Divisional Commissioner Saumya Agarwal said the first auspicious bathing ritual of Paush Purnima was conducted smoothly and praised the arrangements made by the administration on Sunday.
According to the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's Office, in Varanasi, 1 million devotees have so far taken a dip in the Ganges at various ghats. In Ayodhya, 550,000 devotees, and in Mathura, 250,000 devotees have taken the holy bath.
The Mahamandaleshwar also urged devotees to help maintain cleanliness in the Sangam area, emphasising pilgrims' collective responsibility to preserve the sanctity of the holy confluence.
The Magh Mela of Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), which takes place at the divine Triveni Sangam, the place of confluence of the sacred rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and the legendary Saraswati, is one of the largest pilgrimages in India.
In Ayodhya, pilgrims gathered in huge numbers at the banks of the Sarayu River from early morning to perform the sacred bath, chanting hymns and offering prayers.
Punjab's Amritsar also saw large gatherings as devotees offered prayers and witnessed the traditional 'Prabhat Pheri' at the Shri Harmandir Sahib on the first day of the year.
Ayodhya witnessed a sea of devotees on Wednesday as the holy city marked the second anniversary of the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.
Speaking to ANI, Bali said, "This is the land of Guru Sahib. Guru Ramdas Sahib established this city, so it should be said with reverence that we should appreciate that what the governments of the Panth couldn't do, we have done, and these people are with us," he said.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, accompanied by his wife Dr. Gurpreet Kaur, arrived at Sri Fatehgarh Sahib early Thursday morning to pay obeisance at the historic Gurdwara.
With the annual Shaheedi Sabha to commemorate the martyrdom of Chhote Sahibzadas commenced at Fatehgarh Sahib, Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Thursday paid obeisance at the holy place and personally reviewed the multi-layered security and traffic management plan t
The devotees braved the cold wave to take a holy dip in the Ganga River in Varanasi, where the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast a minimum temperature of 10°C. On Thursday morning, the city recorded an overall air quality in the 'moderate' category, with an AQI ranging be