OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: Thousands of devotees on Wednesday took ritual baths at Parshuram Kund in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lohit district and at Akashi Ganga in Lower Siang district on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, officials said. At Parshuram Kund near Wakro, pilgrims gathered early in the morning and braved the cold weather to take a holy dip. Wakro Additional Deputy Commissioner Apolo James Lungphi said around 90,000 devotees had bathed at the site between January 12 and January 14. The festival was being observed peacefully without any law-and-order issues, Lungphi said. On Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein inaugurated the Parshuram Kund Mela, along with a newly built guest house and a monumental national flag installation at the pilgrimage site on the banks of the Lohit River.
Mein said Parshuram Kund held significant spiritual importance and attracted pilgrims from across the region every year during Makar Sankranti. The Lohit district administration had put in place arrangements including CCTV surveillance, public address systems, health services and security deployment for the mela. Deputy Commissioner K N Damo appealed to visitors to cooperate in maintaining cleanliness and order. Officials said the annual Parshuram Kund Mela drew pilgrims from the Northeast and other states, with local agencies coordinating security, transport and essential services during the festival period. Meanwhile, thousands of devotees also gathered at Akashi Ganga near Likabali in Lower Siang district to take ritual baths on the occasion, an official report said. Around 10,000 devotees from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and neighbouring states visited the site.