Thousands of pilgrims took holy dip today at the River Ganga on the occasion of 'Paush Poornima' in Uttar Pradesh. It is the second big auspicious bathing day of the Kumbh Mela, after Makar Sankranti. From Sunday night itself, thousands of devotees, including women and children walked several kilometers of the 'sprawling Kumbhnagar' to make their way to the river and take the holy dip. The Sangam area was surrounded with many activities, as devotees started arriving. However, security forces maintained a close watch on the movement of pilgrims and visitors at the mela venue. Tight security arrangements were made to ensure smooth passage of the main bathing dates. The rituals linked to the 'Paush Poornima' began, based on the astrological charts, on Sunday; the main ritual of bathing and 'daan' began on Monday morning. Adding to the bath, today even the fabled 'Kalp Vaas' began, when devotees give up world pleasures and connections, for a brief period and live the life of hermits. Many families have pitched tents here and have begun the 'Kalp Vaas' based on their beliefs of renunciation of the world pleasures, leading a simple life for the period. During this one month, they would be segregated from their families and engage in singing bhajans, chanting hymns, cooking for themselves. During the 'Kalp Vaas', people following it are expected to sleep on the floor, eat one meal a day and thrice take a dip in the holy Ganga. The third 'shahi snaan' (royal bathing) is scheduled for February 4. Preparations: 8 kilometre Ghat has been developed at Sangam for bathing. Likewise, 35 bathing areas are developed on the banks of river Ganga. State government has advised the VVIPs not to come at Kumbh Mela on bathing festival as no Protocol will be permissible to any one on day of bathing festival. Entry of commercial vehicles has been prohibited in Prayagraj city. 41 Special Trains and four thousand buses have been pressed into service to ferry the devotees. First time shuttle buses have been pressed into service to ferry devotees from seven entry points of Prayagraj town where makeshift bus stations have been erected at Prayagraj. For the vehicles coming from Lucknow road, Varanasi road, Jaunpur Road, Mirzapur road, Kanpur road, Rewa road and Banda road. Only shuttle buses are allowed inside the Mela upto sector four. According to Police Chief of the Mela DIG KP, shuttle buses will be in operation so that huge crowds do not create hurdles. CEO Prayagraj Mela Authority Vijay Kiran Anand said that about 60 Lakh devotees and bathers are expected on second bathing festival, today.<doc-sep>Kumbh Mela 2019 updates: Over 70 lakh devotees take dip in Ganga on Paush Purnima On Paush Purnima, the second auspicious bathing day during the Kumbh, all roads led virtually to the 'Sangam'— the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati as devotees from across the country are thronging the city. Stay with TOI with all the live updates:Read Less<doc-sep>1 / 7 With the Yogi Adityanath government making the Kumbh Mela a prestige project, and tagging it as Swachh Kumbh to fit in with the Centre’s Swachhta campaign, Rs 234 crore out of the the total budget of Rs 4,200 crore has been allocated only for sanitation — this includes renting and setting up the portable toilets, buying equipment and disinfectants, paying wages, and providing dustbins and brooms. (Express photo: Abhinav Saha)<doc-sep>The mega Kumbh Mela, which began on January 15 and will continue till March 4, is expected to generate a revenue of Rs 1.2 lakh crore for Uttar Pradesh, says apex industry body Confederation of Indian Industry. Although the Kumbh Mela is spiritual and religious in nature, the economic activities associated with it generate employment for over six lakh workers across various sectors, CII said in a report. Also Read: Fiscal deficit of 3.3% is just a number, can go up to 3.55%: party colleagues, advisors comfort FM Arun Jaitley The Uttar Pradesh government has allocated Rs 4,200 crore for the 50-day Kumbh Mela this time, which is over thrice the budget of the Maha Kumbh in 2013, making the mega pilgrimage perhaps the costliest ever. The hospitality sector aims at employing 2,50,000 people, airlines and airports around 1,50,000 and tour operators around 45,000. The employment numbers in eco-tourism and medical tourism are being estimated at 85,000, says a CII study. Apart from this, there will be around 55,000 new jobs in the unorganized sector comprising of tour guides, taxi drivers, interpreters, volunteers etc. This will lead to increase in income levels for government agencies and individual traders. Attracting a massive number of foreign tourists from various countries like Australia, UK, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, New Zealand, Mauritius, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, the Kumbh is a festival of the world. "The 'mela' is expected to generate a revenue of Rs 1.2 lakh crore for Uttar Pradesh, the state where it is being held, while neighbouring states like Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh will also benefit from the enhanced revenue generation with a large number of national and foreign tourists expected to explore other destinations. The Uttar Pradesh government has allocated a hefty amount of Rs 4,200 crore for the Kumbh Mela held in Allahabad, which has become the costliest pilgrimage till date. "The UP government has allocated Rs 4,200 crore for 2019 Kumbh Mela. The previous state government had spent around Rs 1,300 crore for the Maha Kumbh, which was held in 2013," state Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal told PTI. The area of Kumbh Mela has also been doubled to 3,200 hectares as compared to 1,600 hectares in the previous melas. The Kumbh is a unique and massive gathering of both rural and urban population and also has a huge dispersal factor as people travel long distances across the country. In order to house this multitude, authorities have erected a mini-city of more than 4,000 tents. The city is being lit by installing over 40,000 LED lights, say local authorities. Overhauling of key infrastructure is being done, including upgrading nine railways stations and construction of a new airport terminal in Allahabad. The setting up of this new city in the huge Mela area involves 250 km of roads and 22 pontoon bridges, which will make it the largest temporary city in the world. The Kumbh, a sacred Hindu pilgrimage, is thus expected to generate direct and indirect business activities, the fruits of which would hopefully benefit the economy not only of Uttar Pradesh but that of India as a whole, the CII document says. The Kumbh at Sangam city Prayagraj, as Allahabad is now known, dates back to a hoary past, and was first mentioned around 2,000 years ago in accounts of the Chinese tourist Hsuan Tsang who visited India during the reign on King Harshvardhana. Based on a complex astrological calculation, the alignment of the stars determines the time and place of the Kumbh in one of the following four river-cities: Haridwar, Prayagraj, Nasik and Ujjain. It is the celebration of an ancient tradition of taking a dip in the holy waters originating from the confluence of the mythical Saraswati, Ganga and Yamuna rivers. These riverside festivals and the city that springs up around them are attended by millions, making the Kumbh Mela the largest religious gathering, perhaps the oldest, and the largest temporary city in the world. Learned seers believe that a dip in the waters would endow an individual with religious merit. Masses of devotees gather on the riverbank to attain spiritual enlightenment, some in the belief that doing so will lead them worldly success, others simply to purify their souls. The Kumbh Mela gets its worldwide reputation as a mega-event not only because of the sheer number of people who attend the fair but also for a widespread display of cultural traits of a nation, which is bound by ties of faith and traditions. Around 12 crore people are expected to visit the Kumbh between now and Maha Shivratri on March 4, when the Mela will come to a close on Maha Shivratri day. The first "Shahi Snan' (royal bath) of Kumbh on January 15 drew a record crowd of 2.25 crore devotees, said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who has been meticulously supervising minute details personally to make the event "Divya Kumbh, Bhavya Kumbh". Also Read: India has potential to be $5 trillion economy in 7-8 years: Suresh Prabhu<doc-sep>
The ambulances operated by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also have facilities for child deliveries. | Photo Credit: ANI Prayagraj: The Kumbh Mela authorities have provided water ambulances for medical assistance in case of emergencies. The water ambulances at Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019 are equipped with intensive care units (ICUs), multi para monitors and nebulisers. The ambulances operated by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also have facilities for child deliveries. Thousands of devotees, including women and children, walked several kilometres of Kumbhnagar to take a holy dip at the Sangam Ghat, the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, on the occasion of Paush Poornima' on Monday. Paush Poornima is the second big Shahi Snan date for the pilgrims, after Makar Sankranti. Prayagraj: Water ambulances have been provided by the Kumbh authorities at #KumbhaMela2019 to provide medical help in case of an emergency. It is equipped with ICU, multi para monitors, nebulizers & even has facility for child deliveries. It is operated by NDRF. pic.twitter.com/qN2o79uGYZ — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 21, 2019 ​ Paush Poornima marks the beginning of month-long Kalp Vas. During the Kalp Vas period, lakhs of pilgrims would give up the worldly pleasures and live the life of hermits. They would be staying in small tents near the Sangam for a month to take bath thrice a day and eat only once daily. They would be expected to sleep on the floor. For this one month long period, they would be segregated from their families to engage themselves in singing bhajans, chanting hymns and cooking for themselves. Prayagraj: Devotees offer prayers and take holy dip on the occasion of Paush Purnima at Triveni Sangam . #KumbhMela2019 pic.twitter.com/T91yZinCbZ — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 21, 2019 Tight security arrangements have been made to maintain law and order situation in the Kumbhnagar on the dates of Shahi Snans. Over 30,000 policemen have been deployed for the mela that would last for one and a half months. More than 1,100 CCTV cameras have been installed. Drone vigilance and paramilitary troops add to the security measures taken for the mass Hindu pilgrimage. Times Network - India's Leading Broadcasting Network, uniquely offering English Entertainment, best in class News channels & Bollywood Masala, available at a Value pack (7 channels) of Rs 13/- per month. Please contact your cable/DTH service provider now and ensure that your TV viewing experience is complete. To know more click here.