Nashik, Aug 29 (Zee news): Today is the day when laks of devotees are expected to participate in the first shahi snan (holy dip) at Nashik and Trimbakeshwar towns during the ongoing Kumbh Mela.
The district administration here is leaving no stone unturned to facilitate the famous ritual for the visitors.
Thousands of mahants and sadhus, belonging to the Digambar, Nirmohi and Nirvani akhadas of Vaishnava sect, would take the first holy dip in Nashik, while those of the 10 akhadas of Shaiva sect would do so at Trimbakeshwar, 30 kms from here, District Collector Deependra Singh Kushwah said.
Nashik Police Commissioner, S Jagannathan, had issued a notification earlier this week, listing the royal procession routes, timings of the royal bath by the mahants and sadhus, and the sequence of the processions by the various akhadas, at Nashik.
The royal procession began from Tapovan’s Laxminarayan temple at 6.00 am. The Nirvani akhada started its procession at 6.00 am and the mahants and sadhus of this akhada reached the Ramkund ghat for the bath by 7.00 am while the Digambar akhada started its procession at 6.30 and would reach Ramkund at 7.30 am.
The Nirmohi akhada started its procession at 7.00 am and would reach Ramkund at 8.00 am for the royal bath. After the bath, the mahants and sadhus would return to their camp at Sadhu Gram through a separate route, as per the notification. Arrangements have been made for heavy deployment of police force, which consists of top officials, the Rapid Action Force (RAF), the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) and bomb detection and disposal squads.
Almost all the roads leading to the Godavari river in 3.5 km radius of the ghats have been closed and made ‘no vehicle zone’. Some crossover points have been identified for the convenience of the local residents. All basic amenities like toilets, drinking water, health services, ambulance services, food points, sheds for aged people at the outer and inner parkings, signboards displaying directions among others have been set up.
A well-equipped control room is being operated, both at Nashik and Trimbakeshwar, to monitor the situation, and a public address system has also been set up, under which instructions will be announced frequently through loudspeakers, which have been installed at almost all major places in the two towns. The administration has also prepared separate routes for itself and others in case of any emergency. An outer parking has been set up at every entry route to the city to avoid crossing of the devotees.
The Nashik division of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has provided 3,000 buses at Nashik and Trimbakeshwar to carry the devotees from all the outer parking points to the inner parking points, non-stop throughout the day.