PRAYAGRAJ, Jan. 15 -- The first day of the two-day Makar Sankranti bathing, the second official bathing festival of the ongoing Magh Mela 2026, witnessed around 85 lakh devotees taking the holy dip in Sangam waters on Thursday. As per astrologers, the Makar Sankranti bathing is being held over two days, on January 14 and 15, even though the mela administration has formally marked January 15 as the day of the bathing fest. The bathing coincided with the pious occasion of Shatila Ekadashi, which led to a higher-than-expected number of devotees arriving at Sangam for the holy dip. According to Magh Mela officer Rishiraj, 85 lakh devotees took the holy dip in Sangam waters on the first day of Makar Sankranti. As per him, the crowd could swell further on Thursday, for which all arrangements were in place to handle the pressure.Beginning in the early hours of Wednesday morning, lakhs of devotees started bathing in the holy waters of Sangam, with hordes of them walking several kilometers to reach Sangam throughout the day. Vehicles heading towards Sangam were stopped at parking lots created on different routes. P3...