Hardeep Singh Puri visits Mahakumbh on his birthday

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 15 (ANI): Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday visited the ongoing Mahakumbh in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj accompanied with his wife Lakshmi Puri, former UN Assistant Secretary-General, and took a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam, on the occasion of his birthday.
"We feel very fortunate that we got the opportunity to take the holy dip here... I thank PM Modi and Chief Minister Yogi, who have made such good arrangements..." Puri told reporters.
Both husband and wife lauded the arrangements made by the Uttar Prdesh administration for the Mahakumbh.
"The experience was amazing...We took the blessings of Ganga Ji, Yamuna Ji and Saraswati Ji...The arrangements are very good...We feel blessed after taking the holy dip," Lakshmi Puri said.
"The divinity and grandeur of the world's largest religious and cultural gathering, the Mahakumbh of faith, devotion and spirituality, pervaded every pore. Till now, more than 50 crore devotees have taken a dip in the holy Sangam. 'Mahakumbh', a wonderful and living symbol of India's rich cultural heritage, gives the message of unity and spirituality to the entire human society. May the blessings of Mother Ganga remain upon everyone," Puri posted on X.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan earlier today visited the ongoing Mahakumbh with his family and took a holy dip at Triveni Sangam, the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers. He praised the Uttar Pradesh administration for efficiently managing the grand event.
"I have come here with full devotion to my family... We wanted to come here for a long time... I pray to god to bless everyone... The arrangements have been amazing despite the scale of the event," Paswan told ANI.
Many pilgrims visit the 2025 Mahakumbh Mela to take a holy dip in the sacred Sangam. Over 9.21 million devotees took a dip in the Sangam till 2 PM, as per the data released by the Uttar Pradesh government.
According to the data, nearly 9.02 million people visited the Mahakumbh today, and over 200,000 Kalpwasis remain at the banks of the sacred rivers.
More than 501 million people have taken holy dips in the Sangam as of February 14.
Over 2.79 lakh passengers boarded trains from Prayagraj railway station by 6 am on Saturday, as the Mahakumbh continued to draw massive crowds, according to Indian Railways.
On Friday (February 14), over 10.47 lakh passengers travelled on 328 trains from Prayagraj.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal described his visit to the ongoing Mahakumbh in Prayagraj as an emotional moment for him. Speaking to ANI, he said that the world's largest religious gathering exemplifies India's collective spirit. (ANI)