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Bringing a Group to the Kumbh: Buses, Parking and Camps

KumbhMela.info Editorial TeamChecked on Wed 21 Oct 2026

If you are bringing a bus, a satsang group or an institution's camp, the rules that matter are where buses may park, how the shuttle works and how land is allotted for camps. Each mela sets its own.

ExpectedChecked on Wed 21 Oct 2026

Each row says whether it is announced for the coming mela, not announced yet, or what happened at an earlier mela (precedent).

Most rules for 2027 are not out yet. Below is what each mela did last time and what it has announced so far, then the steps to plan a group trip.

Parking, buses and camps at each mela

Past melas parked buses at satellite parkings on the road they came in by, with shuttle buses onward to the ghats.

  • Haridwar2021Precedent

    In 2021 buses parked by origin: contract buses from the Dehradun side at Hariram Inter College; for the April Shahi Snans, private buses at Dudhadhari, roadways buses at Motichur.1,2

  • Haridwar2026Announced for 2027

    The official map's proposed 2027 layer marks parking, five ISBT points and a Shyampur shuttle bus stand; in February 2026 the Chief Minister ordered timely land allotment to akharas.3,4

  • Prayagraj2025Precedent

    In 2025, 18 of 24 satellite parkings near the mela took large vehicles, with shuttle buses onward. No-vehicle zones covered main bathing days and a day either side.5

  • Prayagraj2025Precedent

    For Magh Mela 2026 the authority set a land-allotment schedule for religious institutions from 2 December 2025; institutions needed Aadhaar and current photos, and past defaulters got none.6

  • Prayagraj2026Open

    At the first Magh Mela 2027 meeting on 27 August 2026, roadways proposed extra bus parking near the sugar mill instead of Jhunsi; police asked for a dedicated parking officer.7

  • Nashik2026Announced for 2027

    The June 2026 plan proposes three-tier parking with bus zones and shuttles, 2015-size plots for akharas, khalsas and trusts, and single-window approval for tent cities. Tentative.8

  • All four2023Open

    A tourist bus on an All India Tourist Permit must carry a list of passengers with their origin and destination, and the operator keeps records for one year.9

  • Ujjain2016Not announced yet

    Group bus and camp rules for 2028 are not announced. For 2016, police planned satellite towns at seven points and 28 mass-transport routes into the city.10

Sources (10)
  1. Kumbh Mela administration Haridwar, Government of Uttarakhand (posted on the Haridwar Kumbh 2027 website): Kumbh Administrative Report 2021 (Kumbh Prashasanik Report 2021), Haridwar (2021)
  2. Amar Ujala: Haridwar: heavy vehicles barred from the Kumbh area from 8 to 15 April for the Shahi Snan; educational institutions closed from 9 April (Hindi) (2021)
  3. Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand: Interactive Mela Map points data (all.geojson), Haridwar Kumbh 2027 official website
  4. IANS: CM Dhami sets October deadline for Kumbh Mela 2027 readiness in Haridwar (2026)
  5. Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh: Traffic Plan for Maha Kumbh 2025 (press release PDF, January 2025) (2025)
  6. Patrika: Magh Mela 2026 preparations: from land allotment to traffic plan (Hindi) (2025)
  7. Amar Ujala: First meeting on Magh Mela 2026-27 preparations; land-levelling tender soon (Hindi) (2026)
  8. 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: inclusion, parking, lost and found, media and Sadhugram sections (2026)
  9. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India (copy hosted on thc.nic.in): All India Tourist Vehicles (Permit) Rules, 2023 (G.S.R. 302(E), 18 April 2023), gazette copy with a draft amendment of 12 September 2025 (2023)
  10. Free Press Journal: Police reveal traffic plans for Simhastha fair (2015)
The Kumbh tent city at Prayagraj in 2019, seen from Shastri BridgePhoto: Balone21, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Kumbh tent city at Prayagraj in 2019, seen from Shastri Bridge.

Plan a group trip in five steps

  1. Fix the mela and the daysPick your bathing days from the Kumbh calendar, and check each date’s status there before you book a bus.
  2. Book the stay firstA group needs rooms or a camp close together. See where to stay for Haridwar, Nashik and Trimbakeshwar, Prayagraj and Ujjain.
  3. Carry a passenger listA tourist bus on an All India Tourist Permit must carry a list of passengers with their origin and destination.
  4. Follow the official parking noticesParking sites and no-vehicle days are announced by each mela’s police and administration. Watch the official websites and apps; for Haridwar, read parking and shuttles.
  5. For a camp, apply to the mela authorityLand for akharas, ashrams and institutions is allotted by the mela authority on its own schedule. For Magh Mela 2026 allotment began on 2 December 2025.

How the mela city works

The tent city, its sectors and its roads are built for each mela and taken down after it. Our explainer on how the temporary Kumbh city works shows how sectors, bridges and camps fit together.

Pontoon bridges crossing the Ganga at sunset during the 2025 Maha Kumbh in PrayagrajPhoto: Vanshiikaa, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pontoon bridges at sunset, Maha Kumbh 2025.

Plan this trip with Tirth

Tirth.com's yatra team replies between 10:30 AM and 7:30 PM IST. We keep your name, number and trip details only to pass them to that team, for up to 13 months, and delete them sooner if you ask. Privacy

From Tirth.com, which runs this guide · How this works

Questions people ask

Where do buses park at the Kumbh?

At past melas buses parked at satellite parkings on the road they came by, with shuttle buses onward. At Prayagraj in 2025, 18 of 24 satellite parkings took large vehicles. Parking sites for 2027 are announced by each mela’s police.

Does a tour bus need a passenger list?

Yes. A tourist bus on an All India Tourist Permit must carry a list of passengers with their origin and destination, and the operator keeps the records for one year.

How does an institution get land for a camp?

The mela authority allots land to akharas, ashrams and institutions on its own schedule. For Magh Mela 2026 allotment began on 2 December 2025, with Aadhaar and current photos needed. Nashik’s 2027 plan proposes plots the same size as in 2015.

Where next

Har Ki Pauri, HaridwarPhoto: TirthProvisionalहरिद्वार कुंभ 2027Haridwar Kumbh 2027Thu 14 Jan to Tue 20 Apr 2027Open the guideRamkund on Makar Sankranti 2025Photo: Rohit R Nashik, CC BY-SA 4.0Officialनासिक कुंभ 2027Nashik–Trimbakeshwar SimhasthaMain bathing Aug to Sep 2027Open the guideRam Ghat on the ShipraPhoto: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0Expectedउज्जैन सिंहस्थ 2028Ujjain Simhastha 202827 Mar to 27 May 2028Open the guideBoats at the Sangam, PrayagrajPhoto: Ninara, CC BY 2.0Expectedप्रयागराज माघ मेला 2027Prayagraj Magh Mela 2027Magh Mela, 15 Jan to 6 Mar 2027Open the guide

Sources

10 sources · checked 21 Oct 2026
  1. Interactive Mela Map points data (all.geojson), Haridwar Kumbh 2027 official website · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
  2. Kumbh Administrative Report 2021 (Kumbh Prashasanik Report 2021), Haridwar · Kumbh Mela administration Haridwar, Government of Uttarakhand (posted on the Haridwar Kumbh 2027 website) ·
  3. Haridwar: heavy vehicles barred from the Kumbh area from 8 to 15 April for the Shahi Snan; educational institutions closed from 9 April (Hindi) · Amar Ujala ·
  4. Traffic Plan for Maha Kumbh 2025 (press release PDF, January 2025) · Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  5. Magh Mela 2026 preparations: from land allotment to traffic plan (Hindi) · Patrika ·
  6. First meeting on Magh Mela 2026-27 preparations; land-levelling tender soon (Hindi) · Amar Ujala ·
  7. Kumbh Mela Plan (First Edition), Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2027: inclusion, parking, lost and found, media and Sadhugram sections · Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority, Office of the Divisional Commissioner, Nashik, Government of Maharashtra ·
  8. Police reveal traffic plans for Simhastha fair · Free Press Journal ·
  9. All India Tourist Vehicles (Permit) Rules, 2023 (G.S.R. 302(E), 18 April 2023), gazette copy with a draft amendment of 12 September 2025 · Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India (copy hosted on thc.nic.in) ·
  10. CM Dhami sets October deadline for Kumbh Mela 2027 readiness in Haridwar · IANS ·