Stampede at Kumbh: Akharas resume ‘Amrit snan’

Mahakumbh Nagar (UP), Jan 29 (PTI) Amrit snan, the traditional bathing ritual of akharas that was deferred due to the stampede at Maha Kumbh, resumed Wednesday afternoon.

Led by Mahant Ravindra Puri, head of the Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad, the procession of akharas made its way on foot towards the Sangam for the snan.

The procession, notably less grand than usual, began around 2:30 PM.

“All saints, seers and nagas took holy dip on the occasion. I congratulate Chief Minister (Yogi Adityanath) and the administration for making such arrangements,” said Puri.

On the stampede, he added “It’s a conspiracy by the opposition. This must be investigated.”

“It will be written in golden words that the country’s saint stands with Indian Sanatan cultures… I prayed to God for peace and prosperity to Sanatan Dharma followers…” Niranjani Akhara chief Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Kailashanand Giriji Maharaj told PTI Videos.

Helicopter showered flower petals on seers as they headed towards the Sangam.

Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj said, “All the three Shankaracharyas of the country are going to take a holy bath here today. The incident that happened late last night is unfortunate and everyone is sad but we should be cautious so that no such incident happens in future. I appeal to the devotees to be patient and take a holy bath anywhere in the Kumbh area. There is no particular place where devotees gather to take a dip.”

Sringeri Peethadheeshwar Jagatguru Swami Vidushekar Bharati said, “On this sacred occasion of Mauni Amavasya, we have come here to take a holy dip in Triveni Sangam. This is the largest spiritual gathering in the world, with around 40-50 crore devotees expected to take the holy dip.”

The Amrit snan was originally scheduled in the early hours of the day but was postponed following the stampede.

Multiple people were killed and many injured in the stampede at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh early Wednesday as crores of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said a consensus was reached with the akharas that they would take the holy dip only after the crowd pressure decreased at the ghats.

According to tradition, akharas belonging to the three sects ‘Sanyasi, Bairagi, and Udaseen’ take the holy dip in a set sequence following a majestic, awe-inspiring procession to the Sangam Ghat.

Meanwhile, the situation at other ghats was normal by afternoon with pilgrims going in for a dip and coming out quickly.

Manu, who works as a doctor in Colchester in the UK, flew down especially for the once-in-a-144-year Mauni Amavasya and said she was impressed by the arrangements.

Accompanied by her sister from Shimla and friends from Gurugram, Manu took a dip at one of ghats along the Ganges, some distance from the Sangam where the stampede broke out earlier in the day.

“I am impressed with facilities at Kumbh but concerned about behaviour of common citizen who expects a lot but doesn’t believe in behaving properly towards their own duty towards other citizens,” Manu told PTI.

Brothers Rama and Krishna Pandey, both local residents, found it tough to go to Sangam.

“We had a dip a ghat near Pontoon bridge 13 and it was smooth. We came back in just 10 minutes,” Rama told PTI.