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The Kushavarta kund in Trimbakeshwar: a stone tank with railings in still water, the colonnade and temple spires around it and hills behind, reflected in the water.
Kushavarta Kund, Trimbakeshwar. Photo: Studio Gestalt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Simhastha · Places

Kushavarta, Trimbakeshwar: The Simhastha's Bathing Centre at the Godavari's Source

KumbhMela.info Editorial TeamChecked on Fri 16 Oct 2026

Kushavarta is a sacred kund in the centre of Trimbakeshwar town, a short walk from the Trimbakeshwar temple. It is the Simhastha's bathing centre at Trimbakeshwar, and the 2027 Amrit Snans here are on 2 August, 31 August and 12 September 2027.

EvergreenChecked on Fri 16 Oct 2026

Place facts are from the Nashik district's Kushavart page, Maharashtra Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism. The Amrit Snan dates are official, from the Kumbh Mela Authority's plan of 15 June 2026, which the authority marks as interim. Arrangements for 2027, such as entry, queues and bathing times, are not announced.

The name is also written Kushavart or Kushawart. According to tradition, the Godavari, which rises on Brahmagiri hill above the town, comes out again here.

Kushavarta at a glance

  • Where

    Centre of Trimbakeshwar town, about 400 metres from the Trimbakeshwar temple, the Nashik district says.1

  • River and bank

    Not on a river bank: a stone kund about 21 feet deep, built in 1750. By tradition the Godavari re-emerges here.1,2

  • Known for

    The Simhastha's bathing centre at Trimbakeshwar, and the starting point of the Brahmagiri pradakshina in Shravan.3,2

  • Steps and access

    Not published yet.

  • Nearest official help point

    Not published yet. The authority's plan lists a digital lost and found among its tentative components for 2027.3

  • Kumbh 2027 status

    Amrit Snans on Monday 2 August, Tuesday 31 August and Sunday 12 September 2027. Entry and bathing times are not announced.3

On a Kumbh day

  • At the first shahi snan of 2015, on 29 August, the Juna Akhara took the first royal bath at Trimbakeshwar at 4:15 am, and sadhus of the 10 Shaiva akharas bathed at Kushavarta, PTI reported.
  • By an arrangement from Peshwa times, the Shaiva and Udasin akharas bathe at Trimbakeshwar, the Nashik district says. The 2027 order and timings are not announced.
  • The flag hoisting opens the Simhastha here and at Ramkund on Saturday 31 October 2026.
Sources for these facts (3)
  1. Nashik District, Government of Maharashtra: Kushavart Tirtha · Trimbakeshwar
  2. Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India: Trimbakeshwar Darshan Feri - Brahmagiri Pradakshina
  3. 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 (2026)

What Kushavarta is known for

According to tradition, the Godavari rises on Brahmagiri hill above Trimbakeshwar, disappears, and comes out again at Kushavarta. The Nashik district says this is what gives the kund its special holiness. Read more on our Brahmagiri and Gangadwar page.

Devotees bathe at Kushavarta before going to the Trimbakeshwar temple for darshan, Maharashtra Tourism notes.

Kushavarta is also the starting point of the Brahmagiri pradakshina, a barefoot walk of about 40 km around the hill in the month of Shravan, according to the Ministry of Tourism’s Incredible India site.

The Gangadwar shrine built into the rock face of Brahmagiri hill, with stone steps leading up to itPhoto: Pradeep717, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Gangadwar on Brahmagiri hill, where by tradition the Godavari is first seen before it comes out again at Kushavarta

What you do here

Pilgrims at the edge of the Kushavarta kund in Trimbakeshwar on a sunny day, with the stone colonnade and temple spires around the tank.Kushavarta Kund, Trimbakeshwar. Photo: K.Venkataramana, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The dip

Devotees bathe at Kushavarta before going to the Trimbakeshwar temple for darshan, Maharashtra Tourism notes. Follow the police and temple staff at the kund.1

Start of the Brahmagiri pradakshina

The barefoot walk of about 40 km around the Brahmagiri hills starts from Kushavarta in the month of Shravan, Incredible India says.2

Sources for these cards (2)
  1. Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra: Trimbakeshwar
  2. Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India: Trimbakeshwar Darshan Feri - Brahmagiri Pradakshina

Kushavarta in the Simhastha

The Kumbh Mela Authority’s plan calls the Kushavarta kund the central holy site where the Kumbh rituals are performed at Trimbak. The other bathing centre is Ramkund in Nashik.

By an arrangement from Peshwa times, the Shaiva (Sannyasi) and Udasin akharas bathe at Trimbakeshwar, while the Vaishnava akharas bathe in Nashik, according to the Nashik district. The order and timing of the akhara processions for 2027 are not announced.

The Kumbh Mela Authority’s plan lists special arrangements for Kushavarta on the Amrit Snan days. It also proposes a new Dhwaja Stambha (flag pillar) at Kushavarta.

The flag hoisting opens the Simhastha here and at Ramkund on Saturday 31 October 2026 (see the flag hoisting page). Kushavarta’s third Amrit Snan, on Sunday 12 September 2027, is a day after Nashik’s.

Kushavarta in the monsoon

The 2027 Simhastha falls in the monsoon, and Trimbakeshwar, at the foot of the Brahmagiri hills, gets very heavy rain.

  • Keep a spare day in your plan in case heavy rain closes roads.
  • Watch weather warnings and Nashik district alerts before you leave Nashik.
  • Follow the police and temple staff at the kund.

Reaching Kushavarta, and what is not announced yet

Trimbakeshwar is about 30 km by road from Nashik, and state transport buses run between them on normal days, according to the Nashik district. See How to reach Nashik.

The Kumbh Mela Authority’s plan expects pilgrims to enter Trimbakeshwar by the main roads from Jawhar, Nashik, Ghoti and Talwandi, with holding areas along the roads and near the ghats. Do not plan to bathe at Ramkund and Kushavarta on the same Amrit Snan day.

  • Entry and exit routes to the kund on Amrit Snan days
  • Bathing times for the public and the order of the akhara processions
  • Parking, shuttle and road-closure plans for Trimbakeshwar

In pictures

Pilgrims at the edge of the Kushavarta kund in Trimbakeshwar on a sunny day, with the stone colonnade and temple spires around the tank.
Kushavarta Kund, Trimbakeshwar. Photo: K.Venkataramana, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kushavarta tank at Trimbakeshwar during the 2015 Simhastha
Kushavarta, Trimbakeshwar, during the 2015 Simhastha. Photo: Prashant Kharote, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A 1928 black and white photograph of Kushavarta Kund at Trimbak, with people at the water's edge below the temple spire and roofs.
Kushavarta Kund at Trimbak, photograph by the Central News agency, 1928, Bibliothèque nationale de France. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Where it is

Trimbakeshwar: the temple, Brahmagiri and Anjaneri1234561 kmN
Trimbakeshwar: the temple, Brahmagiri and Anjaneri
  1. 1Trimbakeshwar TempleTemple
  2. 2Kushavarta KundGhat · This page
  3. 3GangadwarTemple
  4. 4BrahmagiriHill
  5. 5AnjaneriTemple
  6. 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

Nearby

Trimbakeshwar Temple near NashikTrimbakeshwar TempleAbout 300 m awayThe Gangadwar shrine built into the rock face of Brahmagiri hill, with stone steps leading up to itBrahmagiri and GangadwarAbout 1.3 km awayThe flat top of Anjaneri hill under monsoon clouds, with green paddy fields belowAnjaneriAbout 4.7 km awayThe Godavari at Gandhi Talav in Nashik, with ghats, temples and houses along the far bankNashik's ghatsAbout 29 km away

All ghats and placesWhere to stay nearby

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

Where next

How to reachTrains, buses, roads and the last stretch
Where to stayAreas, camps and what to check
First visitA simple order for getting ready
Ghats and placesWhere the bathing happens

Sources

8 sources · checked 16 Oct 2026
  1. Kushavart Tirtha: Trimbakeshwar · Nashik District, Government of Maharashtra ·
  2. Culture and Heritage: Simhastha Kumbhamela · Nashik District, Government of Maharashtra ·
  3. Trimbakeshwar Temple: Visitor Orientation · Nashik District, Government of Maharashtra ·
  4. 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 ·
  5. About Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority · Divisional Commissioner Office, Nashik, Government of Maharashtra ·
  6. Trimbakeshwar · Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra ·
  7. Trimbakeshwar Darshan Feri - Brahmagiri Pradakshina · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India ·
  8. Nashik: Trimbakeshwar Waterlogged After 245 mm Of Rain In 24 Hours; Roads Turn Into Rivers · Free Press Journal ·