Malappuram(Kerala), Feb 3 (PTI) The Maha Magha Mahotsavam, known as Kerala’s Kumbh Mela, which drew to a close on Tuesday witnessed the participation of around 20 lakh devotees, its organisers said.
Participants
took a bath in the Bharathapuzha river, here on the banks of which the religious festival was held.
The organisers claimed that around 20 lakh devotees arrived for the festival. The sages and ascetics from various religious groups across the country reached Thirunavaya here to take part in the sacred Magha bath, the organisers said.
The festival was inaugurated by Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on January 19.
Prayers and mantras were chanted late into the night on the last day of the festival as lakhs took a dip in the river.
The festival is being held at the historic Mamankam site, where a medieval festival was conducted once every 12 years on the banks of the Bharathapuzha.
Mamankam symbolised Kerala’s rich martial traditions and intense power struggles during the medieval period and came to an end after the British took control of Malabar in 1792. PTI HMP ADB
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