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A first-timer’s Kumbh planning timeline, month by month

KumbhMela.info Editorial Team 5 min readUpdated Sun 18 Oct 2026

A month-by-month plan for Haridwar 2027, the Magh Mela 2027 and Nashik 2027: when to choose your day, when train bookings open under the 60-day rule, and what to check in the last two weeks.

ProvisionalChecked on Sun 18 Oct 2026

Plan backwards from your bathing day. Reserved train bookings open 60 days before the journey, and that window sets the timetable for everything else. Here is the plan for Haridwar 2027, the Prayagraj Magh Mela 2027 and the Nashik Simhastha 2027.

The dates you are planning around

KumbhWhenMain daysStatus
Haridwar Kumbh 2027Thu 14 Jan to Tue 20 Apr 2027, eleven bathing daysAmrit Snans on Sat 6 Mar, Mon 8 Mar, Mon 15 Mar and Wed 14 Apr, the main oneProvisional, from the official Haridwar Kumbh website
Prayagraj Magh Mela 2027Fri 15 Jan to Sat 6 Mar 2027Six main bathing days, including Mauni Amavasya on Sat 6 FebExpected: calendar dates, not yet notified by the mela authority
Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha 2027Opens Sat 31 Oct 2026; main bathing in August and September 2027Amrit Snans on Mon 2 Aug, Tue 31 Aug, and Sat 11 Sep at Nashik or Sun 12 Sep at TrimbakeshwarOfficial, in the Kumbh Mela Authority’s interim plan
Ujjain Simhastha 2028Proposed for 27 Mar to 27 May 2028No bathing day announcedExpected

Each date and its current status is on our Kumbh dates status board, and you can add the dates to your phone from the Kumbh calendar.

How the train booking window works

Since 1 November 2024, Indian Railways has opened reserved bookings 60 days ahead, not counting the day of the journey. It cut the window from 120 days, and a Railways backgrounder of August 2026 still lists 60 days as the rule. The Railways says it changes this policy from time to time, so check the opening date for your own train on IRCTC. If you miss it, Tatkal booking opens one day before the train leaves its starting station, at 10:00 for AC classes and 11:00 for the others.

The dates below are our own count, for travel on the day before each bathing day; IRCTC shows the exact date for each train.

Month by month

MonthWhat to do
October 2026Choose your Kumbh, your bathing day and who is coming. The Nashik Simhastha opens with the flag hoisting at 12:02 PM on Sat 31 Oct 2026, a ceremony rather than an Amrit Snan.
November 2026Booking opens for January: on Sat 14 Nov for travel on Wed 13 Jan (Haridwar, Makar Sankranti on 14 Jan) on Sun 15 Nov for Thu 14 Jan (Magh Mela, Makar Sankranti on 15 Jan) and on Sun 22 Nov for Thu 21 Jan (Magh Mela, Paush Purnima on 22 Jan). Start shortlisting stays.
December 2026Booking opens for February: Mon 7 Dec for Fri 5 Feb (Mauni Amavasya on 6 Feb, at both Haridwar and Prayagraj), Sat 12 Dec for Wed 10 Feb (Basant Panchami) and Mon 21 Dec for Fri 19 Feb (Magh Purnima on 20 Feb).
January 2027Haridwar’s Kumbh begins on Thu 14 Jan and the Magh Mela on Fri 15 Jan. Booking opens for Haridwar’s March Amrit Snans: Mon 4 Jan for Fri 5 Mar, Wed 6 Jan for Sun 7 Mar and Wed 13 Jan for Sun 14 Mar.
February 2027Booking opens for Haridwar in April: Fri 5 Feb for Tue 6 Apr (Nav Samvatsar), Fri 12 Feb for Tue 13 Apr (the main Amrit Snan on 14 Apr) and Thu 18 Feb for Mon 19 Apr (Chaitra Purnima).
March and April 2027Haridwar’s Amrit Snans fall on 6, 8 and 15 Mar and 14 Apr. The Magh Mela ends with Mahashivratri on Sat 6 Mar, and Haridwar’s Kumbh with Chaitra Purnima on Tue 20 Apr.
May and June 2027For Nashik, settle your centre, Ramkund or Kushavarta, and your base. Booking opens on Wed 2 Jun for travel on Sun 1 Aug, the eve of the first Amrit Snan.
July 2027Booking opens on Thu 1 Jul for Mon 30 Aug, and on Mon 12 Jul for Fri 10 Sep (Nashik) or Tue 13 Jul for Sat 11 Sep (Trimbakeshwar). The Nagar Pradakshina in Nashik is on Thu 29 Jul.
August and September 2027Nashik’s Amrit Snans: Mon 2 Aug and Tue 31 Aug at both centres, then Sat 11 Sep at Nashik and Sun 12 Sep at Trimbakeshwar.

Stays: book what you can change

Book a room you can move or cancel while the dates are provisional. The official Haridwar Kumbh website lists hotels, dharamshalas, ashrams and camps, and advises checking cancellation policies and preferring verified providers. For Nashik, the Kumbh Mela Authority has set rules for private tent cities, which may run only between March and December 2027. For Prayagraj, the stay list on the mela authority’s website was made for Maha Kumbh 2025, not for the 2027 Magh Mela.

Choose the area by how far your group can walk, and go through the checks on is this Kumbh booking real? before you pay anyone.

The last two weeks

  1. Check your dayLook it up on the status board and on the official site for your Kumbh, listed in our register of official Kumbh websites and apps.
  2. Check your trainLook on NTES or IRCTC, and for any special trains there. Read how to plan a train journey before special trains are announced.
  3. Make a small information packYour ID, booking details, the stay’s address in Hindi and English, a meeting point and key phone numbers, also written on paper. India’s single emergency number is 112.
  4. Pack lightUse our Kumbh packing list.
  5. Arrive the day beforePlan to reach the day before a main bathing day. Amrit Snan days usually draw the most pilgrims; follow police and mela instructions on the day.

Then go to the guide for your Kumbh: Haridwar Kumbh 2027, Magh Mela 2027 or the Nashik Kumbh. For Haridwar’s stations, read Haridwar Kumbh by train.

Sources

16 sources · checked 18 Oct 2026
  1. Snan and Events: Haridwar Kumbh 2027 (official website) · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
  2. Magh Mela 2027 · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India (listing credited to Uttar Pradesh Tourism) ·
  3. Culture & Heritage: Prayagraj (Annual Magh Mela) · District Prayagraj, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  4. Panchang: tithi, sunrise and lunar month · TravNext Tech Private Limited (Tirth.com) ·
  5. Festivals 2027 and festival pages: Makara Sankranti, Maha Shivaratri, Chaitra Navratri, Mesha Sankranti, Rama Navami (Tirth spiritual calendar) · TravNext Tech Private Limited (Tirth.com) ·
  6. Kumbh Mela Plan (First Edition), Nashik Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2027: schedule, framework, chapters and financial outlays · Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority, Office of the Divisional Commissioner, Nashik, Government of Maharashtra ·
  7. Nashik Kumbh Mela 2027 Dates Announced · Patrika (Patrika Desk) ·
  8. Nashik: 6000 tribal people to perform Godavari aarti alongside President Murmu · Free Press Journal ·
  9. MP Simhastha Kumbh 2028: ₹25k Cr Infrastructure Push For 40Cr Devotees, Says CM Yadav · Deccan Chronicle ·
  10. To promote genuine passengers and minimize rising no show trend, Indian Railways cuts down Advance Reservation Period from current 120 days to 60 days w.e.f. 01.11.2024 · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Railways) ·
  11. From Queues to Clicks: Four Decades of Passenger Reservation in Indian Railways (reforms and passenger apps) · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Railways) ·
  12. Tatkal Ticket Booking Guide · Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Ministry of Railways ·
  13. Stay and Accommodation (Haridwar Kumbh 2027 official website) · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
  14. Nashik: Private Tent Cities To Expand Accommodation For Simhastha 2027 Pilgrims · Free Press Journal ·
  15. Where to Stay (Maha Kumbh 2025 official website) · Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  16. Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) · Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India ·