Durg/Dhamtari/Kawardha/Manendragarh Chirmiri Bharatpur: Nearly 18,500 inmates across Chhattisgarh on Tuesday took a holy bath with water from the Sangam in Prayagraj where the Maha Kumbh is underway, an official said here.
The "punya snan" was held in a special 'kund' (tank) set up in 33 prisons — five central jails, 20 district jails and eight sub-jails, SS Tigga, deputy inspector general (Prison), said. The "sacred water" from Prayagraj was mixed with regular water in the tanks. Videos from jails in Durg, Bilaspur, Surguja and Kabirdham districts showed 'snan kunds' decorated with flowers and prayers being offered ahead of the bath.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who also holds charge of the Home portfolio, brought the holy water from Prayagraj which was distributed to the prisons, Tigga said.
There was a lot of excitement among prisoners who chanted "Har Har Gange" and expressed happiness over the arrangement, he added.
"We are fortunate to get the opportunity to take a holy bath with water from the Ganges. We never thought we would get such a chance in our life, which became possible with the initiative of the government and the jail administration," Ghasiram Yadav, an inmate at the Raipur Central Jail, said.
An official of Dhamtari district jail said all 239 prisoners took a holy bath. "The purpose was to make prisoners feel spiritual purification and improve their mental health. Gangajal (water of the Ganges) is considered sacred and a symbol of purification in Indian culture," he added.
The jail administration believes that a bath with the Gangajal will bring mental peace to inmates, boost them spiritually and inspire them to bring about self-transformation, adopt positive thinking and live a better life by joining the mainstream, he further said.
With the help of the jail administration, 358 prisoners in Rajnandgaon also took a bath with the chants in praise of the Ganges.
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