Mahakumbh 2001

The important bathing dates: It is believed that the Jupiter (Brihaspati), the sun and the moon helped in protecting the amrit kumbh from being snatched by the demons, hence, the position of these three planets determine the principal bathing days. It is believed that bathing during Kumbh cleanses the bather's souls of all sins, past and present and grants him salvation. According to the Puranas, the water at the Sangam (confluence) has been referred to as amrit or elixir of life.

1st Holy Dip Jan 9 Paush Purnima

2nd Holy Dip Jan 14 Makar Sankranti

3rd Holy Dip Jan 24 Mauni Amavasya

4th Holy Dip Jan 29 Basant Panchami

5th Holy Dip Feb 8 Maghi Purnima

6th Holy Dip Feb 21 Mahashivratri

Coping with the crowd

During the first Mahakumbh of the millennium (Jan 9-Feb 21) Allahabad will be the most densely populated city of the world; as around 3 crore people are expected to attend the festival. It will accommodate over 50 times more than its own population (12 lakh).

The entire mela site is divided into 15 sectors. With a budget of Rs 165 crore the sandy ghats of Yamuna and the Ganges have turned into an organised tent-city. Special police headquarters have been set up and over 200 police posts erected all over the site.

• About 10,000 security personnel, drawn from various units including the army, have been deployed
• Over 145 km of pipelines for water supply, especially to the mela site, have been laid. This does not include the 120-km long connecting pipes. All these would be serviced by 26 tube-wells bored at the ghats
• 450 km of overhead power linkage has been set up to be serviced by 35 dedicated sub-stations to light up 15,000 street lights
• Camp site for over 5,000 ashrams set up to accommodate millions of devotees
• To control fire, 1,090 fire hydrants set up
• 140 km of makeshift metal plate and kuccha roads constructed
• A 100-bed hospital and over a dozen 20-bed primary health centres set up
• 20,000 toilets and 50,000 trench latrines will take care of the sanitation
• 5,000 temporary telephone connections specially provided at the mela site
• 7,000 sweepers will work around-the-clock to clear garbage
• Sniffer dogs and night-vision equipment will be used to detect explosives
• 15 temporary pontoon bridges have been built over Ganga and Yamuna to connect all the ghats and smooth movements of the devotees
• Devotees can buy food, gas and other articles of daily use from the specially made shopping areas in each sector
• To prevent any food adulteration, a team of food inspectors has been deployed
• A laboratory has also been set up to check the quality of drinking water