Prayagraj: The preparations for the first Shahi Snan( Royal Bathing) and start of the 2019 Kumbh have been completed which will commence early on Tuesday morning even as Akashwani and Doordarshan have made arrangements for live coverage of Shahi Snans of Akharas at Kumbh-2019.
The Kumbh Mela begins with the first Shahi Snan on Makar Sankranti on January 15.
The authorities have already banned entry of buses and other bigger vehicles in the city from Sunday evening when around 15 million pilgrims are expected to take a dip in the Sangam on the opening of the Kumbh.
The first Shahi Snan of akharas is one of the big attractions for the pilgrims and tourists. A large number of saints and seers, pilgrims and tourists from across the globe are continuously reaching the city to take a holy dip on the first bathing day on Makar Sankranti at the Sangam.
The Kumbh is held in the month of Magh of the Hindu calendar when Jupiter is in Aries and Sun and Moon are in Capricorn or Jupiter is in Taurus and Sun in Capricorn.
At Prayagraj, the Kumbh is held every six years and the Maha Kumbh every 12 years.
Akashwani, the official media, has launched a special Kumbhvani FM channel for this very purpose besides the broadcast on the national hook-up while the DD will telecast the royal bathings live on the national channel. The other bathing occasions will be telecast at the state level.
Arrangements have been made for live streaming of the event on YouTube and other private news and religious channels during the Shahi snan too.
Three Shahi Snans would be held on January 15 (Makar Sankranti), February 4 (Mauni Amavasya) and February 10 (Basant Panchami), while the other important bathing occasions will be Paush Purnima (January 21), Maghi Purnima (February 19) and Mahashivratri (March 4).
The akharas will go for the three royal bathing in the following sequence- Maha Nirvani and Atal at 5:15 am, Niranjani and Anand at 6:05 am, Juna, Avahan and Sri Panch Agni, including Kinnar, at 7 am, Nirvani Ani at 9:40 am,Digambar Ani at 10:40 am, Nirmohi Ani at 11:40 am, Naya Udaseen at 12:15 pm, Bada Udaseen at 1:15 pm and Nirmal at 2:40 pm.
Kumbh has attracted people from all walks of life in big numbers and the city and the Kumbh Mela area has been thronged with the pilgrims from all over the country and other countries. The district administration has closed all educational institutions for three days, from January 14, up to class XII and has also advised degree colleges to close to avoid any inconvenience to students in view of the great rush on the first day of bathing of Kumbh.
The entry of buses into the city has been restricted and makeshift bus stations have been opened at all seven entry points of the town.
The UP Roadways has pressed 6,000 buses into service to ferry the pilgrims and railways has also introduced more than 200 special trains from different parts of the state and country.
Most of the long-route trains have been given stoppage at Allahabad Junction and other railway stations in the district.
The Roadways has also introduced 500 buses in the town to bring pilgrims to the Mela area from makeshift bus stations and railway stations.
Different air services have also started air connectivity from many major cities, including New Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur, Bhopal, Dehradun, Indore, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Lucknow, to Prayagraj. (UNI)
