Braving cold weather, 1.5 crore take dip in last 'shahi snan' of Kumbh

The chill in the atmosphere in and around the Sangam here failed to dampen the spirit of around 1.5 crore people who gathered Sunday for the third 'shahi snan' at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.

Even before the dawn broke, scores of people hailing from different walks of life had taken the dip with their friends and family. As a bright sunny day progressed, the number of devotees and enthusiasts taking dip went up.

"Around 1.5 crore people have taken dip on the occasion of Basant Panchami. Close to 50 lakh devotees had taken dip before the sunrise," Kumbh Mela Adhikari Vijay Kiran Anand told PTI.

He also said all 'akharas' have completed the shahi snan (royal bath).

With Sunday's figures, the total number of pilgrims taking the holy dip during the Kumbh this year (up to February 10) has touched 16.44 crore, officials said.

The continuous cold breeze sweeping the mela area could not deter the devotees from taking the dip in Sangam. They chanted devotional ...