Maha Kumbh: Akharas asked to adhere to allotted bathing time on next 'Amrit Snan' on Jan 29

Mahakumbh Nagar (UP), Jan 20 (PTI) With the second 'Amrit Snan' of the Maha Kumbh on Mauni Amavasya next week expected to draw around 10 crore pilgrims, the 13 akharas participating in it have been asked to stick to their allotted bathing time in the Triveni Sangam here.

The Mauni Amavasya bathing ritual on January 29 is being considered special due to the belief that the auspicious planetary combinations on the day are occurring after 144 years.

In view of the significance of the bathing ritual on that day, the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the body that governs the 13 akharas or Hindu monastic orders of the Vaishnava or Shaiva traditions, has appealed to all the 13 akharas to adhere to the prescribed bathing time allotted to them.

"We have infact requested each akhara to try and vacate the ghat five minutes before their scheduled time," ABAP chief Mahant Ravindra Puri told PTI.

The appeal is significant as during the previous Amrit Snan on January 14, violation of time limit by at least one akhara had led to avoidable delays.

"We did observe stray delays in the previous Amrit Snan (on the occasion of Makar Sankranti). I would say that it was an internal fault as one of the akharas, which was supposed to leave the ghat at 7.05 am, moved out around 7.45 am. That had a spiral effect and delayed the bathing of the rest of the akhara seers. It was noticed that the delay then had occurred as the akhara procession didn't move as one cohesive unit. So effort has been taken to guard against a repeat of this," Puri said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who has been holding meetings ahead of Mauni Amavasya bathing ritual and was in Prayagraj to take stock of pilgrim arrangements on Sunday, said the pilgrim rush was expected to be more on January 29.

"It's true that the planetary combinations on the day are going to be the same as 144 years back and that is why (we are) aware of the significance of the event and for which we are expecting a devotee turnout of 8-10 crore people.So, we have already started making preparations in advance," he said during a recent interaction with senior journalists at his 5, Kalidas Marg residence in Lucknow.

"We have been taking care of the smallest of things. Lot of effort and planning has gone into organising the event of this scale. We have also been coordinating that all adhere to the prescribed time limit for smooth event flow," he had said.

Adityanath said instructions have also been issued to officials to coordinate with the railways to ensure timely operation of special Mahakumbh trains, emphasising the need for continuous operation of both regular and special trains, with increased frequency to accommodate the large number of devotees.

The length of the bathing ghat on the Ganga is about 12 km and both the government and the ABAP have appealed to the pilgrims to make use of the entire stretch for bathing.

"The length of ghats on the Ganga is about 12 km and the pilgrims should make use of the entire stretch rather than concentrate only at the point where the akhara seers take bath," ABAP chief said. PTI NAV MAN DV DV