On the day of Makar Sankranti, tens of thousands of pilgrims were involved in the first “Amrit Snan” at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj on Tuesday. The event is now known as the ‘Shahi snan’; the sacred bath was to be had at Triveni ji, the meeting point of the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati. It is also noted that Makar Sankranti – the Sun god – is an important festival that is associated with the beginning of harvest seasons. It is also believed that those who take baths in the river during these days acquire salvation and pave the path to freedom from birth and death.
The ‘Amrit Snan’ was taken by people of different ‘akhara,’ or monastic order, a day after the first major bath of Maha Kumbh on the occasion of ‘Paush Purnima.’ Of the thirteen akharas, only thirteen are engaged in the ongoing Maha Kumbh festival. The first to take the sacred dip was from the Shri Panchayati Akhara Mahanirvani and Shri Shambhu Panchayati Atal Akhara, where a hail of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ ‘Jai Shri Ram’ Jai Ganga Maiyya was chanted to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva, Lord Ram, and Ganga Mata.
It was not only a form of worship but a massively cultural occasion when people came to Mukali for cleansing in extremely cold water regardless of their tender age. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the first ‘Amrit Snan’ and congratulated all devotees who had a chance to be a part of it. In the dispatch posted on X, he regarded snan as a living emblem of the infinite culture and faith of India. ”I congratulate all the devotees who were blessed by taking ‘Punya’ by taking the first ‘Amrit Snan at the Triveni Sangam in Mahakumbh – 2025 Prayagraj, on this auspicious day of Makar Sankranti,” the chief minister said.
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