Prayagraj

Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati left the Magh Mela here on Wednesday "with a heavy heart", ending his sit-in protest outside the Shankaracharya camp since January 18 over allegedly being prevented from taking a holy dip at the Sangam.

Before leaving the Magh Mela ground, the seer said his anguish was difficult to put into words. "Taking a dip in the Sangam is a path to the satisfaction of the inner soul, but my mind is so distressed today that I am leaving from here without bathing," he said.

"Today, words are not supporting me, and my voice feels heavy. We come to this sacred land of Prayagraj seeking spiritual peace, but today we are returning with a sense of emptiness and a heavy heart that we had never imagined," Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said.

He said the developments at Prayagraj had shaken his inner self and raised questions about collective faith in justice and humanity.

On January 18, Swami Avimukteshwaranand was riding a palanquin to the Sangam -- the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati river -- on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, when a dispute broke out as administrative and police officials asked him to dismount and proceed for the ritual bath on foot, citing heavy crowds.

ALSO READ: India’s-EU landmark FTA to spur growth, jobs, increase New Delhi's relevance

The Mela administration alleged that the Shankaracharya and his supporters broke a barricade on a pontoon bridge and moved towards the ghats, creating serious difficulties for the police in managing the situation.

Following the incident, there was an exchange of allegations between Swami Avimukteshwaranand and the police administration, and he ultimately left the Magh Mela on Wednesday without taking the holy dip.