Given the water scarcity in the state this year, the pond at Ramkund in Nashik has dried up like never before.

So dry that after the NMC cleaned the concrete base of the water body, children took it as an opportunity to play cricket there.

There is no previous record whatsoever of the pond at the famous religious site having ever dried up completely, up until now.

Thousands of devotees congregate in Ramkund to take a bath in the holy pond, while many go there to perform the last rites of their relatives. Even those who go to Ramkund to immerse the ashes of their deceased relatives are having a tough time.

Even though the main parvanis of the Kumbhmela celebrated there are over, some important dates are yet to be observed as part of the year-long festival. There are also a number of occasions throughout the month during which people take a holy dip in the Ramkund pond. For now, all these activities have come to a complete stop.