Uttar Pradesh: Devotees take holy dip at Sangam on Magh Purnima

Devotees also offered prayers at the Sangam, a confluence of three rivers- Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati.

Kalpavas, which lasts for one month from Paush Purnima, also ends today.

Kalpavas is a spiritual ritual under which for a month the Kalpavasi sleeps on the ground on the sand of Sangam, takes a meal once a day, observes austerity, and chants the name of the Almighty.

Speaking on ANI at Sangam in Uttar Pradesh, Prabhadevi, a devotee from Mirzapur district said, "I came here for a month-long Kalpvas, and today, on the day of Purnima, my spiritual journey is complete. I've been here since January 24th. Yesterday, I also performed Sija Daan, and tomorrow I will return home. I sought forgiveness from Mother Ganga for all my mistakes."

Another devotee Dinesh Mishra, praised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the excellent arrangements.

"Being here on the auspicious day of Magh Purnima at Sangam is incredibly fortunate. Yogi Ji has arranged everything so well that there are no issues, and we are enjoying excellent facilities. It feels like we are in heaven," Dinesh Mishra said.

Earlier, thousands of devotees took a holy dip at Sangam on the occasion of Basant Panchami, the fourth bathing festival of the ongoing 'Magh Mela' in Uttar Pradesh.

The Hindu festival of Basant Panchami, also known as Vasant Panchami, Shri Panchami, and Saraswati Panchami, is celebrated on the first day of spring and falls on the fifth day of the month of Magha. It also heralds the start of Holi preparations, which take place forty days following the feast. Maa Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning, music, and the arts, is honoured throughout the festival.

According to legend, Kalidasa, distraught over his wife's abandonment, planned to commit suicide by drowning himself in a river. He was about to do so when the goddess Saraswati appeared in the water and invited Kalidasa to bathe in it. His life changed after that, when he was endowed with wisdom and became a great poet.

Another legend is based on the Hindu god of love, Kama, and according to mythology, Kamadeva once disrupted Lord Shiva's meditation after his wife Sati's death. Seers approached Kama to awaken Shiva from his meditation so that he could reconnect with the world and notice Maa Parvati's efforts for him. (ANI)