The Nashik Simhastha is one Kumbh held at two places on the same river: Ramkund in Nashik city and Kushavarta in Trimbakeshwar, about 30 km away by road near the source of the Godavari. Each place has its own sacred story, and because of an arrangement made under the Peshwas, different akharas bathe at each: the Vaishnava akharas at Nashik, and the Shaiva and Udasin akharas at Trimbakeshwar.
One river, two sacred points
The Godavari rises on the Brahmagiri hills near Trimbakeshwar and flows east through the old centre of Nashik, the Nashik district says. Both ends of that short stretch hold a place in tradition. The district calls the river the Dakshin Ganga, the Ganga of the south, and says the sage Gautama made Trimbakeshwar his home. According to the story, his penance led Shiva to release the river that became the Godavari. Trimbakeshwar is also one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, Maharashtra Tourism notes.
Nashik’s place in the story comes from the Ramayana. The district says Nashik is believed to be part of Dandakaranya, where Rama lived in exile, and Ramkund is held to be where he used to bathe. The Kumbh Mela Authority’s 2027 plan adds that, according to mythology, drops of amrit fell at Ramkund after the churning of the ocean.
The idea of one sacred river with two holy points is old. The Gazetteer of Nasik, published by the Bombay government in 1883, says the Godavari at Ram’s Pool in Nashik and at its source in Trimbak is always sacred. In the Simhastha year, it adds, when Jupiter enters the sign of the Lion, local belief holds that even the Ganga, the Narmada, the Yamuna and the Saraswati come to bathe in the Godavari.
Why the akharas bathe apart
At Prayagraj, Haridwar and Ujjain the Vaishnava and Shaiva akharas bathe at the same Kumbh. Nashik is different. According to the Nashik district, arrangements made by the Peshwas after clashes between ascetics of the two traditions sent the Vaishnava akharas to Nashik and the Shaiva (Sannyasi) and Udasin akharas to Trimbakeshwar. The district does not give a year for the arrangement.
The official list of akharas for the 2015 Simhastha shows how the split works:
| Centre | Akharas on the 2015 official list |
|---|---|
| Ramkund, Nashik | The three Vaishnava akharas: Nirmohi, Nirvani and Digambar |
| Kushavarta, Trimbakeshwar | The seven Shaiva akharas (Juna, Avahan, Agni, Atal, Anand, Niranjani and Mahanirvani), the Bada and Naya Udasin akharas and the Nirmal Akhara |
On the first bathing day of 2015, the three Vaishnava akharas went in procession from Tapovan to Ramkund, while the other ten akharas bathed at Kushavarta, PTI reported. The two sides still meet: at the Kumbh Mela Authority commissioner’s press conference in October 2026, it was announced that the Shaiva and Vaishnava akharas would hold a joint maha aarti at Godaghat in Nashik on the eve of the flag hoisting, the Marathi daily Pudhari reported.
One Kumbh, one authority, one flag
The two centres are run as a single event. The Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority, set up under a 2025 state law, covers both the Nashik and Trimbakeshwar talukas, and its plan names Ramkund and Kushavarta as the two bathing centres. The Simhastha opens with the flag hoisting (dhwajarohan) at both places at the same time, 12:02 PM on Saturday 31 October 2026, the Free Press Journal reported, citing the authority. In 2015, too, the flags went up at Ramkund and at Kushavarta on the same morning.
The 2027 Amrit Snans at each centre
| Amrit Snan | Ramkund, Nashik | Kushavarta, Trimbakeshwar |
|---|---|---|
| First | Mon 2 Aug 2027 | Mon 2 Aug 2027 |
| Second | Tue 31 Aug 2027 | Tue 31 Aug 2027 |
| Third | Sat 11 Sep 2027 | Sun 12 Sep 2027 |
These dates were set at a meeting with the akharas in June 2025 and are in the authority’s plan of June 2026, which it marks as interim. A third bath on different days is not new. PTI reported the last bath of 2003 on 1 September at Nashik and 7 September at Trimbakeshwar, and in 2015 the third bath was on 18 September at Nashik and 25 September at Trimbakeshwar. Amrit Snan days usually draw the most pilgrims; follow police and mela instructions on the day.
The Kumbh here is called the Simhastha because it is held when Jupiter is in Simha, the sign of Leo; read why the Nashik and Ujjain Kumbh is called Simhastha.
How far apart the two centres are
| Route | Distance on a normal day |
|---|---|
| Nashik to the Trimbakeshwar temple | About 28 km |
| Nashik to Trimbakeshwar, as the Kumbh plan gives it | About 30 km |
| Trimbakeshwar temple to Kushavarta | About 400 m |
| Nashik Road railway station to Ramkund | About 10 km |
| Nashik Road railway station to the Trimbakeshwar temple | About 39 km |
| Ozar (Ojhar) airport to the centre of Nashik | About 24 km |
These figures come from the Nashik district, Maharashtra Tourism and the Kumbh Mela Authority’s plan. They describe ordinary days, not travel times during the Kumbh. Kushavarta is in the heart of Trimbakeshwar town, so once you reach Trimbakeshwar the kund and the temple are a short walk apart.
On an ordinary day the trip between the centres is a road journey. The Nashik district says Trimbakeshwar is connected by state transport buses, and private vehicles use the same road. The authority’s plan notes the hilly terrain and the narrow ghats along the Godavari and in the Trimbakeshwar region, and the Simhastha falls in the monsoon. In July 2026, Trimbakeshwar taluka recorded 245 mm of rain in 24 hours and roads in the town were waterlogged, the Free Press Journal reported.
Getting between them during the Kumbh
The authority’s plan of June 2026, which it marks as interim, sets out how pilgrims will move:
- One main axis. The 30 km road between Trimbakeshwar and Nashik is the core pilgrim route, with most pilgrims expected to arrive from the north-east. Phased road upgrades are planned, especially on this corridor.
- Parking first. For Nashik, a three-tier system: outer parking for private vehicles on the main bathing days, buffer parking further in, and inner parking, from where dedicated shuttle buses take pilgrims towards the ghats.
- Walking last. Beyond the inner parking, walking is the only way to reach the ghats, akharas and temple areas.
- Buses. The state transport corporation (MSRTC) has its own shuttle plan, with figures the plan marks as tentative.
For a sense of how this worked before: in 2015, IANS reported, Nashik planned parking within about 10 km of the main ghats, public buses from there and a walk of the final two kilometres, with only public buses allowed on the main bathing days. The 2027 routes and numbers can still change, so plan for a long day, not a quick drive.
What this means for your visit
Choose the centre first, then the stay. A room in Nashik suits Ramkund and the Ramayana sites of Panchavati; Trimbakeshwar suits Kushavarta and the Jyotirlinga temple. On the first two Amrit Snans, 2 August and 31 August 2027, both centres bathe on the same day, so you will have to pick one. The third is split, 11 September at Nashik and 12 September 2027 at Trimbakeshwar. Treat a visit to the other centre as a separate day.
To compare the two waters and choose between them, read Ramkund and Kushavarta: the two sacred waters. For trains, roads and flights, see how to reach Nashik, and the Nashik Kumbh guide brings it all together.
Sources
- About District, Nashik · Nashik District, Government of Maharashtra ·
- Culture and Heritage: Simhastha Kumbhamela, Godavari and the akhara arrangement (Nashik district) · Nashik District, Government of Maharashtra ·
- Culture and Heritage: Simhastha Kumbhamela, the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh and its astrological aspect (Nashik district) · District Administration, Nashik, Government of Maharashtra ·
- Ramkund Nashik (District Nashik tourist places) · District Administration, Nashik ·
- Trimbakeshwar · Department of Tourism, 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 ·
- About Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority · Divisional Commissioner Office, Nashik, Government of Maharashtra ·
- Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume XVI: Nasik (1883), the Sinhasth at Nasik and Trimbak · Government of Bombay, Government Central Press; scan by Cornell University Library on the Internet Archive ·
- List of Akhadas Participating in Simhastha Kumbh Mela Nashik-Trimbakeshwar 2015 (official website) · Simhastha Kumbh Mela Nashik-Trimbakeshwar 2015, Government of Maharashtra ·
- Kumbh Mela: Thousands take holy dip during first 'shahi snan' · Press Trust of India (via India TV) ·
- Shaiva and Vaishnava akharas to hold a joint maha aarti before the Simhastha flag hoisting (Marathi report) · Pudhari (Pudhari news service, Nashik edition) ·
- Nashik: 6000 tribal people to perform Godavari aarti alongside President Murmu · Free Press Journal ·
- Thousands throng Kumbh Mela at Nashik · Deccan Herald (Mrityunjay Bose) ·
- Nashik Kumbh Mela 2027 Dates Announced · Patrika (Patrika Desk) ·
- Simhasta Kumbh Mela begins · Press Trust of India (via The Tribune) ·
- Kumbh Mela: second 'shahi snaan' on 13 Sep · Press Trust of India via India TV News ·
- Trimbakeshwar Temple: Visitor Orientation · Nashik District, Government of Maharashtra ·
- Kushavart Tirtha: Trimbakeshwar · Nashik District, Government of Maharashtra ·
- Kushavart Tirtha, Trimbakeshwar (District Nashik tourist places) · District Administration, Nashik ·
- Ramkund Nashik · Nashik District, Government of Maharashtra ·
- Ramkund Nashik: How to Reach section (Nashik district) · Nashik District Administration, Government of Maharashtra ·
- 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 2027: movement, stations, airports and the pilgrim circuit · Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority ·
- Simhastha Kumbh Mela starts in Nashik, Trimbakeshwar (Roundup) · IANS (via Business Standard) ·
- Nashik: Trimbakeshwar Waterlogged After 245 mm Of Rain In 24 Hours; Roads Turn Into Rivers · Free Press Journal ·
Photo: Subhankar Banerjee, CC BY-SA 4.0
