WB-SANKRANTI-DIP

18 lakh pilgrims take holy dip at Ganga Sagar on Makar
Sankranti
    Sagar Island (WB), Jan 15 (PTI) Around 18 lakh
pilgrims from different parts of the country, and neighbouring
Bangladesh and Nepal took holy dip at the confluence of the
sacred Ganga and the Bay of Bengal here on the occasion of
Makar Sankranti on Wednesday.
    Over 30 lakh people have gathered here for the
pilgrimage, breaking all previous records, a senior official
of the state government said.
    "Till 8 am, around 18 lakh people have taken dips in
the holy waters. Several lakhs are waiting," he said.
    Every year on Makar Sankranti, lakhs of Hindus flock
the Sagar Island in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district
to take the holy dip and offer prayers at the Kapil Muni
temple.
    "Last year, we had a record number of 20 lakh pilgrims
visiting the island. This year, that record has been broken as
we have witnessed over 30 lakh pilgrims arriving. It was
peaceful and the pilgrims have also appreciated our
arrangements," the official said.
    Security has been beefed up in the island, around 100
km from Kolkata, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is
monitoring the situation, officials said.
    Besides deploying senior officers, around 10,000
police personnel and civic volunteers have been posted for the
gathering -- the Ganga Sagar Mela.
    Security officials are also keeping a watch on the
waters and patrolling is being done, they said.
    Drones and around 1,000 CCTV cameras are being used.
Several watch towers have also been set up.
    The state government, for the first time this year, is
using an air ambulance at the Sagar Island.
    Pilgrims also took dips at several ghats in other
parts of West Bengal, including Kolkata and Howrah.
    Amid tight security, thousands of people took holy
dips at Babughat, Doi ghat, Baje Kadamtala ghat, Saradamani
ghat, Ratanbabur ghat, Bagbazar ghat and Kumartuli ghat, all
on the banks of the Hooghly river in Kolkata, officials said.
    The picture was similar on the other bank of the river
in Howrah where many took dips at Telkal ghat, Shibpur ghat
and Ramkrishnapur ghat, they said.
    In the districts as well, thousands of people took
dips at sunrise in different rivers and waterbodies.
    Makar Sankranti marks the end of the month with the
winter solstice and the start of longer days.
    It is known by various names in different parts of the
country and in West Bengal it is celebrated as Poush
Sankranti, after the Bengali month Poush.
    Hindus believe that taking dip at the Ganga Sagar, the
confluence of the sacred river and the sea, will help one
achieve "moksha" or salvation. PTI SCH
SOM SOM

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)