Mahakumbh Snan Record: A major record has been set at the Mahakumbh. The number of people who have bathed in the Sangam has crossed 50 crore. The event, which is a 45-day affair, is still on its 33rd day, indicating that new records will continue to be set daily. Even on Friday, without any major festival, around one crore people had taken a dip by 6 pm.
The atmosphere at the fair is such that it resembles the major bathing festivals of the Magh month on ordinary days. People with bundles on their heads are walking miles from all directions towards the Sangam. On Friday, the situation was such that the mela and police administration had to implement a zonal plan several times to prevent overcrowding and ensure a smooth flow of devotees at the Sangam.
Despite it not being Makar Sankranti, Mouni Amavasya, or Basant Panchami, large crowds were still heading towards the Sangam on Friday. The reason behind this was likely the belief that many people considered it the day for the Trijata Snan, which is said to give the merit of a month-long ‘kalpvas’ upon taking a dip in the Sangam.
However, priests stated that the Trijata Snan actually falls on Saturday. By 8 am on Friday, the mela administration claimed that 18.2 lakh devotees had already bathed. Even though the ‘kalpvasis’ were continuously leaving the fair, only 2 lakh of them remained in the area on Friday.
By 6 pm on Friday, the number of devotees who had bathed in the Sangam crossed 92 lakh. To manage the crowd, the police had to create separate paths for the devotees using barricades.
Crowds Outnumber the Population of Many Countries
After the number of bathers crossed 50 crore, the government stated that only the populations of India and China are greater than the number of devotees who have participated in the Mahakumbh. People from countries like the USA, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Brazil have fewer people than those attending the Mahakumbh.
According to the US Census Bureau, the top 10 most populated countries are India (1.41 billion), China (1.40 billion), USA (342 million), Indonesia (283 million), Pakistan (257 million), Nigeria (242 million), Brazil (221 million), Bangladesh (170 million), Russia (140 million), and Mexico (131 million).
Before the Mahakumbh began, the government had estimated that 40 to 45 crore people would attend. On January 29, during the auspicious Mouni Amavasya, a record eight crore people bathed in the Mahakumbh in a single day. However, this led to a stampede at the Sangam, resulting in the deaths of 30 pilgrims and injuries to 60 others.
Friday’s Crowd Numbers:
- By 8 AM: 18.20 lakh
- By 10 AM: 40.02 lakh
- By 12 PM: 53.95 lakh
- By 2 PM: 73.19 lakh
- By 4 PM: 79.73 lakh
- By 6 PM: 92.84 lakh
