Maha Kumbh: Akharas take ‘Amrit Snan’ on Makar Sankranti

The Akharas took ‘Amrit Snan’ of the Maha Kumbh Mela on Tuesday on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Shri Panchayati Akhara Mahanirvani and Shri Shambhu Panchayati Atal Akhara were the first ones to take 'Amrit Snan' on Makar Sankranti.

The first 'Amrit Snan' is special in many ways. It took place a day after the first major 'snan' on Monday in the Sangam area on the occasion of 'Paush Purnima'.

Thirteen Akharas of seers from different sects are participating in the Maha Kumbh.

Chants of 'Har Har Mahadev', 'Jai Shri Ram', and 'Jai Ganga Maiyya' chants could be heard as the devotees moved towards the bathing area in groups despite the freezing waters during the cold winter season.

The Akharas had received information about the dates of 'Amrit Snan' and their bathing order.

The Maha Kumbh Mela administration has issued an order about the date, order and time for 'Amrit Snan' of 13 Akharas of the Sanatan Dharma on Makar Sankranti and Basant Panchami, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement on Monday.

Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) president Mahant Ravindra Puri told PTI earlier that the first 'Amrit Snan' of this Maha Kumbh would begin at 5.30 am on Tuesday.

He also said the common terms such as 'shahi snan' and 'peshwai' associated with the Kumbh have been changed to 'Amrit Snan' and 'Chhavni Pravesh' respectively.

Asked what prompted them to coin the terminologies, Mahant Puri, who is also the president of the Mansa Devi Temple Trust in Haridwar, said, "All of us speak words in Hindi and Urdu. It cannot happen that we do not speak any Urdu word."

"But we thought that when it comes to our Gods, we should make efforts to have a name in Sanskrit language or have a 'Sanatani' name. Our intention is not to make it as Hindus versus Muslims," he added.

This 'Amrit Snan' will be the first such snaan after the grand Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, according to Ashutosh Varshney, the convener of Prayagraj-based Ram Naam Bank (an NGO).

"It is a divine coincidence that two 'snaans' in the Maha Kumbh are on consecutive days. The major 'snan' of 'Paush Purnima' was on Monday while the Makar Sankranti is on Tuesday," Varshney said.

"As a result of this, a large number of devotees, seers and commoners from different walks of life have already descended on the holy city of Prayagraj," he added.

The present edition of the Kumbh is being held after 12 years, though seers claim the celestial permutations and combinations for the event are taking place after 144 years, making the occasion even more auspicious.