MYSURU: Not very far from the city is Mysuru city’s own ‘Babbling Brook’ – a confluence of three rivers, Cauvery Kapila and Spatika Sarovara in T Narasipura taluk. This small and sleepy temple town, its languid gaze never losing sight of the swirling waters, was on Sunday awhirl with activity as devotees numbering in hundreds flocked to T Narasipura on the first day of the Maha Kumbha Mela The results of the many initiatives taken by the district administration to ensure cleanliness in T Narasipura were there for all to see, and devotees were visibly impressed with the efforts. The lavatories, and bathrooms set up for their convenience drew praise, as did the other facilities that have been arranged to ensure that nothing sours the experience of devotees. Meanwhile, the floating bridge – a makeshift structure – between the Sri Narasimhaswamy and Sri Agastheshwara Swamy temples, located on opposite sides of the Cauvery, also came in for appreciation from the devotees.This is the 11th edition of the Maha Kumabha Mela, which has its parallel in the significantly more ancient Kumbh Mela that is held once every 12 years in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. A veritable sea of humanity descended on Triveni Sangama on Sunday, as the mela kicked off on Sunday. Devotees could be seen taking a dip, or sprinkling water over their head, at the confluence. A group of IT professionals from Shivamogga and Bengaluru were among those who took a dip on Sunday.The proceedings of the Maha Kumbha Mela started on an auspicious note, with the priests propitiating the God Ganesha. Sathguru Bakkiya Srirama Swami, 61, who has been visiting various pilgrimage sites for the past 20 years including Rishikesh, Varanasi and Vaishnodevi, told TOI, “I have been to many holy places, but T Narasipura is much cleaner, and it is also very calm. I am also very pleased with the facilities arranged for the devotees.”Devotees started arriving at the sangama as early as 4.30am. The district administration expects a cumulative turnout of 10 lakh at the confluence over the next two days. Devotees from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telanagana were in sizeable numbers on Sunday.Locals are happy with the restraint exercised by devotees in not dumping old clothes, and flowers in the river waters. “Compared to the last edition of the mela, 60% of the visiting devotees are making an active attempt to keep the premises clean,” said a few T Narasipura residents.Vishwanath, a Shivamogga resident, called on fellow devotees not to pollute the river so as not to destroy its sanctity. “Taking a dip in the river is an act of devotion, and it must not become an exercise that ends up contaminating the river,” Vishwanath said.Members of the Madras Engineers Group (MEG) of the Indian Army have created a temporary bridge by placing sand bags on top of one another. The bridge has ensured seamless connectivity to the three shrines at the sangama.

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