The members of Akharas and millions of people coming from different parts of India and outside took a holy dip in the Sangam (confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna) in Prayagraj during the the Mahakumbh on Tuesday on the occasion of Makar Sankranti (January 14).
Shri Panchayati Akhara Mahanirvani and Shri Shambhu Panchayati Atal Akhara were the first ones to take the dip on Makar Sankranti.
The first dip is considered special in many ways. It took place a day after the first major ‘snan’ on Monday in the Sangam area on the occasion of ‘Paush Purnima’.
Thirteen Akharas of seers from different sects are participating in the Mahakumbh.
“This is the living form of our eternal culture and faith. Today on the auspicious occasion of the great festival of folk faith ‘Makar Sankranti’, congratulations to all the devotees who earned virtue by taking the first ‘Amrit Snan’ at the Triveni Sangam in Mahakumbh-2025, Prayagraj,” Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said in a post on X.
Chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’, ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Jai Ganga Maiyya’ could be heard as the devotees moved towards the bathing area in groups despite the freezing waters during the cold winter season.
The Akharas had received information about the dates of the ritual bath to be followed on the day.
The Mahakumbh Mela administration has issued an order about the date, order and time for bathing rituals of 13 Akharas of the Sanatan Dharma on Makar Sankranti and Basant Panchami, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement on Monday.
Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) president Mahant Ravindra Puri told PTI earlier that the said bathing of this Mahakumbh would begin at 5.30 am on Tuesday.
He also said the common terms such as ‘shahi snan’ and ‘peshwai’ associated with the Kumbh have been renamed.
Asked what prompted them to rechristening of ritualistic bathing, Mahant Puri, who is also the president of the Mansa Devi Temple Trust in Haridwar, said, “All of us speak words in Hindi and Urdu. It cannot happen that we do not speak any Urdu word.”
“But we thought that when it comes to our Gods, we should make efforts to have a name in Sanskrit language or have a ‘Sanatani’ name. Our intention is not to make it as Hindus versus Muslims,” he said.
“It is a divine coincidence that two ‘snaans’ in the Mahakumbh are on consecutive days. The major ‘snan’ of ‘Paush Purnima’ was on Monday while the Makar Sankranti is on Tuesday,” Ashutosh Varshney, the convener of Prayagraj-based Ram Naam Bank (an NGO), said.
“As a result of this, a large number of devotees, seers and commoners from different walks of life have already descended on the holy city of Prayagraj,” he said.
The present edition of the Kumbh is being held after 12 years, though seers claim the celestial permutations and combinations for the event are taking place after 144 years, making the occasion even more auspicious.
Link to article –
Mahakumbh 2025: Naga Sadhus take ‘Amrit Snan’ on Makar Sakranti as millions gather in Prayagraj
