Nasik, Sept 01: With the death of 35 pilgrims in a stampede just six days ago fresh in mind, a tight security ring was put in place as an estimated 1.5 million devotees and 70,000 mahants and sadhus today took holy dip in Godavari for final “shahi-snan” of Simhastha Kumbh Mela here. In a meticulously-planned arrangement worked out by the district administration, separate entry and exit for pilgrims and mahants and sadhus were charted out for proper crowd management to enable the pilgrims to take holy dip comfortably from Ramkund areas to Mahatma Gandhi Talao and from Sita Kunda to Talkute Temple. Commoners were allowed to bathe by 10.45 am after mahants and sadhus belonging to Vaishanav sect and Nirmohi, Digambar and Nirvani Akhadas led by their mahants-- Rajashraydasji maharaj, narayandasji, gyandasji, vishnudas, and others completed their "shahi-snan".
Chanting "Jai Sitaram" and "Siyavar Ramchandra ki jay", the mahants and sadhus, riding elephants, camels and horses, on came to ramkunda in a procession carrying flower-bedecked vehicles, wielding "trishuls," "nishans", flags, swords, silver maces and silver pallaquins along with their deities. The sadhus, drawn from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu-Kashmir and other states, took part in the royal bath.
Maharashtra's popular “warkari” sampraday also participated in royal bath along with akhadas. Bureau Report