Undeterred by challenges, lakhs of devotees thronging the Maha Kumbh for a holy dip at the Sangam are now heading towards Kashi and Ayodhya, officials said.
According to government data, an average of 1.44 crore people are taking a holy bath at the Maha Kumbh every day.
Dr Sushma, who arrived in Prayagraj from Ranchi with her son on Monday, told , “After taking a dip in the Sangam and visiting the fair, we will head to Kashi for Lord Shiva’s darshan and later proceed to Ayodhya.”
Similarly, 74-year-old Ketari Devi from Ara, Bihar, said, “We saw on TV and mobile that this Maha Kumbh is happening after 144 years. After taking a holy dip, we will visit Kashi. Despite the huge crowd, we hope that we will get his darshan.”
Nishant Abhishek, who travelled from Mumbai, added, “We’ve heard that apart from Prayagraj, Kashi and Ayodhya are also witnessing heavy crowds. But this is a rare opportunity to visit all the three places during Maha Kumbh. We will also go to Ayodhya.”
ACP (Traffic) Shailendra Singh said that a significant number of devotees are heading towards Varanasi and Ayodhya after their visit to the Maha Kumbh. ADCP (Traffic) Kuldeep Singh said that compared to the 2019 Kumbh, the crowd this time is much larger even on regular days, leading to frequent traffic congestion.
Due to the heavy rush outside the Prayagraj railway station, the Northern Railway’s Lucknow division has temporarily closed it for passenger movement from 1:30 pm on February 9 to midnight on February 14, an official statement said.
However, eight other railway stations in the Maha Kumbh area continue to operate regular and special trains.
As per government figures, over 44 crore devotees have taken a dip at the Triveni Sangam till February 9. On February 10, by 10 am, over 63 lakh devotees had performed the ritual bath.
On key bathing days, the footfall has been record-breaking. On January 13 (Paush Purnima), it was 1.70 crore while on January 14 (Makar Sankranti) it was 3.50 crore, and 7.64 crore (highest so far) took dip in the Sangam on Mauni Amavasya.
With an average of 1.44 crore people taking a dip daily, authorities are managing an unprecedented surge of pilgrims in the holy city.
In Varanasi, a large number of devotees returning from the Maha Kumbh are arriving to visit the Kashi Vishwanath temple, leading to massive crowds across the city.
Due to the heavy rush, authorities have imposed restrictions on the movement of four-wheelers in several areas, and vehicles from outside the city are being halted at designated parking zones on the outskirts, officials said.
District and police officials are conducting regular patrols, while CCTV cameras and drones are being used to monitor sensitive and crowded areas, said DCP (Kashi Zone) Gaurav Banswal.
Multiple ‘rain baseras’ (temporary shelters) have been set up across the city for visiting pilgrims, he added.
DCP (Varuna Zone) Chandrakant Meena said that traffic diversions have been implemented at key locations to manage congestion.
External vehicles are being stopped outside the city, with parking facilities arranged on all major routes leading to Varanasi.
The Kashi Vishwanath temple administration has deployed additional staff to manage the surge of devotees.
Special arrangements for healthcare and queue management have been made to ensure a smooth darshan experience, officials said.
According to temple authorities, around four to six lakh devotees are visiting the Kashi Vishwanath temple daily amid the ongoing rush.
In Ayodhya also, the streets leading to the Lord Ram temple and Hanumangarhi are packed. Officials are managing the crowd and restrictions have been imposed on traffic movement in the city.