India, Jan. 29 -- Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati left the Magh Mela on Wednesday "with a heavy heart", ending his sit-in protest outside the Shankaracharya camp since January 18 over allegedly being prevented from taking a holy dip at the Sangam. Before leaving the Magh Mela ground, the seer said his anguish was difficult to put into words.

"Taking a dip in the Sangam is a path to the satisfaction of the inner soul, but my mind is so distressed today that I am leaving from here without bathing," he said.

"Today, words are not supporting me, and my voice feels heavy. We come to this sacred land of Prayagraj seeking spiritual peace, but today we are returning with a sense of emptiness and a heavy heart that we had never...