Recognising the increasing global demand of the sacred Holy water of the Triveni Sangam, the Uttar Pradesh government announced on Friday that it has dispatched 1,000 bottles of the holy water to devotees in Germany. This marks the first international consignment aimed at extending the spiritual significance of the Maha Kumbh beyond India.
The grand Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj, held from January 13 to February 26, saw an unprecedented turnout, with over 66 crore devotees taking a sacred dip at the Triveni Sangam, according to a statement from the Uttar Pradesh government.
UP government's statement
"To extend the spiritual essence of this divine event beyond the festival grounds, the Uttar Pradesh government, through the Fire Department, ensured the distribution of Triveni's holy water to all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh," the government said. "Now, this sacred water is gaining international recognition, with the first consignment already dispatched from Prayagraj to Germany," the statement added.
After the conclusion of the Maha Kumbh, the UP government resolved to deliver Sangam water as 'Maha Prasad' to devotees across the state who could not attend the event, it noted. "However, with growing overseas interest, requests have started coming in from abroad. The initial international consignment -- comprising 1,000 glass bottles of Ganga water -- has been sent to Germany," it said.
This shipment was facilitated by Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Avdheshanand Giri of Shri Panch Dashnam Juna Akhara and is intended for devotees in Germany who could not make it to the pilgrimage, it added.
Rajiv Kumar Singh, the Deputy Commissioner of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) in Prayagraj, shared that the holy Ganga water is being packaged and distributed by the Nari Shakti Mahila Prerna Sankul-level committee from Jasra. Namita Singh, the committee in-charge, said the self-help group had already distributed over 50,000 bottles of Triveni water, including a recent shipment to the Shiv Shambhu Group Society in Nagpur. The domestic consignments were packaged in 500 ml bottles, while those sent to Germany were in 250 ml bottles.
The distribution process received support from the Fire Department, which assisted in covering all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. During this ongoing effort, Sant Raja Ramdas of Param Shivam Shiv Mandir Yogashram in Guwahati arrived at the Triveni Sangam with a private tanker from Assam.
With the help of Pramod Sharma, Chief Fire Officer of Prayagraj, and his team, the tanker was filled with the holy water and sent back to Assam, further extending the spiritual reach of the Triveni water, said the statement.
(PTI inputs)
