Devotees take dip in Ganga ahead of Mahakumbh 2025

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 11 (ANI): Devotees took a holy dip in the Ganga at Sangam Ghat ahead of the MahaKumbh 2025 scheduled to start in Prayagraj next week.
A thick layer of fog covered the city amid the cold conditions.
A devotee told ANI, "It feels great after taking a dip here in Prayagraj. We are not feeling cold. Our enthusiasm and belief is way more than the cold we are experiencing..."

Visuals showed tea vendors, mainly from western Uttar Pradesh, roaming about amid the cold conditions prevailing in the city.
Hemant Chauhan, a devotee from Shimla told ANI, "Temperature changes as the day progresses. It is usually cold in the morning and in the evening."

Raj Kumar from Madhya Pradesh told ANI, "There is indeed a blanket of fog. It is not as cold as it should have been."
Coming from Kolkata, Vishnu said, " It is alright (cold). Yogij Ji and Modi Ji did good work (put arrangements in place) for Mahakumbh."
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Police has deployed underwater drones and installed 2,700 AI-enabled cameras in and around the Maha Kumbh campsite area to enhance security.
A day earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, flagged off special shuttle buses of the Uttar Pradesh Transport Corporation as well as electric buses named 'Atal Seva' on the second day of his tour to Prayagraj.
The Maha Kumbh is being celebrated after 12 years, and over 45 crore devotees are expected for the event.
During the Maha Kumbh, devotees will gather at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati (now extinct), to take a holy dip. The Maha Kumbh will conclude on February 26.
The main bathing rituals (Shahi Snan) of the Kumbh will take place on January 14 (Makar Sankranti), January 29 (Mauni Amavasya), and February 3 (Basant Panchami). (ANI)