The 2021 Haridwar Kumbh took place during the second wave of COVID-19. The state cut the formal mela to one month, 1 to 30 April 2021, required pilgrims to show a negative RT-PCR test, and held its shahi snans on 11 March, 12 April, 14 April and 27 April. After the Prime Minister’s appeal on 17 April, several akharas ended their participation early.
A shortened season
The Kumbh at Haridwar usually lasts around three and a half months; the 2010 mela ran from 14 January to 28 April. In February 2020 the state had announced a full calendar for 2021 from Makar Sankranti in January to Chaitra Purnima in April.
On 19 February 2021 the Chief Minister, Trivendra Singh Rawat, said the Kumbh would begin on 1 April and be limited to 28 days because of the pandemic, the first time it had been held for such a short period. A notification issued on 24 March 2021 set the mela from 1 to 30 April. As PTI reported it, the notified Kumbh area reached beyond Haridwar to Tapovan, the Rishikesh bypass and Neelkanth Mahadev.
The bathing days
These are the days announced in February 2020. The first shahi snan, on Mahashivratri, fell before the formal one-month mela began.
| Date | Bathing day | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 14 January 2021 | Makar Sankranti | Snan |
| 11 February 2021 | Mauni Amavasya | Snan |
| 16 February 2021 | Basant Panchami | Snan |
| 27 February 2021 | Magh Purnima | Snan |
| 11 March 2021 | Mahashivratri | Shahi snan |
| 12 April 2021 | Somvati Amavasya | Shahi snan |
| 13 April 2021 | Nav Samvatsar | Snan |
| 14 April 2021 | Baisakhi (Mesh Sankranti) | Shahi snan |
| 21 April 2021 | Ram Navami | Snan |
| 27 April 2021 | Chaitra Purnima | Shahi snan |
On the 12 April shahi snan the mela police said the public could use Har Ki Pauri until 7 am, after which it was kept for the akharas. On 14 April it was reserved for them alone, and pilgrims bathed at other ghats in Haridwar and Rishikesh. Vehicles were kept out of the city from 8 to 15 April.
The COVID rules
- A test before arrival. The Uttarakhand High Court made a negative RT-PCR report, not older than 72 hours before arrival, mandatory for devotees.
- Vaccination. Devotees who had been vaccinated had to upload their certificate on an official portal.
- Masks and distancing. The Chief Secretary asked officials to enforce face masks, hand hygiene and social distancing.
- Central oversight. On 15 March 2021 the Union Health Ministry sent a team led by the Director of NCDC to check how its SOP for the Kumbh was being carried out.
How the mela ended
On 17 April 2021 the Prime Minister said he had spoken to Swami Avdheshanand Giri of Juna Akhara and appealed that, with two shahi snans over, the Kumbh should now be kept symbolic. Hours later the Juna Akhara announced the end of its participation. By 19 April the Niranjani, Anand, Avahan, Agni and Kinnar akharas had also ended theirs, and the DGP said most sanyasi camps had been vacated, with seers of the six Bairagi akharas staying for the last bath.
The last shahi snan, on Chaitra Purnima, 27 April, was a subdued affair; PTI reported that around 670 seers had bathed by 10:45 am. The mela formally closed on 30 April.
Why it matters for 2027
The official Haridwar Kumbh website lists 2021 in its timeline of Kumbh years. The 2027 mela, six years later, is planned over a longer season again: eleven bathing days from 14 January to 20 April 2027, all provisional. The 2021 rules applied to that year only. Read whether Haridwar 2027 is an Ardh Kumbh or a Kumbh, why shahi snan is now called Amrit Snan, and the Haridwar Kumbh 2027 updates.
Sources
- Shahi snan dates for Kumbh 2021 announced · Press Trust of India (via Business Standard) ·
- Haridwar Kumbh mela to be held from April 1: All you need to know · Press Trust of India (via Business Standard) ·
- Kumbh duration curtailed to one month; Covid-19 negative report mandatory · Press Trust of India (via Business Standard) ·
- High level Central team deployed to review Medical Care and Public Health arrangements for Kumbh Mela at Haridwar · Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India ·
- Kumbh Mela: Thousands take dip in Ganga on Shahi Snan amid rising COVID cases · Press Trust of India (via The Week) ·
- Difficult to ensure social distancing at Kumbh site, says Sanjay Gunjyal · ANI (via Business Standard) ·
- Shahi snan in Haridwar: Lakhs ignore Covid-19 concerns to take holy dip · Press Trust of India (via Deccan Herald) ·
- Keep Kumbh participation symbolic, urges PM Modi amid massive Covid surge · Press Trust of India (via Business Standard) ·
- Covid: Joona Akhara announces end of its participation in Kumbh Mela · Press Trust of India (via Business Standard) ·
- No crowds now: With akhadas pulling out, Kumbh Mela virtually over · Press Trust of India (via Business Standard) ·
- Kumbh Mela: Seers keep last Shahi Snan symbolic affair · Press Trust of India (via The Week) ·
- Haridwar Mahakumbh: entry of small and large vehicles banned from 8 to 15 April, traffic plan issued · Aaj Tak ·
- About Kumbh (Haridwar Kumbh 2027 official website) · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
- Snan and Events: Haridwar Kumbh 2027 (official website) · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
