Over a million pilgrims from across India and abroad took a holy dip in the River Ganges on Saturday Jan 14,2017 braving the icy cold water and chilly winds, at the annual Ganga Sagar Fair here on Makar Sankranti.
"Around 10-12 lakh pilgrims have bathed so far since the morning. More people are coming for the holy dip," West Bengal Sundarban Development Minister Manturam Pakhira told
"We are expecting a total turnout of over 15 lakhs," said Panchayat and Public Health Engineering Minister Subrata Mukherjee.
About 150 km from Kolkata in South 24 Parganas district, this island is considered auspicious by the Hindus, who gather here at this time of the year to take a holy dip at the confluence of the Ganges and the Bay of Bengal and pray by offering coconut at the Kapil Muni temple.
The Ganga Sagar Mela is considered as the second largest assembly of people after the quadrennial Kumbha Mela (fair). The devout believe that a dip in the sacred water at this time washes off sins of a lifetime.
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