My Tryst with Mahakumbh

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YouTube did its magic and showed me incessant reels of the Mahakumbh Mela – the once in a lifetime phenomenon. Before we knew it, we booked our bus tickets and were off to Prayagrag.  

(Image credit: Pixabay)

My husband and I went with a cousin and the three of us boarded an overnight bus on Friday night, January 30th, from ISBT Kashmere Gate at 7:30 PM. It was a Bharat Benz that had both seater and sleeper coaches. We were provided bottled water and left for Prayagraj around 7:40 PM. 

We reached on the morning of 1st February around 9 am at the Bela Kachher parking lot. This parking lot is one of the common assembly points. This parking lot is about 15 km from Triveni Ghat. From there, there were several shuttle services which have been provided by the State Government. They took us to a common meeting point called Bharat Scouts, which was 5-6 km away from the Triveni Sangam. From there on, buses were no longer allowed, but other forms of public transportation were available, including rickshaws and autos. The fares were nominal and there were only a few patches on the road which were congested. 

We were dropped off at the Ghats from where Triveni Sangam was a 1.5 to 2 km walk. Throngs of crowds were visible and the management seemed decent. There were police booths available every few meters and the personnel deployed urged everyone to not stand at one spot and keep the crowd moving. 

You can check out the many temples surrounding the Ghats including Lete Hanuman Mandir.  

The only problem we encountered was to do with public facilities. Even though temporary washrooms and urinals had been created by the Government, the civic sense of the general public at large was missing. That is a factor which the Government cannot control.  If you are heading there expecting such facilities at your leisure, you would have a hard time. 

It is impressive that there were no exorbitant rates for basic amenities. Public transportation has been provided by the Government at capped prices and the autos too are available at decent rates. As for the small tea shops or other snacks, there were plenty of options available. We only treated ourselves to a few glasses of ganne ka juice which only retailed at Rs. 20 a glass.  

The weather there was pretty warm as compared to Delhi. The afternoon heat was particularly scorching so it would be wise to check the weather before heading there and packing accordingly.  

Our return back home was slated the same night with the same sleeper bus. We got free well in time and I managed to spot a café near our parking lot – Dobara Café where we were able to while away a few hours leading to our flight. The ride back home was satisfactory more so with the knowledge that we were able to accomplish smoothly what we had set out to do. It was a simple content trip and we managed to make the most of it.  

Har Har Gange.  


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