PRAYAGRAJ, Jan. 4 -- Magh Mela 2026 began on Saturday with the auspicious Paush Purnima bathing ritual, attracting an impressive turnout despite overcast skies and cold winds. Devotees started arriving at the Sangam as early as 4am and continued taking the holy dip throughout the day. According to mela administration officials, over 31 lakh devotees, including 5 lakh kalpwasis, had taken a holy dip in the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati by 8pm, with a steady flow of pilgrims continuing from the morning onwards. By 8am, over 6.5 lakh devotees had taken the ritual bath. The count climbed to 9 lakh by 10am, 15.3 lakh by 12 noon, and around 19 lakh by 2pm. By late afternoon, the figure had crossed 21.5 lakh by 5pm, with bathing continuing into the evening. Security personnel remained on high alert across the mela area and the district, manning entry and exit points throughout the day. Barricades were also erected at several locations within the mela grounds to regulate and control pilgrim movement. Top administrative and police officials supervised preparations and crowd management through Friday night and Saturday. Divisional commissioner Saumya Agarwal, police commissioner Jogendra Kumar, district magistrate Manish Kumar Verma, mela officer Rishiraj, and SSP (Mela) Neeraj Pandey inspected various sectors of the mela as well as the Sangam and the 10 surrounding ghats. Teams of ADMs and SDMs kept a strict watch across all seven sectors. Civil Defence personnel, led by deputy controller Neeraj Mishra and chief warden Anil Kumar, guided pilgrims, managed crowd flow, cleared ghats, and assisted the elderly, throughout the day, amid the cold weather. Saturday also witnessed commencement of month-long Kalpvas for over 4 lakh devotees on the banks of the holy Triveni. Mela officer Rishi Raj said the month of Magh began smoothly with the Paush Purnima bath. "All arrangements related to security, health, and sanitation are in place. Teams are working to ensure that no devotee faces any inconvenience. Preparations are already underway for the next major bathing festival of Makar Sankranti on January 15," he added. SSP (Mela) Neeraj Pandey said that more than 1500 CCTV cameras were being used to monitor the city as well as the mela area 24x7 from the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC). "Security personnel equipped with modern technology were effectively managing the crowd. Public address systems, watchtowers, and active patrolling by the water police at the ghats are ensuring smooth and organised facilities for the devotees," he added....