Uttarakhand: Preceded By Questions And Apprehension, First 'Shahi Snan' At Haridwar Kumbh Went Off Smoothly

On Mahashivratri (11 March), Haridwar Mahakumbh's first Shahi Snaan saw the first holy dip being taken by the Panch Dashnam Juna Akhada. Over three million pilgrims are said to have taken the holy dip on the occasion of Mahashivratri.

The Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Avdeshanand Maharaj's chariot stirred emotion and hundreds of Naga sadhus walked towards their holy dip raising chants to Shiva.

The Congress had raised several doubts and had accused the Trivendra Singh Rawat government of inefficiency in Kumbh preparations.

The security set included 29 companies of Central Paramilitary Forces, the Indo Tibetan Border Police, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, and one company of National Security Guards.

The newly appointed chief minister of Uttarakhand, Tirath Singh Rawat, visited the Ganga ghats and met sadhus and sought their blessings for hosting Kumbh successfully. He met the sadhus of the Niranjani and Anand akhadas amid the festivities on Mahashivratri.

The mela grounds have been divided into zones and are marked by teams of teams of bomb disposal squads, sniffer dogs, National Disaster Relief Force, the State Disaster Relief Force and the Anti-Terrorist Squad. There is an all-women commando deployed at the Mahakumbh.

Brahmakund and the Har Ki Pauri became the central points to the much awaited occasion of the Shahi Snan, which saw the Kinnar Akhada, too, take the holy dip in the Haridwar Mahakumbh, and in Haridwar for the first time.

Juna Akhada's Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Avdeshanand is quoted as saying: “Mahakumbh is being held in a grand way and with the easing of further restrictions the next month, when notification of Mahakumbh will be issued, Kumbh will be in its full aura.”

Earlier, the Kinnar Akhada peshwai passed through Haridwar, marking their first ever participation in the Mahakumbh. The locals got a glimpse of the Kinnar Akhada and sought blessings from its members.

Kinnar Akhada's Mahamandaleshwar Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is quoted as saying: “It’s a historic moment. For the first time in Mahakumbh in Haridwar, transgender seers have been allowed to take bath during the most significant Shahi Snan. Today, on the pious festival of Mahashivratri from the holy banks of Ganga at Har-Ki-Pauri, a message of equality, religious harmony and spirituality has been sent out.”

The central and state governments have worked together towards the Mahakumbh.