The month-long Magh Mela started on Friday with about 2 lakh devotees taking a bracing dip in the waters of the holy Sangam here on the occasion of 'Paush Purnima'. Devotees started flocking to the bathing ghats from 4 am.

Sangam is a confluence of three rivers -- Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati. This year, 14 ghats have been built for the ease of devotees. Screens have been installed in a control centre for monitoring the entire area of the fair and crowd management, an official of the Magh Mela administration said.

Five pontoon bridges have been built on the Ganga river for the smooth movement of devotees. The entry of vehicles into the fair area is prohibited, he said.