Nearly 1.30 crore devotees have taken a dip in river Ganga in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj to mark the occasion of the rare two-day 'Mauni Amavasya' till 12 pm on Tuesday.
The Amavasya tithi began at 2.20 pm on Monday and was in effect till 11:16 am on Tuesday . The Mauni Amavasya, falling on the moonless day of the Magh month under the Hindu calendar, is considered a pious day with devotees taking dip in the Ganga during the fair. As per the Hindu calendar, the event fell on two days this year -- January 31 and February 1.
On Sunday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra had inspected the arrangements. Authorities had expected one crore devotees to visit Sangam for the holy dip on Mauni Amavasya. That figure was surpassed.
For the third consecutive year, the event was held under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. Prayagraj in huge numbers. The authorities said the fair is being held amid strict observance of the Covid protocol and over 300 people were penalised for violating it.
The officials also said police teams had helped them manage the crowd and ensure smooth conduct of the rituals. To ensure rapid response in case of an accident during the holy bath, state disaster response personnel and divers were also deployed. The authorities said the area was being monitored using CCTV cameras and drones. Adequate parking arrangements were also made.
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