ALLAHABAD: The cold wind sweeping the ghats and the tight security arrangements notwithstanding, chants of 'Har, har Gange' welcomed the crack of dawn as 1.25 crore devotees took a dip in Sangam on Maghi Purnima, the fifth snan of the Kumbh Mela on Tuesday. The devotees started assembling across the 40 ghats of the Mela ground, as early as 1am. The ghats remained packed till 4 PM.Personnel of Jal Police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) were spotted pulling up devotees who crossed barricades near Sangam nose and entered into the waist-deep water. "Taking a dip in Ganga on the occasion of Maghi Purnima was an elevating and divine experience. One can earn ' punya' (blessings) by bathing in Sangam on the day," Swami Sampurnanand Brahmachari of Ani Akhara SSP (Kumbh) KP Singh, said, "No untoward incident was reported during the snan. More than 1.20 crore devotees had taken a dip in the river till 4pm on Tuesday. For the snan, Mela police had implemented crowd and traffic management plans and hence the devotees were able to freely enter and exit the Mela ground."Meanwhile, officials said that since the Kumbh Mela commended on January 15, 20.54 crore devotees had taken a dip in Ganga.

Stay updated with all the Allahabad Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.