President Ram Nath Kovind offered prayers at the Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on Thursday, 17 January.

After a spectacular opening on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, the energy of the ongoing Kumbh Mela remains high. Traditional akharas, five-star tents, and high-tech lost-and-found centres have been set up for the mela.

The 49-day-long mega event commenced on 15 January and will conclude on 4 March. This year, the ‘Ardh Kumbh Mela’ is being held after six years.

UP Finance Minister Rajesh Aggarwal said roughly Rs 2,800 crore has been earmarked for the Kumbh Mela
More than 140 million pilgrims and tourists are expected to attend the mela this year
Representatives from 192 countries are slated to attend the mega event
The grand event will also be held in Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, apart from Prayagraj
President Kovind Offers Prayers

President Ram Nath Kovind offered prayers at the Kumbh Mela on Thursday, 17 January, on the third day of the event. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath and Governor Ram Naik were also present at the venue.

Rlys to Make Announcements in 6 Languages, More to Be Added Soon

The railways has started public announcements for Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj in six languages to benefit the non-Hindi speaking passengers which is likely to continue beyond 4 March when the mela ends, a senior railway official told on 16 January.

The system, which runs on software specially designed for this purpose, auto-records an announcement, which is then translated by the specially developed software in six languages: English, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannad, Tamil, Malayalam.

“We realized very early in our preparations for the Kumbh Mela that we would be needing such a multilingual announcement system at the actual time when the Mela would be in progress” said North Central Railway (NCR) spokesperson Gaurav Krishna Bansal.

2.25 Crore Devotees Attend Kumbh’s ‘Shahi Snan’, Says UP CM

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday, 15 January, said 2.25 crore devotees attended the first ‘shahi snan’ of Kumbh in Prayagraj on Makar Sankranti.

“About 2.25 crore persons attended the first ‘shahi snan’ in Prayagraj which is a record. I thank all the visitors, religious leaders, common man and officials for the smooth conduct of the mega event,” the CM said in a statement issued here on Tuesday.

He said the state government was committed to providing best facilities in the ongoing ‘Kumbh’ festivities.

Ganga in Kumbh Mela Brims at All Time High

The Kumbh-2019 is being organised at a time when the volume of water of Ganga is at its highest in the last decade, The Times of India reported.

The level of Ganga at Phaphamau, which is the entry point of the Mela ground, was recorded as 77 metre on 14 January, the daily reported citing data provided by the Central Water Commission (middle Ganga-Yamuna sub-division). This level of water stood at 76 metres during the mahakumbh in 2013.

Similarly, the level at the venue’s exit point at Chatnag was recorded as 71.95 metre compared to 71.6 metre in 2013.

Over 16 Lakh Take Holy Dip at Kumbh on Makar Sankranti

More than 16 lakh devotees took a holy dip at the Sangam on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti marking the onset of the Kumbh Mela.

“We were expecting about 10 lakh to come for the dip in the first half of the day, but the numbers have already crossed 16 lakh by 2 pm,” an official told IANS.

The Akharas that went for the Shahi Snan so far are Maha Nirvani, Atal, Niranjani, Anand, Juna, Avahan, Panchagni, Nirvani Ani, Digambar Ani, Nirmohi Ani and Naya Udaseen. The Akhras that are still awaiting are Bada Udaseen and Nirmala.

Soon after midnight, throngs of devotees who have gathered here for the fair from within the country and abroad began proceeding towards the bathing ghats.

UP Min Claims Kumbh Being Held in ‘Prayagraj’ After 350 years

A UP Cabinet minister claimed that the religious congregation being held in Prayagraj is taking place after 350 years as the holy city was renamed Allahabad in the past.

Religious Affairs Minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary told PTI that it’s perhaps for the first time since Independence that proper arrangements (of milk, ghee, food, blankets and firewood) have been made for the seers, ashrams and akharas.

“Nearly 350 years ago, the name of Prayagraj – considered a prominent centre of Hindu culture and Sanatan Dharma was changed to Allahabad. However, last year, under the leadership of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, it was decided that Allahabad should be renamed as Prayagraj, as mentioned in ancient Indian texts including the Vedas.

On 16 October, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet had approved a proposal to rename the historic city of Allahabad as Prayagraj.

Visible Push for Ram Mandir at Kumbh Mela

A slew of hoardings welcoming devotees to the Kumbh Mela in this historic city of Uttar Pradesh call for the construction of a grand Ram temple at the disputed Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya.

Thousands of saints who have descended here from across the country are also making a strong pitch for a grand Ram temple.

In their conversations with devotees, as well as in their open addresses, they were heard calling for the intervention of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre.

Courtesy by : Daily Hunt