Magh Mela 2027 · Bathing day
Mahashivratri Snan at Magh Mela 2027: Saturday 6 March
The Mahashivratri snan, the last main bath of Magh Mela 2027, is expected on Saturday 6 March 2027 at the Sangam. It closes the season that began with Makar Sankranti on 15 January.
Mahashivratri is kept on the night of Phalguna Krishna Chaturdashi. In 2027 its midnight hours fall in the early hours of Sunday 7 March, by the Tirth calendar. The same day is the first Amrit Snan of Haridwar Kumbh 2027.
The day at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday 6 March 2027 (expected) |
| Weekday | Saturday |
| Tithi at sunrise | Krishna Trayodashi at sunrise; Mahashivratri is kept on the night of Phalguna Krishna Chaturdashi, which begins at about noon |
| Place | The Sangam, Prayagraj, where the Ganga and the Yamuna meet |
| Which bath | The last of six main bathing days of Magh Mela 2027 |
| Status | Provisional: from the Hindu calendar, not yet listed by the Prayagraj Mela Authority |
| What the day means | The great night of Shiva, and the last main bath of the Magh Mela. |
What Mahashivratri means by tradition
Mahashivratri is the great night of Shiva. The Tirth calendar fixes it by the Chaturdashi (fourteenth day) of the dark half of Phalguna that is current at midnight, the nishita kaal. It gives Saturday 6 March 2027, with the midnight period, the nishita kaal, in the early hours of Sunday 7 March; the exact minutes differ from city to city.
The Prayagraj Mela Authority links the day with Lord Shankar (Shiva), says that according to mythology it is awaited even in the heavens, and describes it as the final holy bath of the kalpvasis, although by tradition the month of kalpvas itself ends on Maghi Purnima.
At Prayagraj it closes the mela. In 2026 too, the Magh Mela ended with the Mahashivratri bath, All India Radio reported.
At the Sangam on Mahashivratri
Pilgrims bathe at the Sangam, where the Ganga and the Yamuna meet. Some walk across the riverbank to the bathing ghats laid out for the mela; others take a boat from the ghat near the fort out to the meeting point, where, the district says, priests sit on small platforms in the river and help pilgrims with puja and the ritual bath. Read the Sangam guide for the ghats, the boats and the shrines nearby.
Near the Sangam, the Mankameshwar temple, west of the fort along the Yamuna, has a black stone lingam of Shiva. For other shrines around the confluence, see holy places of Prayagraj.
Mahashivratri in the Magh Mela season
Mahashivratri is the last of six main bathing days, and it closes the Magh Mela season.
- Friday 15 January: Makar Sankranti, the first bath; by tradition, the day daan begins at the mela.
- Friday 22 January: Paush Purnima, the full moon on which kalpvas begins, by tradition.
- Saturday 6 February: Mauni Amavasya, the new moon of Magha and, by tradition, the main bath of the mela.
- Thursday 11 February: Basant Panchami, Saraswati and the turn towards spring.
- Saturday 20 February: Maghi Purnima, the full moon on which kalpvas ends, by tradition.
- Saturday 6 March: Mahashivratri, the night of Shiva and the last bath of the mela (this page).
| Date and tithi | Bathing day | Status | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 15 Jan 2027Pausha Shukla Saptami | Makar SankrantiSangam | Expected | |
| Fri 22 Jan 2027Pausha Purnima | Paush PurnimaSangam | Expected | |
| Sat 6 Feb 2027Magha Amavasya | Mauni AmavasyaSangam | Expected | |
| Thu 11 Feb 2027Magha Shukla Panchami | Basant PanchamiSangam | Expected | |
| Sat 20 Feb 2027Magha Shukla Chaturdashi at sunrise | Maghi PurnimaSangam | Expected | |
| Sat 6 Mar 2027Phalguna Krishna Trayodashi at sunrise | MahashivratriSangam | Expected |
The same date is the first of the four Amrit Snans of Haridwar Kumbh 2027.
For all six days side by side, see the Magh Mela 2027 bathing days, and for the start and end of the season, Magh Mela 2027 start and end date.
Plan the visit
- Main bathing days usually draw large numbers of pilgrims; follow police and mela instructions on the day.
- Expect to walk. At the 2025 Maha Kumbh, the mela authority kept vehicles out of the mela area from the day before to the day after each main bathing day, and put parking 1 to 2 km from the ghats. The traffic rules for 2027 have not been announced.
- Mahashivratri is a festival of the night as well as a bath. If you plan to keep the night at a temple too, decide where you will stay before you travel; read where to stay for Magh Mela 2027.
- For trains, buses and flights, read how to reach Prayagraj; for a tent on the mela ground or a hotel in the city, read where to stay for Magh Mela 2027.
- Book only what you can cancel until the Prayagraj Mela Authority publishes its list, and check who runs a camp before you pay: how to check a Kumbh booking.
The day by the panchang
Sunrise, the tithi and when it changes, and sunset at the bathing place, calculated by the Tirth panchang.
- Sunrise6:21 am
- Tithi at sunriseTrayodashi until 12:03 pm
- From 12:03 pmChaturdashi until 1:46 pm the next day
- Paksha and monthKrishna paksha, Magha (amanta) or Phalguna (purnimanta)
- Observed asMaha Shivaratri, Masik Shivaratri
- Sunset6:07 pm
The panchang gives the day's timings by tradition; it does not set bathing times. The mela administration decides when each ghat opens and the order of the akhara processions. Follow its plan, the police and mela instructions on the day.
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Questions people ask
When is the Mahashivratri snan at Magh Mela 2027?
On Saturday 6 March 2027, by the Hindu calendar. It is the last of the six main bathing days and stays expected until the Prayagraj Mela Authority publishes its list.
Is Mahashivratri the last bathing day of Magh Mela 2027?
Yes, by the calendar. The season runs from Makar Sankranti on 15 January to Mahashivratri on 6 March 2027. In 2026 too, the mela ended with the Mahashivratri bath.
Why is Mahashivratri on 6 March when its midnight falls on 7 March?
The festival is the night of 6 March. The Chaturdashi that decides it begins at about noon on 6 March and is current at midnight, in the early hours of 7 March by the clock, so calendars keep Mahashivratri on Saturday 6 March.
Is 6 March 2027 also a bathing day at Haridwar?
Yes. It is the first Amrit Snan of Haridwar Kumbh 2027.