the Ganga. Elated at the experience, he pledged to return next year.

Kuldeep from Badhangaon village said decorating the palanquin of the Raj Rajeshwari temple and bringing it to the Ganga ghat for a holy dip was a life time experience. Personnel of the PRD and the ITBP were deployed at the ghats to manage the crowd.

Later, Principal Chief Secretary Dr Ranvir Singh and Swami Chidanand Saraswati from Parmarth Ashram, Rishikesh, inaugurated the Magh Mela festivities by cutting the ceremonial ribbon at the Azaad Maidan at Uttarkashi. He also inaugurated the Uttarakhand Food Festival stall arranged by the Uttarkashi Hotel Association. Ranvir Singh said the Magh Mela celebrations also known as Baada Haat Ku Thaulu bears historic antecedents.

Ranvir Singh in his inaugural address said he was impressed at the standard of the cultural performances presented by the participants from the remote district of Uttarkashi. Swami Chidanand from Parmarth Ashram said the melas were organised for the unity of everybody and it should not become an event to pollute holy rivers. He said the purity of the Ganga should be maintained at any cost. Later, he along with schoolchildren from Sanskrit Mahavidyalya, Ranvir Singh and District Magistrate Ashish Shrivastava participated in the Ganga aarti, near Shankar Math.