Why do devotees coming to Magha Mela carry sticks in their hands?

The annual bathing festival- Magha Mela in Prayagraj attracts devotees from every corner of the country which also increases the chances of getting lost in the crowd. To avoid such instances, people often use traditional ways to stay close to their respective groups or families.

Prayagraj: Billed as the largest human gathering on Earth, Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad attracts millions of devotees from every corner of the world.

The annual bathing festival- Magha Mela also experience similar participation where devotees come to cleanse their sins by bathing in holy rivers.

The mention of such gatherings often lead to stories of people getting separated from their families.

To avoid such instances, people often use traditional ways to stay close to their respective groups or families.

They use a 'pataka' (flag) which can be easily remembered and identified, placed at the end of a wooden stick and is usually carried by the team leader.

If someone drifts away from the group then this identification helps in locating and guiding them to their cluster.

Some use tri-colour cloth, some use multi-colour cloth while some even make use of plastic water- bottle.

Mahendra Singh, a devotee from Kushinagar with a black- coloured shawl tied up at the end of a stick said that he leads his 30-member team and has been coming to Prayagraj every year since 2010.

Pointing to his self-made 'pataka' he said, "This is my identity and it helps me to gather everyone from my group."