Mahakumbh pilgrim count crosses 40 crore: Govt
94.07 lakh take holy dip on Friday; 19 days remain for mega event to end with Maha Shivratri snan on Feb 26
HT Correspondent
letters@hindustantimes.com
The total number of devotees having bathed at the Sangam since the beginning of the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj on January 13 reached 40.68 crore (406.8 millon) on Friday (till 8pm), according to government claims. The number included 94.07 lakh who bathed on Friday itself.
Earlier, by 8pm on Thursday, the count reached 39.74 crore (397.4 million). As many as 67.20 lakh (6.72 million) pilgrims took a holy dip on Thursday alone.
By 10am on February 7, an additional 42.07 lakh devotees had taken a dip in the holy waters. By noon, the count of bathers on the day increased to 47 lakh on Friday followed by 78.78 lakh at 4pm and reached 94.07 lakh, according to official data.
Nineteen days remain for the end of the Mahakumbh on Maha Shivratri on February 26. By then, the total pilgrim count could cross 50 crore (500 million), according to government claims.
The Mahakumbh has witnessed three Amrit Snans (Makar Sankranti on January 14, Mauni Amavasya on January 29 and Basant Panchami on February 3).
An analysis of official data reveals that Mauni Amavasya saw the highest turnout of eight crore (80 million) devotees taking a holy dip. On Makar Sankranti, 3.5 crore devotees participated in the Amrit Snan. Additionally, on February 1 and January 30, more than two crore pilgrims took the sacred dip each day. Paush Purnima witnessed 1.7 crore bathers, while Basant Panchami recorded 2.57 crore devotees bathing at the Sangam.
Several political leaders, celebrities, and spiritual figures also took part in the Mahakumbh. They included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath along with his cabinet ministers. Other notable political figures include Uttar Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel, Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, Manipur CM N. Biren Singh, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, and Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Shripad Naik. Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan, BJP Rajya Sabha member Sudhanshu Trivedi and former Azamgarh MP Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua also attended the Mahakumbh.
Opposition leaders who participated in the Mahakumbh included Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav and Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh assembly Mata Prasad Pandey.
Actor and three-time Mathura MP Hema Malini, besides Anupam Kher, Bhagyashree, Milind Soman, Olympic medalist Saina Nehwal, cricketer Suresh Raina, international wrestler Khali, and choreographer Remo D’Souza have also been part of the Mahakumbh. Additionally, poet Kumar Vishwas, Mamta Kulkarni, and actress Isha Gupta have taken the holy dip.
Other dignitaries who bathed in the sacred waters include Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murthy, Assam assembly speaker Biswajit Daimary and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.
President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to visit Prayagraj on February 10 to participate in the sacred ritual at the Triveni Sangam.