Thousands take holy dip in Ganga, Punpun sangam on Kartik Purnima

Patna: Thousands of devotees from across Bihar flocked to the Ganga ghats in Patna district for a holy dip on Kartik Purnima, also known as Dev Deepawali, beginning at the crack of dawn on Wednesday.

The maximum gathering was at Triveni Ghat in Fatuha, where river Ganga meets Punpun — a site revered for its spiritual potency.Other major ghats, including Digha, Gandhi, Collectorate, Mastana, Katiya, and Krishna ghats, were packed from 4am until late night, with priests and pilgrims chanting mantras and offering prayers under the glowing full moon.Suman Gupta, a native of Muzaffarpur, left for Patna late on Tuesday night and arrived at 3.30am with his wife Binita and kids.

“We reached early to complete the rituals in peace before the crowd swelled. We bathed in the Ganga river and offered prayers in peace,” he said.At Triveni Ghat, Rekha Devi, a 62-year-old from Danapur, stood waist-deep in the river and prayed for her family’s health and son’s job. “They say bathing where the Ganga flows northward washes away all sins and fulfils the deepest wishes,” she shared, clutching a small brass pot.

Local priest Jaishanker Mishra, performing rituals at Kali ghat, explained the day’s significance: "Kartik Purnima is the full moon of devotion. This is when Lord Vishnu rests in the (mythical) ‘Kshir Sagar’, and a dip —especially at a sangam like Triveni — grants punya equal to a thousand Ashwamedha yagnas.”The district administration deployed over 500 police personnel, set up temporary changing rooms and banned vehicular movement on roads leading to the ghats. Lifeguards, medical teams and boats were on standby. Despite the crowds, no untoward incidents were reported across the district.As the sun set, many devotees carried home the holy Gangajal in bottles, while others visited nearby temples, including Hanuman Mandir and Mahavir Mandir.