Lakhs of devotees descending on Prayag

Maddipatla Ramakrishna Allahabad: With Maha Kumbh Mela concluding on Maha Shivaratri day on Saturday with shahi snan at Prayag (Allahabad), lakhs of devotees started descending on this temple town since last two days. The human tide from Triveni Sangam is going to engulf the town, testing the administration's arragements. Sunday being Maha Shivaratri and the next day (Monday) Somavati Amavasya, around 50 lakh devotees are expected on both days. Two lakh devotees are already present at any given time. Serpentine queues of 3 to 4 km from Gowdhulia Chowk to Gate No 4 on Gyanvapi Road and Dasashwamedh Ghat have been formed taking a minimum of 6 hours for a holy dip since last night, where as it was 4 hours in the last four days. After taking a dip in Triveni Sangam the naga sanyasis turn to Varanasi for darshan of Viswanathji to avoid any untoward incidents or a clash between them. Darshan timings from 7am to 11am have been reserved for NAGA sadhus and no ordinary devotee is allowed for darshan during this time. Taking into consideration the recent Dilsukhnagar bomb blasts in Hyderabad, the district administration and police department are leaving no room for any lapses. Black commandos are deployed in and around Vishwanath temple with paramilitary forces assisted by local police are in command of the area surrounding the temple precincts. The entire localities of Baniabag, , Girja Ghar, Gowdhulia Dashwamedh Ghat appear as military camps with scores of armed police milling around. Adding to the woes of the arriving devotees, no baggage is being allowed and they have to use cloak rooms opened at the outposts of the cordoned-off area at certain points.