Kumbh Mela: Seers keep last Shahi Snan symbolic affair
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Last Updated: Apr 27, 2021, 02:23 PM IST
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 17 had appealed to sadhus to observe the remaining duration of the Kumbh only in a symbolic manner. Following this different akhadas (sects) had agreed to keep their participation symbolic.
PTI
The last shahi snan at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar on Tuesday was a subdued affair with seers keeping the ritual symbolic in view of a nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases. Till 10:45 am, around 670 seers took the royal bath and some more are expected to take it in the day at Har ki Pairi on the banks of the Ganga, officials said.
The last shahi snan at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar on Tuesday was a subdued affair with seers keeping the ritual symbolic in view of a nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases. Till 10:45 am, around 670 seers took the royal bath and some more are expected to take it in the day at Har ki Pairi on the banks of the Ganga, officials said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 17 had appealed to sadhus to observe the remaining duration of the Kumbh only in a symbolic manner. Following this different akhadas (sects) had agreed to keep their participation symbolic. Crowds at the ghats of the Ganga started thinning down drastically since last week after the key akhadas of seers began pulling out of the Maha Kumbh, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, citing the spike in coronavirus case numbers.
File photo of Har Ki Pauri Ghat during Kumbh Mela 2021
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PTI
Till the conclusion of the royal bath, nearly 2,000 seers of 13 akhadas (sects) had taken a dip in the Ganga at Har Ki Pairi ghat which was reserved exclusively for them The last shahi snan at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar on Tuesday was a subdued affair with seers keeping the ritual symbolic in view of a nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases. Till the conclusion of the royal bath, nearly 2,000 seers of 13 akhadas (sects) had taken a dip in the Ganga at Har Ki Pairi ghat which was reserved exclusively for them, officials said.
Nirmohis assure to keep Shahi Snan of April 27 a low-key affair
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The crowds at the camps of ‘vairagies’ have reduced to 50% of their original strength of about 40,000. The number of devotees in the Kumbh Mela zone has fallen drastically over the past few days.
AP
The Nirmohi Akhara, which had been resisting the move to keep Kumbh Mela a “symbolic” affair, appeared to have softened their stand following a call from Union home minister Amit Shah. It has “assured” that the April 27 Shahi Snan will be a low-key event.
“Yesterday, I spoke with home minister Amit Shah and assured him that we will follow all Covid protocols and keep the gathering small. I even assured Shah that we will follow only the essential rituals. We have to keep the Covid situation in our mind,” Nirmohi Akhara, a group of ‘vairagies’ (the recluse), chief Rajendra Dasji told ET from Haridwar.
50,000 to be tested for Covid at the Maha Kumbh site
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The state health department will mainly conduct RT-PCR tests. The drive will cover seers, devotees, eatery owners, frontline workers including security personnel and the general public.
Agencies
Reports reaching here from Haridwar said the crowds have also shrunk in the mela zone.
Uttarakhand administration is launching a mega Covid test drive starting Saturday in the Haridwar city, covering around 50,000 people a day amid reports of increasing Covid-19 cases among seers and others attending the Maha Kumbh.
The state health department will mainly conduct RT-PCR tests. The drive will cover seers, devotees, eatery owners, frontline workers including security personnel and the general public.