Narmadapuram (Madhya Pradesh): The rainy morning could not deter devotees as thousands of them gathered to take a holy dip on the occasion of Kartik Purnima on Monday in the fair organised at Bandrabhan-- the confluence of Narmada and Tawa rivers in Narmadapuram. Over 90 thousand devotees had taken bath by 10 am.
More than 1.5 lakh people are expected to take bath at the Sangam throughout the day. A large number of devotees have also reached Gwarighat, Barman, Narsinghpur, Mandla and Omkareshwar of Jabalpur for the sacred dip.
A four-day fair is ongoing in Bandrabhan which started on November 25 and will conclude on November 28. Devotees had camped on the banks of Sangam since Sunday night for the main bath. After taking a bath in the morning, they worshipped the Narmada river. More than 500 shops are set up in the fair and devotees from nearby districts have also come to take blessings of Goddess Narmada.
Talking about the security arrangements on the spot, Home Guard Platoon Commandant Amrita Dixit said that 70 soldiers are deployed for the security of the devotees. 5 boats are also continuously patrolling.
Special significance of bathing before sunrise
Taking a bath at the Sangam before sunrise on the day of Kartik Purnima has special significance. However, this time due to rain since 4 am, the number of devotees taking bath before sunrise was less. Fog and mist remained in the air till 8 in the morning. The number of devotees started increasing after 9 am. Though the rain stopped at 7 am, it started again at 10.30 am.
