Kushavarta Kund, Trimbakeshwar. Photo: K.Venkataramana, CC0, via Wikimedia CommonsEvent · Nashik 2027
Flag hoisting (Dhwajarohan), 12:02 PM ध्वजारोहण
Tithi: Ashwin Krishna Shashthi
The day, hour by hour
- The evening before
Shashthi tithi begins.
- Sunrise
Sunrise. The tithi at sunrise is Shashthi.
- Morning
The official plan for the day (ghats, routes and timings) has not been announced yet.
Not announced yet - Afternoon
Shashthi tithi ends.
- Sunset
Sunset.
The Simhastha begins, in a minute
Photo credits
Photo: Rohit R Nashik, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Photo: Saket Verma, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Photo: Prashant Kharote, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Photo: Mahi29, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Photo: K.Venkataramana, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons; Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Some temple locations from Wikidata (CC0).
What the flag hoisting is
The flag hoisting marks the formal start of the Simhastha. Flags are raised at the two bathing centres, Ramkund on the Godavari in Nashik and the Kushavarta kund in Trimbakeshwar, at the same moment. The Kumbh Mela Authority’s plan counts the Kumbh period from this day.
Read what dhwajarohan means for the tradition behind it.
The week of the flag hoisting
The ceremony sits inside a week of events. As reported, before and after it:
- Until Saturday 31 OctoberRamkund and nearby ghats, from the Ahilyabai Holkar bridge to the Talkuteshwar temple, are closed to devotees so ghat works can be finished. Dashakriya rites continue at set spots. Roads to Ramkund are to be closed in phases.
- Sunday 25 OctoberShankhanad (conch-blowing), planned as a Guinness World Records attempt; the certificate is to be presented at the flag hoisting
- Friday 30 OctoberA procession of sadhus (gram parikrama) from Tapovan to Ramkund in the afternoon, ending with an aarti; a joint maha aarti of the Shaiva and Vaishnava akharas at Godaghat on the eve of the flag hoisting
- Saturday 31 OctoberFlag hoisting at 12:02 PM, Godavari aarti and evening programmes
- Sunday 1 NovemberClosing rituals (purnahuti) and a Godavari aarti
What happens on the day
As reported from the Kumbh Mela Authority’s plans. No official programme notice had been published when we checked on 18 October 2026, so details can change.
- 12:02 PM: the main flag hoisting at Ramkund in Nashik, with a flag raised at Kushavarta in Trimbakeshwar at the same time.
- Who is expected: sadhus and mahants of the 13 akharas, religious leaders, public representatives, Union Ministers and senior officials. Reports say President Droupadi Murmu is expected to attend; we found no official confirmation.
- Aarti and programmes: a Godavari aarti by the sadhus and mahants at the ceremony, other official programmes during the day, and an evening Godavari maha aarti with cultural programmes. Large screens are planned for the evening aarti.
- Releases: a postage stamp, the authority’s website and a coffee-table book are to be released as part of the opening programme.
- Getting there: at a review on 16 October 2026, officials planned barricades on the roads to Ramkund, traffic diversions on the routes of VIP movement, parking at several places with a walk from there to Ramkund, and arrangements for visitors at the old Bhaji Patangan and Mhasoba Patangan, as reported by Sakal. The police traffic notice had not been published when we checked. Follow police and mela instructions on the day.
Photo: Mahi29, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsStill to be announced
When we checked on 18 October 2026, none of these had been published. We will add each one, with its source, as it is.
- Who will hoist the flags at Ramkund and Kushavarta
- Official confirmation of the guests
- Public access, passes or viewing areas
- The police traffic and parking notice for the day
Until then, the plan on this page is from news reports of the Kumbh Mela Authority’s briefings. If you plan to attend, check the Authority’s pages on the Divisional Commissioner, Nashik website (divcomnashik.maharashtra.gov.in) and Nashik police notices for entry, traffic and parking before you set out, and follow police and mela instructions on the day.
Read has the Nashik Kumbh started? for what the opening means for a pilgrim.
Where it happens
Ramkund is a bathing tank on the Godavari in the Panchavati area of Nashik, linked in tradition with Lord Rama, and the main Kumbh bathing place in Nashik. Kushavarta is a sacred kund beside the Trimbakeshwar temple, near the source of the Godavari, where the akharas of the Shaiva tradition bathe. The two are about 28 to 30 km apart by road, and the flags go up at both at the same time.
- 1RamkundGhat · This page
- 2Kalaram TempleTemple
- 3Sita GufaTemple
- 4Kapaleshwar Mahadev TempleTemple
- 5Sundar Narayan TempleTemple
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
- 1Trimbakeshwar TempleTemple · This page
- 2Kushavarta KundGhat
- 3GangadwarTemple
- 4BrahmagiriHill
- 5AnjaneriTemple
- 6Trimbakeshwar bus depotBus
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
See the Ramkund guide and the Kushavarta guide for each centre.
Nashik and Trimbakeshwar in pictures
After 31 October
Planning a Kumbh trip rather than the ceremony? The main bathing days are the three Amrit Snans in August and September 2027; see them with their tithis on Nashik Kumbh dates.
The flag hoisting opens a Simhastha that runs for almost two years. The next dated milestones are works deadlines: the authority’s orders for the new ghats at Trimbakeshwar, and the minister in charge for all Simhastha works, have set March 2027.
The authority’s plan puts the core mela period in June to September 2027. The Nagar Pradakshina is on Thursday 29 July 2027, and the three Amrit Snans follow on 2 August, 31 August and 11 and 12 September 2027. The plan gives the closing ceremony, the Samapti, as Monday 24 July 2028 at Trimbakeshwar and Saturday 29 July 2028 at Nashik.
See every date, with its status and source, on the Nashik Simhastha timeline.
The panchang, and a card to share
- Sunrise6:36 am
- Tithi at sunriseShashthi until 4:57 pm
- From 4:57 pmSaptami until 2:51 pm the next day
- Paksha and monthKrishna paksha, Ashwin (amanta) or Kartika (purnimanta)
- Sunset6:01 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.
Questions people ask
Will the President attend?
News reports say President Droupadi Murmu is expected to attend. We found no official confirmation on 18 October 2026.
Where can I check for changes?
The Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority publishes its plan and orders on the Divisional Commissioner, Nashik website, divcomnashik.maharashtra.gov.in. It had no separate Kumbh website when we checked on 18 October 2026; reports say one will be launched as part of the opening programme. We update this page when a notice changes anything.
Sources
18 sources · checked 19 Oct 2026
- Kumbh Mela Plan (First Edition): Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2027 · 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: schedule, framework, chapters and financial outlays · Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority, Office of the Divisional Commissioner, Nashik, Government of Maharashtra ·
- Nashik: 6000 tribal people to perform Godavari aarti alongside President Murmu · Free Press Journal ·
- Nashik: Maha Aarti, Traffic, Parking And Security Arrangements Prioritised For Simhastha Flag-Hoisting · Free Press Journal (Milind Sajgure) ·
- Nashik: President Likely To Attend Simhastha Kumbh Flag-Hoisting Ceremony On October 31 · Free Press Journal (Milind Sajgure) ·
- Nashik: CP Sandeep Karnik Surveys Godavari Ghat Ahead Of President's Visit For Simhastha Ceremony · Free Press Journal (Milind Sajgure) ·
- Nashik Kumbh Mela: 25 October Shankhanad ceremony aiming for a world record (Marathi report on the Simhastha opening programme) · Sakal (Sakal news service, esakal.com) ·
- नाशिक कुंभमेळा 2026 : रामकुंड 31 ऑक्टोबरपर्यंत बंद; रस्तेही टप्प्याटप्प्यानं बंद करण्यात येणार (Ramkund closed until 31 October; roads to be closed in phases) · ETV Bharat Marathi ·
- Shaiva and Vaishnava akharas to hold a joint maha aarti before the Simhastha flag hoisting (Marathi report) · Pudhari (Pudhari news service, Nashik edition) ·
- Nashik: Ramkund, Nearby Ghats To Remain Closed For 15–20 Days Ahead Of Simhastha Ceremony · Free Press Journal ·
- Nashik Kumbh Mela 2027 Dates Announced · Patrika (Patrika Desk) ·
- Administrative approval order for 'Trimbakeshwar ghats and bandhare': new ghats on both banks of the Godavari at Trimbakeshwar (Rs 177.86 crore) · Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority, Government of Maharashtra ·
- Nashik: Girish Mahajan Sets March 2027 Deadline For Simhastha Ghats And Infrastructure Works · Free Press Journal ·
- Ramkund Nashik · Nashik District, Government of Maharashtra ·
- Kushavart Tirtha: Trimbakeshwar · Nashik District, Government of Maharashtra ·
- ध्वजारोहणाला भाविकांची पायपीट (A walk for devotees at the flag hoisting): access and traffic plans after the 16 October review · Sakal (eSakal), Sakal news service ·
- Divisional Commissioner Office Nashik website: Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela 2027 Authority menu and linked accounts · Divisional Commissioner Office, Nashik, Government of Maharashtra (hosted by National Informatics Centre) ·
- Simhastha Kumbh Mela starts in Nashik, Trimbakeshwar (Roundup) · IANS (via Business Standard) ·