LUCKNOW, Jan. 30 -- Amid the huge surge of pilgrims primarily headed for Prayagraj, several thousand vehicles and people remain stranded for hours on different highways, as state authorities have been rushed in to control crowd inflow to the Mahakumbh.

Besides Prayagraj, devotees coming from faraway districts and states are now spilling over into other pilgrimage towns of Ayodhya, Varanasi and Chitrakoot, stretching district administrations to their limits in an effort to keep things running smoothly.

This swell of devotees is bound to increase further as the next Amrit Snan of the Mahakumbh is only a few days away - on February 3.

"We have made holding areas in Prayagraj's adjoining districts including Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Kaush...