West Bengal govt estimates over three lakhs devotees attended Gangasagar Mela

As per the estimates of the West Bengal administration, over three lakh devotees attended the Gangasagar Mela to take the holy dip in the river Ganga on Saturday on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. The celebrations were restricted across the country in the wake of third wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

Gangasagar: The West Bengal government on Saturday estimated that over 3 lakh devotees assembled at Sagar Island on the occasion of Makara Sankranti. The devotees gathered at the banks of the confluence of river Ganges at Sagar Islands in South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal ignoring the cloudy skies on this foggy winter morning just to have the holy dip. Makar Sankranti is celebrated throughout the country but the celebration is restricted in the wake of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But at Sagar Island, lakhs of devotees flocked to take the holy bath during Makar Sankranti on Saturday. The river bed were as crowded on both Friday and Saturday. The scenic beauty of the early morning Ganges along with devotees standing in the cold water with folded hands praying to the Sun god. Following the order of the Calcutta High Court, the administration had imposed a lot of restrictions. The police personnel are extra vigilant.

The boats of the Coast Guard are on high alert and is closely monitoring the Sagar Island. Drones were used for aerial monitoring by the vigilance team. The Gangasagar Mela 2022 has concluded without any major incident but with the apprehension of a forthcoming super-spreader following the assembly of lakhs of people on the occasion.

Sanitisation tunnels were installed at the entry point of the Mela ground. The police had been constantly cautioning the people through microphones to follow the COVID-19 protocols. A number of members of the state cabinet had been there to supervise the arrangements for preventing Covid. After the inauguration of the Gangasagar Mela, there were not many people on the Mela ground but crowds started pouring in from Friday. Ignoring the drizzle of rain, lakhs of devotees chanted "Kapil Muni Ki jai, Ganga Maia Ki Jai".

Devotees arriving from different states of the country as well as from abroad came to Sagar Islands at this time to take the holy dip. After taking the holy dip the pilgrims offered Puja at the Kapil Muni temple. As per the estimates of the state administration over three lakhs of pilgrims assembled at Sagar Islands on the occasion, a state government official stated.