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The steps and arched front of the old Nag Vasuki Temple in Daraganj, Prayagraj
Nag Vasuki Temple, Prayagraj. Photo: 21GauriGuptaa, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Prayagraj · Holy places

Nag Vasuki Temple during the Prayagraj melas

KumbhMela.info Editorial TeamChecked on Fri 16 Oct 2026

The Nag Vasuki temple is a temple of Vasuki, king of the serpents, on the bank of the Ganga in the northern corner of Daraganj, north of the Sangam. Its main festival is Nag Panchami, when a big fair is held, the district says.

EvergreenChecked on Fri 16 Oct 2026

The temple and its traditions do not change. It was renovated for the 2025 Maha Kumbh. Its history is given only by a historian quoted in the news, and we say so. Temple arrangements for Magh Mela 2027 had not been announced on 16 October 2026.

In the story of the churning of the ocean, the story behind the Kumbh's pot of nectar, Vasuki is the serpent used as the churning rope. Many pilgrims hold that a visit to Prayagraj is not complete without darshan here after the bath, ETV Bharat reported in 2025.

This page covers Nag Vasuki Temple during the Prayagraj melas. Its history, darshan timings and year-round visitor details are on the Nag Vasuki Temple page on Tirth.com.

Nag Vasuki temple at a glance

  • Where

    North of the Sangam, in the northern corner of Daraganj, on the bank of the Ganga (district).1

  • Known for

    A temple of Vasuki, king of the serpents, the churning rope in the story of the Samudra Manthan.2,3

  • Daily ritual

    Not published yet. No official timings.

  • Steps and access

    Pilgrims climb steep steps to reach the temple, ETV Bharat reported. No official description of access.3

  • Magh Mela 2027 status

    Expected 15 January to 6 March 2027. Temple arrangements for the mela are not announced.4

On a Kumbh day

  • During the 2025 Maha Kumbh, ETV Bharat reported the belief that a visit here after the Sangam bath completes the pilgrimage.
  • The temple was renovated for the 2025 Maha Kumbh, and the mela's Uttar Pradesh pavilion stood near it, the Ministry of Culture said.
  • At the 2025 Maha Kumbh, vehicles were stopped around each main bathing day, from the day before to the day after, and the last stretch to the river was on foot.
Sources for these facts (4)
  1. District Prayagraj, Government of Uttar Pradesh: Places of Interest: Akshay Vat, Nag Vasuki, Mankameshwar, Alopi Devi and Minto Park sections
  2. Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Culture): Prayagraj: Blending Tradition with Modernity (backgrounder, PDF): temples of Prayagraj (2024)
  3. ETV Bharat: Mahakumbh Mela: Why Pilgrims Also Visit The Nagvasuki Mandir (2025)
  4. Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India (listing credited to Uttar Pradesh Tourism): Magh Mela 2027

Vasuki and the churning of the ocean

In the story of the Samudra Manthan, the churning of the ocean, the devas and the asuras bound Vasuki around Mount Mandara and used him as the churning rope to bring out amrita, the nectar of immortality. In Kumbh tradition, the pot (kumbha) of that nectar is linked with the four Kumbh cities. Read the story on our Kumbh mythology page.

Vasuki is also closely linked with Shiva, who wears him around his neck, ETV Bharat notes. The Ministry of Culture describes the temple as honouring the serpent deity.

A visit after the bath. According to a belief ETV Bharat reported during the 2025 Maha Kumbh, many pilgrims hold that the pilgrimage is incomplete without a visit to the Nag Vasuki temple after the holy dip. A retired Allahabad University historian told the channel he knew little of that belief, but that people who come to Prayagraj for a short time also try to visit the temple.

What you do here

Darshan after the bath

Many pilgrims hold that the pilgrimage is incomplete without darshan of Nag Vasuki after the holy dip, ETV Bharat reported in 2025. The district lists images of Nag Raj, Ganesh and Parvati.1,2

Nag Panchami fair

The temple's main festival is Nag Panchami, in Shravan, when a big fair is held, the district says. It falls outside the Magh Mela season.2

Sources for these cards (2)
  1. ETV Bharat: Mahakumbh Mela: Why Pilgrims Also Visit The Nagvasuki Mandir (2025)
  2. District Prayagraj, Government of Uttar Pradesh: Places of Interest: Akshay Vat, Nag Vasuki, Mankameshwar, Alopi Devi and Minto Park sections

What you see at the temple

The district lists images of Nag Raj, Ganesh and Parvati, and a reclining image of Bhishma Pitamah, with a Shiva temple in the premises.

Pilgrims climb steep steps to reach the temple, ETV Bharat reported.

On its history, the same report quotes the historian B. P. Dubey: the shrine is about 450 years old and was once small, and the present building, about 150 years old, was built by a Tandon family who had come to Allahabad from Agra. We found no official source for these dates.

Renovation for the 2025 Maha Kumbh

In date order

  1. November 2024IANS reported that the Prayagraj Development Authority’s renovation of the Nagvasuki temple was due to be finished by 30 November 2024.
  2. 12 and 13 December 2024A Ministry of Culture note said the Nagvasuki temple was being restored for the Maha Kumbh, and on 13 December the Prime Minister named it among the temples being renovated.
  3. 29 December 2024A Ministry of Culture note listed the renovation among the Maha Kumbh works, and placed the Uttar Pradesh pavilion of the mela, on 5 acres, near the Nagavasuki temple.
  4. The mela authority’s website, last updated on 27 January 2025, describes a major refurbishment that combines traditional architecture with modern design.

Getting there from the Sangam

The temple is north of the Sangam, on the Ganga at the northern end of Daraganj, some kilometres from the bathing area. The Bade Hanuman temple is also in Daraganj, close to the Sangam.

During a mela, vehicles are stopped well before the river around the main bathing days and the last stretch is on foot. In 2025 those rules ran from the day before to the day after each main bathing day. The plan for 2027 has not been published. See how to reach Prayagraj and our Sangam guide.

Nag Vasuki and the Magh Mela 2027

The next big mela at the Sangam is the Magh Mela 2027, expected from Friday 15 January to Saturday 6 March 2027, with six main bathing days that the mela authority has not yet listed. Nag Panchami, in Shravan, falls outside the mela season. 2027 is not a Kumbh year at Prayagraj; the next Ardh Kumbh is expected in 2031.

Temple arrangements for the mela have not been announced. Main bathing days usually draw the most pilgrims; follow police and mela instructions on the day. See all holy places of Prayagraj.

Where it is

Prayagraj: the Sangam and arrival pointsGangaYamuna123456781 kmN
Prayagraj: the Sangam and arrival points
  1. 1Triveni SangamGhat
  2. 2Akshayavat and Bade Hanuman, by the FortTemple
  3. 3Nag Vasuki TempleTemple · This page
  4. 4Prayagraj JunctionRailway
  5. 5Prayag JunctionRailway
  6. 6Prayagraj Sangam stationRailway
  7. 7Civil Lines bus stationBus
  8. 8Zero Road bus standBus

A guide to where places are, not a route plan. During the mela, roads and ghats open and close by the official plan; follow police and mela directions.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Some temple locations from Wikidata (CC0). openstreetmap.org/copyright

Nearby

The reclining image of Hanuman at the Bade Hanuman Temple, Prayagraj, covered in flower offeringsBade Hanuman templeAbout 2.6 km awayThe entrance to the Akshayavat and Patalpuri Temple at Prayagraj Fort, with its name board above the doorwayAkshayavatAbout 2.8 km awayYellow domed shrines in the courtyard of the Mankameshwar Temple by the Yamuna in PrayagrajMankameshwar templeAbout 3.4 km away

All ghats and placesWhere to stay nearby

Distances are in a straight line between map points, not walking routes.

Questions people ask

Why do pilgrims visit the Nag Vasuki temple after the Sangam bath?

Many pilgrims hold that the pilgrimage is incomplete without darshan of Nag Vasuki after the holy dip, ETV Bharat reported in 2025. Vasuki is the serpent of the churning of the ocean, the story behind the Kumbh.

When is the main festival at the Nag Vasuki temple?

Nag Panchami, in the month of Shravan (July to August), when a big fair is held, according to the district.

Where next

How to reachTrains, buses, roads and the last stretch
Where to stayAreas, camps and what to check
Ghats and placesWhere the bathing happens

Sources

9 sources · checked 16 Oct 2026
  1. Places of Interest: Akshay Vat, Nag Vasuki, Mankameshwar, Alopi Devi and Minto Park sections · District Prayagraj, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  2. Places to see: Alop Shankari, Nagvasuki and Mankameshwar temples (Maha Kumbh 2025 official website) · Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  3. Prayagraj: Blending Tradition with Modernity (backgrounder, PDF): temples of Prayagraj · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Culture) ·
  4. Maha Kumbh 2025: A Seamless and Spiritually Enriching Journey Awaits Devotees (PDF): corridors and temple renovation · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Culture) ·
  5. English rendering of PM's address at the inauguration and launch of multiple development projects in Prayagraj · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Prime Minister's Office) ·
  6. Mahakumbh 2025: Key temple projects in Prayagraj set for completion in Nov · IANS ·
  7. Mahakumbh Mela: Why Pilgrims Also Visit The Nagvasuki Mandir · ETV Bharat ·
  8. Traffic Plan (Maha Kumbh 2025 official website) · Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  9. Magh Mela 2027 · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India (listing credited to Uttar Pradesh Tourism) ·