Thousands take holy dip on 'Makar Sankranti'

Thousands of devotees today converged at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical river Saraswati here for a holy dip on the auspicious occasion of 'Makar Sankranti' - the Hindu festival which marks the Sun god's transition into the Capricorn zodiac sign.
Massive security arrangements were in place around the holy Sangam, the name by which the confluence of rivers is popularly known, where the annual month-long religious congregation "Magh Mela" is also underway.
The turn-out of pilgrims was lower than expected on account of the extremely cold and foggy weather and also the fact that as per the Hindu calendar, the "punya kaal" (auspicious period) of the festival is to begin this evening and continue tomorrow when many devotees may choose to turn up for a ritual dip.

Nevertheless, thousands of people - including men and women of all age groups - braved the inclement weather to take a holy dip in the Sangam, followed by "daan" (giving away of alms), visit to temples and a feast comprising delicacies made of "til" (sesame) and "khichdi" (rice mixed with lentil soup).