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Photographing the Kumbh: Drone Rules, Consent and Respect

KumbhMela.info Editorial TeamChecked on Wed 21 Oct 2026

Drones at the Kumbh need registration on Digital Sky and police permission, and police can declare the mela a no-fly zone. People bathing must never be filmed or photographed: in 2025 police registered cases against accounts selling such videos.

ExpectedChecked on Wed 21 Oct 2026

Drone and photography rules for 2027 and 2028 are not announced; the rows show the national rules and what past melas did. Etiquette tips are our advice, not official rules.

For sadhus, akhara camps and rites, ask first and accept a no. Our guide to photographing ascetic traditions respectfully covers camps and processions.

The rules for drones and cameras

Each row says whether it is announced for the coming mela, not announced yet, or what happened at an earlier mela (precedent).

  • All four2021Open

    Drone Rules, 2021: drones must be registered on Digital Sky, and an officer of SP rank or above can declare a temporary red zone for up to 96 hours.1

  • Prayagraj2025Precedent

    A prohibitory order in force until 28 February 2025 banned drones at traditional events unless used officially with approval; police said mela flights needed prior police permission.2,3

  • Prayagraj2025Precedent

    In February 2025 police registered cases against social media accounts selling videos said to show women bathing at the Kumbh, and set up cyber teams over the privacy breach.4

  • Haridwar2021Precedent

    For the April 2021 Shahi Snans, Kumbh police declared a no-fly zone alongside the traffic plan.5

  • Haridwar2026Announced for 2027

    The official 2027 site's terms say its photographs, maps and logos are protected by law, and official Kumbh materials may be used only with the applicable permissions.6

  • Haridwar2026Not announced yet

    The official do's ask visitors to respect the Kumbh's spiritual significance, follow local customs and heed directions from authorities. Drone and photography rules for 2027 are not announced.7

  • Nashik2026Not announced yet

    Private drone and photography rules are not announced; the plan covers only the authority's own drones. Its 'Authorized Name and Logo' page links the logo without usage terms.8,9

  • Ujjain2026Not announced yet

    In April 2026 a state cabinet sub-committee approved a command and control centre to monitor the mela with drones and CCTV. Rules for private drones are not announced.10

Sources (10)
  1. Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India: The Drone Rules, 2021 (G.S.R. 589(E), Gazette of India, Extraordinary, 25 August 2021) (2021)
  2. DD India (Prasar Bharati): Prohibitory orders enforced in Prayagraj ahead of Mahakumbh events (2025)
  3. Press Trust of India, via Deccan Herald: Anti-drone system deployed to ensure safety of devotees in Maha Kumbh (PTI) (2024)
  4. Deccan Herald: Maha Kumbh 2025: pictures of women bathing, changing clothes surface online; cops initiate action (2025)
  5. Amar Ujala: Haridwar: heavy vehicles barred from the Kumbh area from 8 to 15 April for the Shahi Snan; educational institutions closed from 9 April (Hindi) (2021)
  6. Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand: Terms and Conditions, Haridwar Kumbh 2027 official website
  7. Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand: Do's and Don'ts, Haridwar Kumbh 2027 official website
  8. Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority, Office of the Divisional Commissioner, Nashik, Government of Maharashtra: Kumbh Mela Plan (First Edition), Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2027: inclusion, parking, lost and found, media and Sadhugram sections (2026)
  9. Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority, Office of the Divisional Commissioner, Nashik, Government of Maharashtra: Authorized Name and Logo for Simhastha kumbhmela 2027
  10. Free Press Journal: MP News: CM Mohan Yadav orders completion of Simhastha projects by Diwali 2027; 22 projects approved (2026)

Photographing people with respect

Our advice, from what the melas and the akharas ask of visitors:

  • Ask before you photograph anyone up close, and put the camera down if they say no.
  • Never photograph or film people bathing, changing or at a family rite.
  • In an akhara camp, ask the camp’s people before you take photos inside it.
  • At aarti and processions, keep out of the way of the priests and the route, and follow the police’s directions.
  • Check each temple’s rule on cameras and phones before you go in.
A group of sadhus carrying saffron flags walks through the Kumbh Mela grounds at Prayagraj in 2013Photo: Seba Della y Sole Bossio from Cordoba, Argentina, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sadhus with flags, Kumbh Mela 2013.

Official photos, maps and logos

The Haridwar 2027 website says its photographs, maps and logos are protected by law, and official Kumbh material may be used only with the applicable permissions. Nashik’s authority publishes its name and logo without usage terms.

Ask the mela authority before you use an official logo or photo. Their addresses are on our page of official websites and apps.

Light and places

The Ganga aarti at Har Ki Pauri, evening at Ram Ghat in Ujjain and the boats at the Sangam are among the best-known scenes of the Kumbh. Read the Har Ki Pauri Ganga aarti for its setting.

Evening light on the Shipra and the ghat steps at Ram Ghat, Ujjain, with a boat moored at the bankPhoto: Snay015, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rowing boats with pilgrims on the water at the Sangam, Prayagraj, in soft lightPhoto: Rangan Datta Wiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Evening at Ram Ghat, Ujjain, and boats at the Sangam, Prayagraj.

Questions people ask

Can I fly a drone at the Kumbh?

Only with registration on Digital Sky and police permission. Under the Drone Rules, 2021 an officer of SP rank or above can declare a temporary red zone, and at past melas police declared no-fly zones or banned private drones. Rules for 2027 are not announced.

Can I photograph sadhus at the Kumbh?

Ask first, and accept a no. In an akhara camp, ask the camp’s people before you take photos inside it.

Can I use the official Kumbh logo?

Only with permission. The Haridwar 2027 website says its photographs, maps and logos are protected by law and may be used only with the applicable permissions.

Where next

Har Ki Pauri, HaridwarPhoto: TirthProvisionalहरिद्वार कुंभ 2027Haridwar Kumbh 2027Thu 14 Jan to Tue 20 Apr 2027Open the guideRamkund on Makar Sankranti 2025Photo: Rohit R Nashik, CC BY-SA 4.0Officialनासिक कुंभ 2027Nashik–Trimbakeshwar SimhasthaMain bathing Aug to Sep 2027Open the guideRam Ghat on the ShipraPhoto: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0Expectedउज्जैन सिंहस्थ 2028Ujjain Simhastha 202827 Mar to 27 May 2028Open the guideBoats at the Sangam, PrayagrajPhoto: Ninara, CC BY 2.0Expectedप्रयागराज माघ मेला 2027Prayagraj Magh Mela 2027Magh Mela, 15 Jan to 6 Mar 2027Open the guide

Sources

10 sources · checked 21 Oct 2026
  1. Do's and Don'ts, Haridwar Kumbh 2027 official website · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
  2. Terms and Conditions, Haridwar Kumbh 2027 official website · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
  3. Haridwar: heavy vehicles barred from the Kumbh area from 8 to 15 April for the Shahi Snan; educational institutions closed from 9 April (Hindi) · Amar Ujala ·
  4. Kumbh Mela Plan (First Edition), Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2027: inclusion, parking, lost and found, media and Sadhugram sections · Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority, Office of the Divisional Commissioner, Nashik, Government of Maharashtra ·
  5. Authorized Name and Logo for Simhastha kumbhmela 2027 · Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority, Office of the Divisional Commissioner, Nashik, Government of Maharashtra ·
  6. MP News: CM Mohan Yadav orders completion of Simhastha projects by Diwali 2027; 22 projects approved · Free Press Journal ·
  7. The Drone Rules, 2021 (G.S.R. 589(E), Gazette of India, Extraordinary, 25 August 2021) · Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India ·
  8. Prohibitory orders enforced in Prayagraj ahead of Mahakumbh events · DD India (Prasar Bharati) ·
  9. Anti-drone system deployed to ensure safety of devotees in Maha Kumbh (PTI) · Press Trust of India, via Deccan Herald ·
  10. Maha Kumbh 2025: pictures of women bathing, changing clothes surface online; cops initiate action · Deccan Herald ·