Prayagraj: Lakhs Of Devotees Brave Cold Weather To Take Holy Dip In Ganga On Basant Panchami

Braving the cold and the coronavirus pandemic, around 4.5 lakh devotees bathed in the icy waters of the Ganga river and at Sangam in Prayagraj till 10 am on Saturday on the occasion of Basant Panchami, the fourth major bathing festival of the ongoing Magh Mela.

Officials said devotees started thronging the river banks in the early hours of the day and a lot more are expected to come for a holy dip during the day.

An official said that in view of the large number of devotees turning up for a holy dip on Basant Panchami, eight new lost and found centres have been set up in the fair area.

The Magh Mela began on January 14 amid the latest wave of the coronavirus pandemic driven by its Omicron variant.

Often at such large gatherings, coronavirus norms, including wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing, go for a toss.

As on Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh had recorded 20,29,216 coronavirus cases and 23,254 deaths due to the infection, according to official data.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)