MAHAKUMBH NAGAR: The Maha Kumbh, billed to be the world’s largest gathering, ended on Wednesday as it began 45 days ago – with lakhs of devotees surging towards the waters of the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, for a dip on the auspicious day of Shivratri.
The mega religious carnival wound to a close in a montage of images of the stampede that killed at least 30 people, the devout across every spectrum taking a dip in the belief it would cleanse their sins, huge crowds jostling not just at the Sangam but also stations and bus stands in north India and many a political slugfest over contested numbers and how clean the waters were.
According to the Uttar Pradesh government, 1.53 crore people took a holy dip till 8 pm on the last day on Wednesday. It said 66.3 crore people have visited Prayagraj since January 13, a number that exceeds the populations of all countries except China and India.