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PRAYAGRAJ: Thousands of devotees and sages took the holy dip - Shahi Snan (Royal Bath) -- on the first day of Kumbh Mela 2019. Devotees took a dip in River Ganga at the site of Triveni Sangam -- the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna and Saraswati rivers -- on Tuesday morning, on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti.

More than 15 crore people are expected to descend at Praragraj for the 55-day-long Kumbh Mela which will end on March 4.

The auspicious bathing days of the 2019 Kumbh Mela are Makar Sankranti (January 15), Paush Poornima (January 21), Mauni Amawasya (February 4), Basant Panchami (February 10), Maghi Poornima (February 19) and Mahashivratri (March 4). 

Security has been beefed up and the Kumbh administration is prepared for the expected crowd, officials said. Security personnel have been deployed at all entry and exit points of these bridges to maintain law and order. Apart from the UP police, Paramilitary and Army officers along with BSF, RAF, CISF, SSB, NDRF, Civil Police, PAC and Home Guards have been deployed. 

More than 20,000 police personnel, who are teetotallers and consume only vegetarian food, have been deployed by the Uttar Pradesh Police.