Sangam Set to See Highest Single-Day Turnout

Prayagraj bursting at the seams ahead of the Mauni Amavasya snan; admin gears up for an anticipated crowd of 8 to 10 crore today

- Kenneth John

MAHAKUMBH NAGAR: With an anticipated crowd of 8 to 10 crore (80 to 100 million) devotees on the banks of Sangam, the Mauni Amavasya snan, the second of the three Amrit snans on January 29 in Mahakumbh, is set to be the world's biggest-ever human congregation for a single event in a single day.

Prayagraj is witnessing an unprecedented surge of pilgrims ahead of the snan as on Monday around 4 crore devotees were said to be jostling for space in 4,000 hectares of the sprawling tent city.

The pilgrim influx at Mahakumbh Nagar is swelling in unexpected proportions with each passing hour spelling tough times for the Mela managers.

Mahakumbh officials have announced stringent measures to prevent any mishap - like declaring the Mela area as a no-vehicle zone besides implementing a zonal plan for bathers, making devotees use ghats in their respective zones and not proceed up to the Sangam for the holy dip.

As per records, the world's largest-ever peaceful gathering of people at one place for a single event was for the Mauni Amavasya snan on February 4, 2019, where 5 crore (50 million) people took the holy dip at the Sangam that day.