Prayagraj, Jan 15 (IANS): Braving chilly winds and freezing temperatures, millions of devotees took a holy dip in rivers in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj on Monday, marking the beginning of the Magh Mela.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) (Magh Mela) Rajeev Narain Mishra said, “The entire Mela campus has turned into a fortress after deploying around 5,000 personnel, including companies of paramilitary forces and devotees began taking a holy dip since midnight.

"The Mela police have made adequate security arrangements for January 15 snan and around 70 lakh devotees are likely to take holy dip on the occasion.”

Makar Sankranti is the first major bathing day of the 53-day long Magh Mela.

For the first major 'snan', a total of 24 ghats, including 22 bathing and two boat ghats, have been prepared on the banks of Ganga.

Laying of straw, along with levelling of uneven ground, was also carried out at a war footing on the entire ghats and the approach areas to prevent devotees from slipping.