Akhadas’ bathing time shifted from 5 am to 4 am to manage crowd surge
As per the amended schedule of bathing decided by the mela administration in tune with the senior sadhus of the Akhadas, this time Mahanirvani and Atal Akhadas will leave their camps for the bathing ghats at 4:00 am
In light of the unprecedented crowd of pilgrims expected on Mauni Amavasya in Prayagraj, the mela administration has advanced the bathing time of the Akhadas by an hour to 4:00 am for the second Amrit Snan, the biggest bathing festival of the 45-day Mahakumbh-2025, scheduled for Wednesday.
On Makar Sankranti, the second bathing festival and the first Amrit Snan of the fair, the bathing by the Sadhus of the Akhadas had started at 6:15 am, allowing a large number of devotees to come to the Sangam ghat, creating complications.
As a result, this time the Prayagraj Mela Authority has amended the bathing time of the monastic orders, making it an hour earlier so that the sadhus of the Akhadas take bath first and smoothly, even as the crowd remains under control in the initial hours, informed DM of Kumbh Nagar (Mela Adhikari) Vijay Kiran Anand.
“We are expecting around 10 crore devotees in the fair area on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, an occasion when thousands of sadhus of all 13 Akhadas will take Amrit Snan. All arrangements have been made to ensure that the mega event passes off smoothly. The safety of every devotee is our biggest responsibility. Along with this, the cleanliness of the fair is also being specially catered to,” he added.
As per the amended schedule of bathing decided by the mela administration in tune with the senior sadhus of the Akhadas, this time Mahanirvani and Atal Akhadas will leave their camps for the bathing ghats at 4:00 am itself and complete the bathing by 5:40 am instead of leaving the camp at 5:15 am as they did on Makar Sankranti on January 14.
“Preparations for the second Amrit Snan are in full swing in the Akhadas, and the rituals will kick-start for the sadhus, including Naga ascetics, in the night itself as they prepare themselves for the great occasion,” said Sri Mahant Ravindra Puri, president of Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad (ABAP), the top decision-making body of the recognised ancient Hindu monastic orders.
Bathing order of Nirvani Ani and Nirmohi Ani Akhadas changed
This time the bathing order in Digambar Akhadas has also been changed. On Makar Sankranti, Nirmohi Akhada was the first to reach the bathing ghat among the Digambar Akhadas, and Nirvani Ani Akhada was the last. This time Nirvani Ani has been given the earliest time, while Nirmohi Ani will be the last to bathe.
Akhadas to complete bathing by 3:00 pm
Sadhus of all Akhadas, who arrive at the bathing ghats in royal processions with full pomp and show, will complete their bathing by 3:00 pm. Common devotees will directly benefit from this, and once the sadhus move out, they will also get the opportunity to take a dip at Sangam.