'Amrit Snan' on Basant Panchami unhitched

Millions of people from across the globe converged at the Sangam from break of dawn on Monday for the third grand 'Amrit Shan' of the Maha Kumbh

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According to the schedule released by the Maha Kumbh authorities, the Amrit Snan (formerly known as 'Shahi Snan') commenced at 4 am with Akharas of the Sanyasi sect

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At break of dawn, seers from various Akharas, including the ash-smeared Naga sadhus, began their ceremonial journey towards the Triveni Sangam

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The Uttar Pradesh government, shaken by the deadly stampede, adopted a "zero errors" approach

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Unlike the Mauni Amavasya dip on January 29 when crowd pressure built up at the Sangam Nose, many devotees this time were seen taking bath at different ghats

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By 10 am, over 81.24 lakh devotees had taken dip in the Sangam, the UP govt said, adding that it expects a footfall of around five crore pilgrims on Monday alone

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Visuals showed rose petals being showered from a helicopter on the seers and pilgrims

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So far, the highest single-day turnout was seen on Mauni Amavasya (January 29) when eight crore devotees bathed in the Sangam

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While Monday's is the last Amrit Snan, two more special bathing dates fall on Feb 12 (Maghi Purnima) and Feb 26 (Mahashivratri)

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