Chimes of cymbals, holy chants and kaleidoscopic colours of India fused into each other at the Triveni Sangam, as pilgrims from various parts of the country converged at the holy confluence site on Mahashivratri to take a dip on the last day of the Maha Kumbh here.
Maha Kumbh, the spectacle that takes place once in 12 years, began on January 13 (Paush Purnima) and saw grand processions of Naga Sadhus and three 'Amrit Snans'. The mega religious gathering has drawn a record over 64 crore pilgrims so far.
Being the last auspicious 'snan' of the Maha Kumbh, a large number of devotees had begun to gather on the banks of the Sangam from close to midnight, and while some camped and waited patiently to take the dip at 'Brahma Muhurt', scores of them performed the bathing rituals much before the appointed time.
Among them were four friends from West Bengal's Siliguri, who wore matching bright yellow dhoti before heading to the ghat for the bathing ritual.
Akash Pal, who works at an MNC, Abhijeet Chakraborty, a content writer, Raja Sonwani, who works on pharmaceutical sector, and Abhishek Pal, a lawyer, have diverse careers, but united in their desire to celebrate the festival of "Mahashivratri at the Maha Kumbh"
"We are friends and we travelled from West Bengal to Prayagraj in a car and then from the point where a vehicle was not allowed, we walked to reach the Sangam. It feels amazing to be part of this spectacular gathering and more so on this auspicious day," Akash Pal told PTI.
All four of them carries a saffron colour container to collect Ganga Jal back home.
Pilgrims from West Bengal had also come from places like Durgapur and Cooch Behar.
Also, chants of 'Jai Ganga Maiyya', 'Har Har Mahadev', 'Sita Ram' filled the air, complemented with sweet chimes of cymbals played by many devotees.
Billed as the world's largest spiritual gathering on earth, the mega religious festival on its last day attracted pilgrims not only from all four corners of the country, but also from neighbouring Nepal.
Four teenagers from Nepal, along with three other members, took the holy dip to celebrate Mahashivratri.
Manish Mandal, Rabbj Mandal, Arjun Mandal and Dipak Sahni and his uncle Domi Sahni wore matching Lord Shiva themed tunics while the three youths also sported a "gamcha' bearing 'Mahakal' on it.
"We are from Janakpur in Nepal, a place associated with Mata Sita. Our city is famous for Janaki Temple too. And, after the holy dip, we will be going to Ayodhya for darshan of Lord Ram," Sahni told PTI.
The members of the group from Nepal travelled first to Jayanagar from their home town and then a train of Indian Railways to reach Prayagraj.
"From Ayodhya again, we will go back to Jayanagar and then to Janakpur, after having seen both Kumbh and Ayodhya," Sahni said.
Many pilgrims also said they were drawn to this Kumbh Mela because of the "144 factor", a claim made by certain quarters that this mega religious festival is taking place at a time of some rare planetary alignment.
Pilgrims also came from Karnataka, Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, covering literally the length and breadth of the country.
As pilgrims milled around and took the holy dip at various ghats at or near the confluence site, security personnel kept a vigilant eye, not allowing crowding at any place for long duration, as they sought to manage the sea of pilgrims pouring into the mela grounds.
Huge gateways have been built at the Maha Kumbh Mela area, such as Nandi Dwar and Sangam Dear.
The top of the Sangam Dwar near the confluence site, carries an image each of Maa Ganga, Maa Yamuna and Maa Saraswati.
Several pilgrims while walking on way to the Sangam stopped by briefly to take a picture with this gateway.
Many devotees came to the Mela wearing saffron clothes while several others chanted the name of Lord Shiva and raised their hands in air.
Mahashivratri commemorates the divine union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and holds special significance in the context of the Kumbh Mela.
According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva played a crucial role in the Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean), which led to the emergence of the Amrit Kumbh (nectar pitcher), the very essence of the Kumbh Mela.
The day draws large crowds of devotees to the sacred confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati, considered holy by Hindus.
A total of 1.33 crore devotees immersed themselves at the Sangam and other ghats in the Mela area on Tuesday, pushing the overall footfall during the Maha Kumbh 2025 to more than 64 crore, according to the Uttar Pradesh government.
