Each Kumbh is run by the government of the state it is held in, through a mela administration set up for the event: the Mela Adhikari’s office in Haridwar, the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority in Maharashtra, a state cabinet committee and a Mela Officer for Ujjain, and the Prayagraj Mela Authority in Uttar Pradesh. Central bodies such as Indian Railways help, and the akharas have a say in the main bathing days.
Haridwar: the Mela Adhikari’s office
The Uttarakhand government runs the Haridwar Kumbh through a mela administration headed by a Mela Adhikari (mela officer). The official Haridwar Kumbh website’s Who’s Who page lists the Mela Adhikari as Sonika, an IAS officer, with an Upper Mela Adhikari, two Deputy Mela Adhikaris and the Municipal Commissioner. The police side has its own chain: an IG Kumbh, Yogendra Singh Rawat, an SSP Kumbh and an ASP.
It was the mela administration, through the Mela Officer, that announced a first list of 2027 bathing days in April 2026, PTI reported; the official website now lists eleven. The Chief Minister launched the official website, logo and song on 12 October 2026 at the Mela Control Building in Haridwar. Officers can change with transfers, so check the Who’s Who page for the current names.
Nashik and Trimbakeshwar: an authority set up by law
Maharashtra set up the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority (NTKMA) as the nodal agency for the 2027 Simhastha. Its job covers infrastructure, sanitation and waste, safety and security, transport, digital services and help for pilgrims, and it works with civic bodies, state and central departments, NGOs and akharas. Its legal basis is the Simhastha Kumbh Mela Act, 2025.
The authority’s members page lists posts, not names:
- Chairperson: the Commissioner, Nashik Division.
- Vice-chairpersons: the Collector of Nashik and the Special Inspector General of Police, Nashik Range.
- Members include the Nashik police commissioner, the municipal commissioner, the chief officer of Trimbakeshwar Municipal Council, the state bus corporation, the deputy director of health, the engineer in charge of the Godavari’s water and a Railway Board nominee.
- Member-secretary: the Kumbh Mela Commissioner.
NTKMA published the first edition of its Kumbh Mela Plan in June 2026, and marks it as interim and open to change.
Ujjain: a cabinet committee and a Mela Officer
In Madhya Pradesh, Simhastha 2028 works are approved by a Cabinet Committee on Simhastha 2028. In June 2026 it approved 17 new projects and reviewed 148 projects across Ujjain and nearby districts, with the Chief Minister giving directions. Earlier approvals included an integrated command and control centre and a mela control room. In April 2025 the state gave Ashish Singh, then Indore’s collector, the additional charge of Mela Officer, Patrika reported.
We have not found an official page that sets out the full Simhastha administration for 2028. The Chief Minister has said the Simhastha will run from 27 March to 27 May 2028; bathing days are not announced.
Prayagraj: the Prayagraj Mela Authority
Uttar Pradesh created the Prayagraj Mela Authority by ordinance in November 2017 to organise the Maha Kumbh, the Kumbh and the yearly Magh Mela, and then set it up by law under the Prayagraj Mela Authority, Allahabad Act, 2017. The Commissioner of Prayagraj Division chairs its board. The Inspector General of Police and the District Magistrate are vice-presidents, and the Mela Officer, appointed by the state for each Kumbh, is its chief executive officer.
For Maha Kumbh 2025, the mela area became a new district, Maha Kumbh Nagar, and the Authority handled land and facility allotments online for more than 10,000 institutions.
Who else has a say
- The akharas. Nashik’s 2027 schedule was announced after a meeting chaired by the Maharashtra Chief Minister and attended by seers of all 13 akharas and the Purohit Sangh.
- The Centre. Indian Railways ran special trains to Prayagraj in 2025. FSSAI checked food with the state’s food safety department. NDMA writes crowd guidance for state governments and organisers.
What this means for you: dates, routes, passes and rules come from the state’s mela administration, not from agents or forwarded messages. Follow the official sources listed on each guide: Haridwar 2027, Nashik 2027, Ujjain 2028 and Prayagraj. To see how the mela itself is built, read how a temporary Kumbh city works, and before you pay for anything, use our booking check.
Sources
- Who's Who: Mela Administration and Police (Haridwar Kumbh 2027 official website) · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
- Dates announced for bathing festivals during Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar · Press Trust of India (via The Week) ·
- Haridwar Kumbh 2027: सीएम धामी ने लॉन्च किया कुंभ का लोगो, वेबसाइट और गीत, जानें क्या है खास · Navbharat Live ·
- Haridwar Kumbh 2027 preparation review and permanent-works deadline · Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Uttarakhand ·
- About Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority · Divisional Commissioner Office, Nashik, Government of Maharashtra ·
- Acts and Government Resolutions: Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority · Divisional Commissioner Office, Nashik, Government of Maharashtra ·
- Members of the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority · Divisional Commissioner Office, Nashik, 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 ·
- Simhastha 2028: 17 New Development Projects Approved · Directorate of Public Relations (Jansampark), Government of Madhya Pradesh ·
- All Simhastha 2028 Works to Be Completed by Diwali 2027: CM Dr. Yadav · Directorate of Public Relations (Jansampark), Government of Madhya Pradesh ·
- Roshan Kumar Singh appointed Ujjain collector in place of Neeraj Kumar Singh; Indore collector given additional charge of Mela Officer · Patrika ·
- MP Simhastha Kumbh 2028: ₹25k Cr Infrastructure Push For 40Cr Devotees, Says CM Yadav · Deccan Chronicle ·
- Prayagraj Mela Authority · Division Prayagraj, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
- Digital Maha Kumbh: A Confluence of Devotion and Technology · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Culture) ·
- Simhastha Kumbh Mela to begin in Nashik-Trimbakeshwar on Oct 31 next year · Press Trust of India (via The Week) ·
- Crores of Devotees take the holy Dip at Sangam during the second Amrit Snan of Mahakumbh 2025 on Mauni Amavasya · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) ·
- Mahakumbh 2025: A Spectacle of Faith, Unity, and Tradition · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) ·
- FSSAI rolls out comprehensive measures for Food Safety at Maha Kumbh 2025; Deploys Mobile Food-Testing Labs, Officers to Safeguard Food Safety · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) ·
- Managing Crowd at Events and Venues of Mass Gathering: A Guide for State Government, Local Authorities, Administrators and Organizers · National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Government of India ·
