Maha Kumbh, the largest spiritual gathering in the world, is going on in full swing in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. People from all walks of life and across the globe are flocking to the city to attend this fair. On February 12, on the occasion of Maghi Purnima, huge crowds headed to Maha Kumbh and this caused hours-long traffic jams. The huge number of pilgrims also caused the prices of accommodations and transportation around the city to skyrocket. One such pilgrim shared his ordeal and revealed how expensive it is to travel to Prayagraj right now. Scroll on to know more about his experience.
Pilgrim Shares His Ordeal During Maghi Purnima At Maha Kumbh
Dinesh Rana, a pilgrim visiting Maha Kumbh on Maghi Purnima, shared his experience with News18. He revealed that he was visiting the spiritual mela with his friends by bus. Usually, it takes 10-12 hours to reach Prayagraj by road. However, it took the group about two days to reach the city because of traffic. They were dropped 20 kilometres away from the Sangam coast, where they planned to take the holy dip.
He shared that while looking for further transportation, he thought of taking an e-rickshaw. However, during Maghi Purnima, e-rickshaws were not ready to take the group to the Sangam coast for less than ₹1,000. Some bikers even offered to take them to their destination for ₹500-600. The group of friends, however, decided to walk the 20-km stretch.
Once they reached the coast, they thought of booking rooms to rest before heading to the ghat for snan. They found that the hotels that usually offer rooms for ₹1,000 per day were now asking ₹5,000 per hour, due to the increased demand during Maha Kumbh!
Returned Home Without The Customary Dip
As told to News18, Dinesh and his friends kept looking for a cheaper hotel in Prayagraj, but luck was not on their side. So, they all decided to head back home, without taking the customary dip at Maha Kumbh, which they travelled so long for! Even in the city, while a bottle of water cost ₹20, a cup of tea was available for ₹50.
They had to travel a lot to get back to the bus that was supposed to take them home as it was parked on the outskirts of the city. Again, due to the huge crowd, there were a lot of devotees eager to board the bus and some even tried to enter it from the driver’s side!
Have you visited Maha Kumbh yet? How has your experience been? Let us know in the comments.
Cover Image Courtesy: X/MahaaKumbh
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