Shimla, Jan 14 (IANS): Braving extreme cold, tens of thousands of people across Himachal Pradesh on Sunday took holy dips in rivers to mark Makar Sankranti, a Hindu festival dedicated to the deity Surya.

Since early morning, the devotees were seen congregating at Tattapani, 55 km from the state capital, and Manikaran, home to a Sikh shrine in Kullu district, for taking bath in the Satluj and Parvati rivers, respectively, officials said.

Tattapani and Manikaran are known for hot water springs with high sulphur concentration.

Holding of community kitchens to mark the occasions is common. The natural and prominent hot springs, which disappeared after the construction of the 800 MW Koldam hydroelectric power project executed by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) along the Satluj in Tattapani, have been restored.

The devotees also visited the Vashist temple, located on the outskirts of the popular tourist resort Manali.

The temple is situated on the left bank of the Beas River, also known for its hot springs.

Shimla-based Durga Devi Bihari Lal Brochan Lal Charitable Trust has been holding the traditional ‘khichdi bhandara’ on Makar Sankranti at Tattapani for 95 years. This time it cooked 500 kg ‘khichdi’ to serve to nearly 5,000 visitors, said trust president Ramesh Chand Sood.

In 2020, the ‘khichdi’, weighing 1,995 kg, was prepared jointly by the state Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation and the trust in a single utensil to mark Makar Sankranti and entered the Guinness World Records.

Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of the country. It also marks the beginning of warmer and longer days compared to the nights.