Overview
- Officials in Prayagraj reported roughly 50 lakh devotees bathed at the Sangam between Saturday evening and 4 am Sunday, after an estimated 1.5 crore took dips through Saturday.
- Authorities say the main-day turnout could reach 3–4 crore at the Magh Mela, citing continuing inflows through designated sectors and expanded ghat access.
- Security and logistics include more than 15,000 police, AI-enabled CCTV networks, water police and rescue teams, zoned crowd routing, and thousands of state-run buses.
- Devotees are timing rituals to Sarvartha Siddhi Yoga from 10:14 am on January 18 into the morning of January 19, with Brahma Muhurat bathing guided before sunrise.
- Pilgrims in Haridwar, Varanasi and Prayagraj observed Maun Vrat, holy baths, charity, and ancestor rites such as Tarpan and Pind Daan under tightened crowd management.