Dehradun, Jan 14: Seven lakh pilgrims today took a holy dip in the river Ganga on the occasion of Makar Sankranti in Hardwar marking the beginning of the four-month long Ardh Kumbh Mela. Amid chanting of Vedic hymns and blowing of conch shells, the Ardh Kumbh Mela began at Har-Ki-Pauri with hundreds of Sadhus taking an early morning dip in the Ganga. Nearly 70,000 pilgrims are taking dip every hour at Hardwar, DIG Anil Raturi told a news agency. Bureau Report