Explorer

Election Results 2024

(Source: ECI/ABP News/ABP Majha)

Kumbh Ends: 70 Lakh Devotees Participated In 'Scaled Down' Mela Held Amid Covid Surge

About 2,600 devotees tested positive out of the nearly two lakh tests conducted by medical personnel during the Kumbh mela.

Dehradun: Seventy lakh devotees participated in Haridwar's Kumbh Mela, the mammoth religious congregation which ended Friday after triggering a scare that it might have acted as a coronavirus super-spreader.

Despite the huge number of people gathering around Haridwar to take a dip in the holy Ganga, the 2021 event was a comparatively modest event -- reduced to just one month and scaled down midway due to the raging pandemic.

ALSO READ | Covid Vaccination Phase 3 Not Starting In Uttarakhand On May 1 Due To Supply Shortage, Says Official

Held over three months in normal circumstances, the Kumbh Mela this time formally begun as late as April 1 due to concerns over Covid-19.

About 2,600 devotees tested positive out of the nearly two lakh tests conducted by medical personnel during the mela.

Three shahi snans took place during the event on April 12, 14 and 27, the last one being reduced to a largely symbolic event.

Haridwar's Chief Medical Officer S K Jha said the Kumbh was a big challenge considering its potential to fuel the surge of coronavirus.

Medical officer for Kumbh Arjun Singh Sengar said, "The situation was challenging for us as the crowd, though relatively smaller this time was big enough to violate the norms of social distancing.

The seers were initially reluctant to go for tests but they relented after the second shahi snan on April 14, he said.

With the help of healthcare personnel brought from Uttar Pradesh, we conducted a total of 1,900,83 tests, out of which 2642 reported positive,"

The scaling down is said to be the first in the history of the mela, which is held once every twelve years in Haridwar.

The crowds began petering out after an appeal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the seers to keep their representation in Kumbh symbolic.

The Joona Akhada, the largest among the sects which attend the mela, was the first to respond to Modi's appeal, followed by several other akhadas which withdrew from the event.

Ordinary devotees then followed their example.

Mela organisers claim that the event, among the largest religious gatherings on earth, passed off without any serious untoward incident anywhere in the Kumbh Mela Kshetra spread over an area of 641 hectares from Haridwar to Devprayag.

Mela Inspector General Sanjay Gunjyal claimed this to be a first since 1912.

"A stampede, a clash or a dispute among seers of different Akhadas marked most of the editions of the event in the past. But this time, despite the extraordinary circumstances arising out of a strong second wave of coronavirus, the Kumbh Mela passed off without any interruption," he said.

"It is a kind of record," he told PTI.

View More
Advertisement

IPL Auction 2025

Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Virat Kohli
₹21 CR
Josh Hazlewood
₹12.50 CR
Rajat Patidar
₹11 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Rishabh Pant
₹27 CR
Nicholas Pooran
₹21 CR
Ravi Bishnoi
₹11 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Jasprit Bumrah
₹18 CR
Suryakumar Yadav
₹16.35 CR
Hardik Pandya
₹16.35 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Heinrich Klaasen
₹23 CR
Pat Cummins
₹18 CR
Abhishek Sharma
₹14 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Ruturaj Gaikwad
₹18 CR
Ravindra Jadeja
₹18 CR
Matheesha Pathirana
₹13 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Shreyas Iyer
₹26.75 CR
Arshdeep Singh
₹18 CR
Yuzvendra Chahal
₹18 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Sanju Samson
₹18 CR
Yashaswi Jaiswal
₹18 CR
Riyan Parag
₹14 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Venkatesh Iyer
₹23.75 CR
Rinku Singh
₹13 CR
Varun Chakaravarthy
₹12 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Rashid Khan
₹18 CR
Shubman Gill
₹16.5 CR
Jos Buttler
₹15.75 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Axar Patel
₹16.5 CR
KL Rahul
₹14 CR
Kuldeep Yadav
₹13.25 CR
View all
Advertisement
25°C
New Delhi
Rain: 100mm
Humidity: 97%
Wind: WNW 47km/h
See Today's Weather
powered by
Accu Weather
Advertisement

Top Headlines

Sambhal Violence: 3 Dead In Clashes Over Mosque Survey, Akhilesh Yadav Accuses BJP Of 'Orchestrating' Violence
Sambhal Violence: 3 Dead In Clashes Over Mosque Survey, Akhilesh Yadav Accuses BJP Of 'Orchestrating' Violence
Hemant Soren Stakes Claim To Form Next Jharkhand Government, Confirms Oath Ceremony Date
Hemant Soren Stakes Claim To Form Next Jharkhand Government, Confirms Oath Ceremony Date
IPL 2025 Mega Auction Live Updates: Pant, Iyer Headline The Event, SOLD For Rs. 27 Cr And Rs. 26.75 Cr Respectively
IPL 2025 Mega Auction Live Updates: Pant, Iyer Headline The Event, SOLD For Rs. 27 Cr And Rs. 26.75 Cr Respectively
Maharashtra Government Formation To Be Completed By This Date As BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP Eye CM Post
Maharashtra Government Formation To Be Completed By This Date As BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP Eye CM Post
Advertisement
ABP Premium

Videos

From Hating Computers to Building a Software Empire, The Inspiring Journey of ESDS CEO Piyush SomaniGautam Adani Faces Another Blow as SEBI Launches Probe Against Adani Group | Paisa LiveBigg Boss 18: Did Salman Khan Bully Arfeen Khan? Hrithik Roshan's Mind Coach Breaks Silence!Tamannaah Bhatia Has Vijay Varma as Bonus? Jimmy Shergill's Army Exam & Avinash Good Looks! EXCLUSIVE Interview

Photo Gallery

Embed widget