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Hardwar gears up for Kumbh Mela

At the stroke of dawn on Wednesday, Hardwar (the gateway of God) will teem with people as the Ganga celebrates the last Kumbh Mela this century.

Officials said about 10 million people will converge at the 'holiest of holy towns' along the 2,000-km course of the river. Braving biting cold, they will crave for a holy dip in the river.

Devout Hindus believe a bath in the Ganga during the Kumbh Mela, celebrated every 12 years, will wash away their sins. And a dip at Hardwar is considered even more auspicious.

While the festival begins on January 14, the other auspicious days are February 14 and 25, March 28 and 29 and April 7, 13, 14 and 26, according to astrological calculations.

The Uttar Pradesh government has allotted about Rs 1 billion for the one-and-a-half-month mega event.

New bathing areas have been created over a 130 sq km area, stretching at least two to three km on either side of the river.

Located about 250 km north-west of Delhi, Hardwar is among the several cities -- like Allahabad (also in UP), Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, Nashik in Maharashtra, Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh -- where millions of Hindus converge for such melas.

According to Hindu mythology, divine nectar was dropped at these holy centres, obtained after the churning of the oceans which led to a war between the gods and demons.

Legend has it that Lord Vishnu had himself made an appearance at Hardwar, which is known as Har-ki paun (the god's footprints).

The last mela in Hardwar was held in 1986, when a stampede took nearly five dozen lives.

This time, however, officials in Lucknow claim that foolproof arrangements have been made to avoid overcrowding. While 30 new (permanent and temporary) bridges have been erected across the river, more than 15,000 policemen have been deployed, officials said. The administration has also arranged for a daily supply of 1.3 million litres of milk to meet the requirements of the mela.

Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, who has taken personal interest in the preparations, has himself visited the place twice since last month.

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