Shahi Snan at Kumbh Mela in Haridwar witness thousands of devotees

April 12: Thousands of devotees gathered in Haridwar on Monday to take part in the ‘Shahi Snan’ or the royal bath of Maha Kumbh. The Shahi Snan of  Haridwar Kumbh Mela 2021 was on March 11 on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri. After the Shahi Snan on 12 April, there will be two more such Royal baths on 14 & 27 April. The Kumbh Mela in Haridwar will conclude on 30 April.

Members of 13 akhadas participated in the ‘Shahi Snan’ in Haridwar. The administration had allocated time for each of the seven ‘Sanyasi’ akhadas, three ‘Bairagi’ akhadas and three ‘Vaishnav’ akhadas to take part in ‘Shahi Snan’ between 8.30 am and 3 pm on Monday.

Meanhwile, Kumbh Mela Inspector General (IG) Sanjay Gunjyal admitted that it is difficult to ensure social distancing norms during the second `Shahi snan`, where massive crowds have gathered to take a holy dip in River Ganga at Har Ki Pauri in Uttarakhand`s Haridwar.