Five Lakh Devotees take Holy Dip in Gangasagar

Posted on 15th Jan 2015 02:43 pm by mohit kumar

Sagar Island (West Bengal), Jan 14 (IANS) Over five lakh devotees took a holy dip in the Ganga on the occasion of Makar Sankranti Wednesday at this island considered auspicious by Hindus.

"More than five lakh devotees took the holy dip today (Wednesday). Nothing untoward has occurred so far," South 24 Parganas district magistrate Sanjay Basu said.

Braving the chilly weather, the devotees began taking dips at the confluence of the Ganga river with the Bay of Bengal, known as Gangasagar, from the early hours of the day.

Adequate security measures were put in place. Besides deploying about 6,000 security personnel, watch towers and CCTV cameras were set up at strategic places.

Sagar Island, about 150 km from Kolkata in South 24 Parganas district, sees a massive gathering of people every Makar Sankranti, celebrated each year Jan 14. Offerings of coconuts are made at the Kapil Muni temple here.

The devout believe that a dip in the sacred water at this time washes off sins of a lifetime.

Many ministers, including Public Health Engineering Minister Subrata Mukherjee, Power Minister Manish Gupta and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim are camping on the island to supervise arrangements.

Other news

Russian President Vladimir Putin ready for talks to end the war in Ukraine refuses to withdraw troops

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to talk about ending the war in Ukraine but for this, t

Announcement of new vaccination policy: States will now get 75% of the vaccine from the center instead of 50%, but if the wastage is high, the supply will be affected.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Monday that from June 21, those above the age of 18 wil

LJP Foundation Day: Chirag Paswan targets BJP without naming, LJP wins one seat without star campaigners

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Chirag Paswan said without naming the BJP on Saturday that in the

Corona Effect: Insurance companies implemented a new rule, the insurance policy will be available only after three months after recovering from corona infection

The whole world is troubled by the outbreak of Corona. Now the third wave i.e. Covid-19 is being

HP presents Rs 49,131 crore Budget for 2020 infra, education, housing top focus areas

The Himachal Pradesh government on Friday presented a Rs 49,131-crore Budget for the fiscal 2020-

Rajasthan By-Election Result: Stature, position, and prestige, the results of the Rajasthan by-election will balance these political equations

The results of the assembly elections on seven seats in Rajasthan will be out on November 23. The

NTA: NTA is in the news for the NEET paper leak; Know how this organization works and what its objectives

NTA: NTA has been in the headlines ever since the NEET paper leak. NTA conducts many major examin

Pros and Cons of AAP's Rise (Comment)

The first fallout of the Aam Admi Party's (AAP) spectacular victory in Delhi will be a renewed f

Virat Kohli: After retirement from Test cricket, Virat Kohli met Saint Premananda, wife Anushka was seen with him

Virat Kohli, who has retired from Test cricket, and his wife Anushka Sharma reached Vrindavan on

Ram Rahim furlough case: Haryana government to file its reply in Punjab Haryana High Court today

The Haryana government will today respond in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the furlough of