A sea of people, some drawn from abroad, braving the sultry weather flooded the banks of Kshipra river on Saturday for the ongoing third and last ‘shahi snan’ (royal bath) of the Simhastha-Kumbh Mela, marking the end of the month-long festival.
The snan began in the wee hours with Naga and other sadhus of various akharas venturing into the holy Kshipra chanting “Har Har Mahadev”.
The third royal bath has become all the more important as it coincides with Buddh Purnima (full moon day), said priest Ishwar Sharma.
The third royal bath has become all the more important as it coincides with Buddh Purnima (full moon day), said priest Ishwar Sharma.
Madhya Pradesh Transport Minister, Bhupendra Singh claimed that a total of 7.5 crore people have taken part in the mela (till noon) which turned out to be a “Mahakumbh”, terming it a “big success”.
Ram ghat has been decked up for the holy dip where the Naga sadhus of Juna, Agni, Aahvan and Vaishnav akharas along with their Heads took dip carrying their flags, deities and traditional symbols since 3 AM.
The Minister also informed that there was no pollution in the river and maintained that good hygiene condition prevailed at ghats and also in Ujjain city. He said during the month-long mela, nearly 10,000 foreigners visited Ujjain.