Simhastha Kumbh: President Murmu invited to the 31 October flag-hoisting at Nashik and Trimbakeshwar; amrit snan on 2 Aug, 31 Aug and 11–12 Sept 2027

The Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela formally begins at 12.02 pm on Saturday, 31 October 2026, when the religious flag (dharmadhwaj) is raised at the same moment at Ramkund in Nashik’s Panchavati and at Kushavarta Tirtha in Trimbakeshwar. President Droupadi Murmu was invited to the ceremony in New Delhi on Wednesday, 21 October. The first amrit snan, the main holy bath, falls on Monday, 2 August 2027.

Who invited the President, and where

• According to the state’s Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (Mahasamvad), a delegation led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called on the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan and formally asked her to attend the flag-hoisting.
• The delegation included Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar; Kumbh Mela minister and Nashik guardian minister Girish Mahajan; ministers Chhagan Bhujbal, Dadaji Bhuse and Narhari Zirwal; Divisional Commissioner Dr Praveen Gedam, who chairs the Simhastha Kumbh Mela Authority; and Kumbh Mela Commissioner Shekhar Singh.
• The invitation also covers the other events lined up for that day: the Goda Aarti, the Kumbh Mela Authority’s new website going live, the Kumbh anthem, a coffee-table book and a Kumbh postage stamp.
• The invitation came with a gift set that included a Yeola Paithani sari, forest produce from the Tribal Development Department’s Shabari Naturals, and Nashik’s black raisins and chivda.
• Deccan Chronicle quoted Deputy CM Shinde telling reporters in Delhi that the President will attend on 31 October. We have not yet seen an official programme for the visit from Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The key dates

The amrit snan dates were announced on 1 June 2025 in Nashik, at a meeting the Chief Minister held with sadhus and mahants of the 13 akharas. As listed in the government’s official release:

• Flag-hoisting (start of the Simhastha): Saturday, 31 October 2026, 12.02 pm; Ramkund, Nashik and Kushavarta, Trimbakeshwar
• First amrit snan: Monday, 2 August 2027 (Ashadh Somvati Amavasya); Nashik and Trimbakeshwar
• Second amrit snan (Mahakumbh snan): Tuesday, 31 August 2027 (Shravan Amavasya); Nashik and Trimbakeshwar
• Third amrit snan, Nashik: Saturday, 11 September 2027 (Bhadrapad Shuddha Ekadashi)
• Third amrit snan, Trimbakeshwar: Sunday, 12 September 2027 (Vaman Dwadashi)

Reports from the same meeting add that the akharas will raise their own flags at Sadhugram on 24 July 2027, the Nagar Pradakshina procession will be on 29 July 2027, and the Simhastha will close with the lowering of the flag on 24 July 2028, making this edition roughly 22 months long. Besides the three amrit snans, the government lists 44 auspicious bathing days (parva snan) at Nashik and 53 at Trimbakeshwar; one newspaper put the figure at 42. In Nashik, every Ekadashi, full moon and new moon in the Simhastha period is also a day for pilgrimage and darshan.

Preparations and spending

• Guardian minister Girish Mahajan said at a review meeting on 19 September that development works worth about ₹35,000 crore had been planned for the Simhastha.
• In a written reply in the Lok Sabha in July, Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the state had given administrative approval to a ₹22,425.39 crore development plan (Dainik Prahaar). The two figures refer to different stages.
• The legislature’s monsoon session approved a ₹3,000 crore supplementary demand for Kumbh works; the Urban Development Department has reportedly issued an order releasing ₹1,800 crore of it to the Authority.
• In August the Chief Minister said in Nashik that the Sadhugram land is being acquired permanently at a cost of about ₹2,500 crore.
• In Trimbakeshwar, work is under way on the darshan path, roads, ghats and the Kushavarta area. Collector Ayush Prasad has set 25 October as the deadline for the Kushavarta works.

What pilgrims should know

• The Ramkund area, from the Ahilyabai Holkar bridge to the Talkuteshwar temple, is closed to devotees until 31 October for works. Dashakriya rites continue at designated spots; the administration has asked people to perform other rituals elsewhere.
• The Collector has said the Trimbakeshwar temple will stay open on 31 October, but only pass holders will get darshan, with 3,000 passes available to control crowds. Find out where passes are issued before you set out.
• Expect traffic diversions and security restrictions in Nashik and Trimbakeshwar on 30 and 31 October because of VIP visits. A procession and a village circuit (gram parikrama) are proposed for 30 October.
• If you plan to attend an amrit snan in 2027, book stays and travel early, and remember that the third bath falls on different days in Nashik and Trimbakeshwar.
• For final schedules, routes and advisories, follow the Kumbh Mela Authority’s official website (due to go live on 31 October) and announcements from the district administration.

Sources: Mahasamvad (invitation to the President, 21 October 2026); Mahasamvad (amrit snan dates, 1 June 2025); Mahasamvad (flag-hoisting preparations, 19 September 2026); Mahasamvad (flag-hoisting review, 16 October 2026); Mahasamvad (Sadhugram, 28 August 2026); Deccan Chronicle; Lokmat; Pudhari; eSakal (Trimbakeshwar temple); ETV Bharat (Ramkund closure); Prahaar (development plan); Navarashtra (₹1,800 crore release)