Thousands of devotees from the Hindi heartland have reached Ganagasagar a week before Makar Sankranti for the ritual holy dip, because this year they want to head for Ayodhya to visit the Ram temple soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates it on January 22.

“We usually come during Makar Sankranti in mid-January. This year, we changed our plans because of the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. We plan to visit the Ram temple a day or two after its inauguration. So, we decided to come to Gangasagar early,” said Ramadhar Yadav, a farmer in his late sixties and a resident of a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Kheri district.

This year, Makar Sankranti falls on January 15.

A trader at Gangasagar Mela said the flow of visitors this year was much higher at the beginning of January than it was during this period in previous years. “Yes, this time people from other states have started coming a bit early,” he said.

Gangasagar, the second largest congregation in the country after Kumbh, witnesses a footfall of around 80-90 lakh every year during the week of Makar Sankranti.

Usually, pilgrims in groups stay for one or two days at Gangasagar and leave after taking the holy dip in the Bay of Bengal and offering puja at Kapil Muni temple.

A group of around 60 arrived at Gangasagar from Vidisha district in Madhya Pradesh on Monday. A few members of the group told The Telegraph why they came early.

“At first, we thought of cancelling our visit to Gangasagar this year. Then, we planned to visit Gangasagar early because we believe in taking a holy bath here before having a darshan of Ram Lalla (in Ayodhya),” said Ganesh Soni, 56, who works in a private company in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna district.

Pilgrims from various parts of Bengal apart, most devotees come Gangasagar from Hindi heartland states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar. Many also come from Odisha, Jharkhand, and Punjab.

Considering the popularity of Gangasagar among Hindu devotees, the Mamata Banerjee government has focused on better amenities for the pilgrims this year.

Mamata, who reached Gangasagar on Monday to oversee preparations, inaugurated the fair that will continue till January 17. Illuminations of the fairground and temples, which cost Rs 8 crore, were inaugurated by Mamata on Monday.

“I have also sent a letter to Unesco for recognition of Gangasagar as one of the world heritage sites,” she said after switching on the illumination project.

Security has also been beefed up. This time, the state government has installed 1,125 CCTV cameras from Outram ghat in Calcutta to the fairground to be managed by a centralised control room at the island.

After landing at Gangasagar by a chopper on Monday afternoon, Mamata inaugurated a slew of development projects worth Rs 61.55 crore, including two bridges to connect Gangasagar to neighbouring islands.

Speaking to reporters, Mamata attacked the Narendra Modi government for not recognising the Gangasagar Mela as a national congregation like the Kumbh. “They (the Centre) spent crores on Kumbh but did not give a penny for Gangasagar.”