Prayagraj: The banks of the Ganga are all set to witness the celebration of unity, equality and harmony at Magh mela 2026, which commences from Jan 3 with Paush Purnima Snan.With seers, pilgrims and devotees flocking to the mela campus having a common goal of attaining moksha (salvation), the annual religious and spiritual congregation, will once again transcend the barriers of language, caste, creed and sect.
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Pilgrims from every corner of the nation are all set to gather at the tent city, which has virtually taken shape on the banks of the Ganga, and to embrace the spirit of humanity. Devotees from the city as well as neighbouring districts and states are to flock to the mela campus every day to seek blessings from sages and ascetics, to visit temples for darshan and to share meals together in community kitchens (bhandaras), symbolising unity and equality.Mela officials claimed that it will be a remarkable showcase of the unity and equality embedded in the country’s cultural diversity. Visitors from around the country are often left in awe as they witness devotees and pilgrims from different languages, lifestyles and traditions flocking to the mela campus together at the Sangam for a holy dip, earning punya and perform rituals.Religious scholar Amitabh Gour said, “Whether it’s the kathas by guru and saints, camps of prominent seers and saints, or the ghats of Sangam, devotees freely visit, worship and seek blessings without any barriers.” He added, “Numerous community kitchens in the Sangam area remain open day and night, offering food and prasad to everyone, where devotees from all corners of the country sit together, regardless of differences, to share meals in a spirit of harmony.”With 15 crore devotees and pilgrims expected to attend the mela on the banks of the Ganga, the mela administration on Tuesday claimed to have made elaborate arrangements. Focus was laid on crowd and traffic management with the objective that none of the devotees should face inconvenience.At the Sangam, around four lakh devotees from across the country, representing different castes, classes and languages, are to participate in the age-old tradition of Kalpavas. Rich or poor, traders or officials, men, women, or transgender individuals, everyone forgets their differences and unites in the spirit of devotion, taking a holy dip at the confluence during the mela.Maa Ganga and the Magh mela too make no distinctions and welcome all, from urban dwellers to rural pilgrims and people from Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi and beyond. For ages, this tradition of unity and equality was upheld on the banks of the Sangam, symbolising the timeless essence of Sanatan dharma.Anticipating the footfall, the mela administration expanded the length of ghats up to 8km with the motto that bathers should not face any sort of inconvenience. Moreover, duties of jal policemen and volunteers will also be assigned to stop the entry of devotees and pilgrims into deep-water zones.This year, apart from the expansion of the mela area, the entire mela campus was divided into seven sectors and nine pontoon bridges (two on Teliyarganj) for connectivity were constructed for smooth transportation.For water and sanitation, a total of 242km of water pipelines are being laid, wherein authorities also set up 85km of sewer lines in the mela campus. As many as 25,000 toilets were constructed, and duties of 3,000 sanitation workers are assigned for round-the-clock cleaning.For round-the-clock health facilities, two hospitals, Ganga and Triveni, with 20 beds each, along with 12 primary health centres, are set up in the mela campus. Besides, 50 ambulances along with one river ambulance are also roped in to cater to the needs of patients. Over 350 medical and paramedical staff, including Ayurvedic and Homeopathic, are assigned duties. Besides, a proper vector control system was also established.For uninterrupted power supply, adequate arrangements were made, and LED lights have also been installed. Mela police set up as many as 43 parking zones. Besides, as many as 3,800 UPSRTC buses, including 75 electric buses, are also deployed for inter-district transportation of devotees.Moreover, for foolproof security and crowd management, over 10,000 policemen are assigned duties, which was 20% more police personnel than the previous Magh mela. A total of 17 police stations and 42 police outposts were set up for the same.For effective crowd control, deep-water barricading at ghats, fixed parking, multilingual signboards, PA systems and mock drills are exercised.
