Walking hours and miles in search of Sangam

As crowd swells public transport, shuttle buses etc fall short; devotees face long waits and chaos ahead of Mauni Amavasya

As millions of devotees gather for Mauni Amavasya, they pose huge challenges for both attendees and authorities.

A large number of devotees are reaching Mahakumbh Nagar to take a holy dip at Sangam ahead of Mauni Amavasya, on Tuesday. (HT Photo)

Devotees are flocking to the Sangam for their holy dip, with many making stops at the Nagvasuki Temple for darshan, a crucial part of the ritual. However, the sheer number of pilgrims has led to long queues and overcrowding.

“We arrived from the railway station to the Mahakumbh Nagar and walked for over six hours but have not reached Triveni Sanagm, “ rued Dipesh Srivastav (59) who had travelled with his wife and brother from Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

“Many routes have been closed and no one is guiding us properly. We are tired and have no idea what to do.”

The crowded situation is compounded by a bottleneck at Triveni Marg, where pilgrims converge from 12 different routes before reaching the fair area. The space within the fairgrounds is crowded, and the administration has been using density standards to manage the flow.

“I have been walking for the last five hours from one direction to the other but have no idea about where I will take the holy dip. I am tired and the local officials are of no help,” said Pramod Kumar, who has come from Bikaner.

The total number of people arriving in the city, including sadhus, Kalpvasis, and pilgrims from neighbouring areas, has already exceeded one crore by Tuesday, a day before Mauni Amavasya.

The authorities had devised a zonal plan to manage the situation, directing devotees to return via the routes they came. However, the unexpectedly early surge in crowds forced the authorities to implement the plan hastily on Monday, halting traffic across most pontoon bridges.

On Monday, tensions escalated when the crowd, arriving from Varanasi and Jaunpur, pushed forward, broke through the barricades and clashed with the police. The SDM Sadar’s vehicle was vandalised, and the authorities were left scrambling to regain control.