The banks of the Ganga (Hooghly) were teeming with pilgrims and devotees at the Sagar Island and Kolkata from the crack of dawn on Makar Sankranti on Tuesday. Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars will align in the night sky, including around the time of Sankranti. This alignment is part of a planetary parade that lasts for several weeks and is considered highly auspicious
Ashim Paul and Soumyajit DeySadhus take a holy dip at the Sagar Island after sounding a traditional wind instrument
Ashim PaulThe silhouette of pilgrims against glistening waters of the Ganga and the rising sun provide the perfect photographic capture at Sagar Island on Tuesday morning
Ashim PaulDevotees immersed in puja rituals at the Sagar Island
Pintu MondalDevotees at Babughat perform puja rituals after taking a holy dip in the Hooghly
Soumyajit DeyJostling crowds in and around the Kapil Muni Ashram at Sagar Island on Poush Sankranti
Pintu MondalThe Indian Coast Guard has introduced a remote-operated life-saving buoy to rescue drowning devotees taking a holy dip at Ganga Sagar Island
Pintu MondalSubrata Haldar from Joynagar in South 24-Parganas district sits outside Dum Dum station with homemade ‘tilkuts’, ‘kadma’, ‘patisapta’ and ‘patali gur’ on Makar Sankranti
Amit Datta