Tue Jan 14 08:37:13 UTC 2025: **Lakhs of Pilgrims Take Holy Dip at West Bengal’s Gangasagar Mela**
**Kolkata, Jan 14, 2025** – Lakhs of devotees converged on Sagar Island in West Bengal today to participate in the annual Gangasagar Mela, marking the Makar Sankranti festival. Despite cold weather, pilgrims flocked to the confluence of the Hooghly river and the Bay of Bengal to take a holy dip and offer prayers at the Kapil Muni Ashram. The auspicious “Shahi Snan” began at 6:58 a.m. and will continue for 24 hours.
The West Bengal government implemented extensive logistical and security measures for the event, which is held approximately 100 kilometers from Kolkata. This year’s Mela coincides with the Maha Kumbh in Uttar Pradesh. Sadly, an elderly pilgrim from Uttar Pradesh died on Sunday due to cardiac arrest.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has reiterated her call for the Gangasagar Mela to be granted national status, similar to the Kumbh Mela.
First Piper 