As groups of pilgrims start arriving at Sagar Island for a holy dip at the confluence of the river Ganga and the Bay of Bengal, the West Bengal government is leaving no stone unturned to describe the gathering as the biggest religious event in the country.
On Saturday, four State government Ministers held a press conference at the mela venue and announced that by noon on Saturday — almost 36 hours before the auspicious timing of the holy bath — about 45 lakh devotees had come to the island. According to the government, almost one crore pilgrims visited Ganga Sagar Mela in 2023.
“The timing of holy dip is from 12.13 in the night of January 14 to 12.13 in the afternoon of January 15... By the afternoon of January 13, about 45 lakh people had arrived at Gangasagar island,” State’s Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Power and Housing Arup Biswas told journalists.
