Nearly 45 lakh devotees took a holy dip on the occasion of Diwali in the sacred Mandakini river in Chitrakoot town, the place where as per mythology Lord Rama had spent a big part of his 14 years in exile.
"Around 45 lakh devotees have taken a holy dip in Chitrakoot in last three days on account of Diwali festival, while five lakh are expected take bath in the river today," Satna Collector Santosh Mishra said.
The devotees were camping in 10 kms area of Chitrakoot, he said.
On Diwali, people take dip in the Mandakini, perform 'deep daan' and 'parikrama' at Kamadgiri Parvat - a mountain treated as a revered place by Hindus.
"This time a sea of devotees from different parts of the country flocked Chitrakoot, which is a record. Majority of them were from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh," he said.
He said people affected by drought in MP and UP also turned up, the Collector said.
According to Hindu scriptures, Lord Rama, his wife Sita and brother Laxman stayed for around 11 years at Chitrakoot in exile and during their return from the place, they were accorded a warm send-off.
