Allahabad Kumbh ends with last bathing on Maha Shivratri

Allahabad : The curtain came down Sunday on the Kumbh 2013, the biggest religious congregation on earth, with over 70 lakh people taking a holy dip at Sangam on Maha Shivratri.

Lakhs of devotees flocked to Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.

The Kumbh began Jan 14 with Makar Sankranti with six major bathing dates passing off peacefully. Over 10 crore people visited the Kumbh mela premises in the 55 days.

By Sunday evening, seers, saints and pilgrims had begun dismantling their tents and proceeding back home. Several seers moved to Varanasi for their further religious journey.

While no major incident took place, a middle-aged man drowned in the Ganga near Sector 14 of the Kumbh mela, police said.

Adequate arrangements had been made at the railway station where 37 people died in a stampede at Mauni Amavasya Feb 11 due to poor arrangements and overcrowding.

Addressing the media, Devesh Chaturvedi, divisional commissioner of Allahabad and in charge of the Kumbh, said more than 10 crore people had bathed during the Kumbh, at an average of five lakh people each day.

On Mauni Amavasya, when number of people visiting the Kumbh crossed a massive three crore, Chaturvedi added.

Maha Shivratri was observed in other parts of the state with traditional gaiety and fervour. However, two people were killed during a stampede at the famous Lodheshwar Mahadev temple in Barabanki, 225 km from Allahabad.