Devotees flock to Varanasi and Kolkata's Gangasagar Mela on Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti marks the first day of the sun's transit into the Makara, marking the end of the month with the winter solstice and the start of longer days. To celebrate this festival, people from across India are flooding places of pilgrimage.

Kolkata: As the country celebrates the festival of Makar Sankranti today, lakhs and thousands of devotees flocked to the pilgrimage sites in Varanasi and Kolkata alike. In the holy town of Benaras in Uttar Pradesh, devotees took the holy dip in the river Ganga, while lakhs of pilgrims including Naga Sadhus flocked Babughat in Kolkata, Gangasagar transit camp, to take a holy dip in Gangasagar at the second largest fair in India.

To ensure that the tourists take the holy dip safely in Varanasi, the authorities set up bath kunds on floating jetties. Handicraft, ODOP, GI. Product stalls have been integrated with the tent city which will act as a sustainable economic platform for the local population.

Meanwhile, in the Gangasagar mela, the Naga Sadhus traveled thousands of kilometers to reach the mela on the auspicious eve of Makar Sankranti celebrated on January 14 every year. "Tomorrow we will go to Gangasagar and will take a dip in the river. I am staying here since December 25 and will return to Ujjain after taking the bath," a Naga Sadhu, hailing from Madhya Pradesh said. Babughat is a temporary hamlet, made for a short period of time for staying of devotees, visiting the Gangasagar fair in South 24 Parganas district.

Besides people, Naga Sadhus have been crossing into West Bengal for Gangasagar Mela from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu. "I have been coming here for 10 years and tomorrow will go to Gangasagar to take bath," Shiv Kailash Puri, Naga Sadhu from Jammu said.

Among all the pilgrimages, Gangasagar is the largest pilgrim in 'Sanatan Dharma' in India, and it has been talked about for ages," another Naga Sadhu, who is visiting the fair since 2003 said. Gangasagar Mela, the second largest fair after Kumbh Mela, is returning after two years of hiatus due to covid restrictions. Around 30 lakh pilgrims are expected at the mela and the government has made all the necessary preparations for the same. Though around 1100 CCTV cameras have been installed to ensure a smooth flow of events in the mela and to maintain security at the site, the government has not issued any guidelines to be followed during the mela.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while speaking to the press informed about the preparations for the Mela. She stated that three helipads had been inaugurated at Gangasagar and a Detail Report Project (DRP) is being prepared for Mourigram bridge as the Gangasagar journey is tough. She also mentioned that they will provide Rs 5 lakh insurance if any untoward incident takes place between January 8 to 17 in the mela as the holy dip is planned for January 14 to 15.

As reported earlier, the District Magistrate of South 24 Parganas told ANI that the administration is 'well prepared' for Gangasagar Mela. "Police, Navy, Disaster Management teams and Civil Defence Force have been in the line of duty to keep an eye on crowd management, as well as arrangements have been made to transport people in buses, vessels, etc.," he said, adding that arrangements have been made from transportation to boats, and vessels to cater for lakhs of devotees, visiting the fair crossing the ocean."

It is observed on the pious day of 'Makar Sankranti', a festival to mark the beginning of the harvesting season, the Gangasagar Mela witnesses many spiritual devotees every year who visit, especially to take a dip in the sacred waters of the river Ganga at Sagardwip, from where it finally merges into the Bay of Bengal.

Makar Sankranti is a festival in the Hindu calendar, in which devotees make offerings to the deity Surya. The day marks the first day of the sun's transit into the Makara, marking the end of the month with the winter solstice and the start of longer days. Makar Sankranti, which is one of the most auspicious times in the year that marks the transition of the Sun from Dakshinayan to Uttarayan.

Observed on January 14 every year, the festival is known by various names in different parts of the country such as Pongal, Bihu and Maghi. Devotees in several parts of the country performed rituals at different ghats. (With Agency Inputs)