Gita Mahotsav 2026: Kurukshetra festival December 5-25, ISRO, Navy to exhibit

The International Gita Mahotsav 2026 will be held in Kurukshetra from December 5 to 25, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announced at the 83rd meeting of the governing body of the Kurukshetra Development Board, chaired by the state's Governor, in the last week of October 2026. For the first time, the Indian Air Force, the Indian Navy and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will put up exhibitions at the festival, and West Bengal and Delhi will take part as partner states. At the meeting, the Governor and the Chief Minister also launched two mobile apps for visitors, the Digital Heritage App and the Kurukshetra Sarathi app.

Gita Jayanti marks, according to tradition, the day on which the Bhagavad Gita was spoken by Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, as narrated in the Mahabharata. The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most widely read works of Indian philosophy, and scholars, teachers and spiritual organisations continue to study and debate its ideas on duty, action and the self.

Haryana has built the International Gita Mahotsav into a large public event around this day. Kurukshetra is associated in tradition with the events of the Mahabharata, and the festival brings together Gita recitations, cultural performances and exhibitions over three weeks, with scholars and artists from India and abroad. Officials of the Ministry of External Affairs have said the Mahotsav will also be marked in more than 50 countries, according to reports, which gives the event a role in India's cultural outreach abroad.

The decision to bring in the Air Force, the Navy and ISRO is a change in character. It places displays of modern defence and space technology alongside a festival rooted in an ancient text, a pairing the state presents as a link between India's heritage and its present-day achievements. The apps are meant to help visitors find sites, events and services across a large festival area. Choosing West Bengal and Delhi as partner states means their artists, crafts and cuisine are expected to feature in the fair.

For visitors, the dates matter for planning. The heaviest crowds are usually expected around the main cultural week and Gita Jayanti itself, and the Kurukshetra Development Board has said it will meet every three months to monitor development works in the area.

Short-term: Preparations in Kurukshetra, including the themed roundabouts and visitor services, will speed up through November. Hotels, transport operators and artisans planning to take part will begin bookings.

Long-term: The growing scale of the Mahotsav, with international editions and national institutions taking part, strengthens Kurukshetra's place on India's cultural and pilgrimage map and supports local tourism and crafts.

Who is affected: Pilgrims and tourists, residents and businesses of Kurukshetra, artists and artisans from Haryana and the partner states, schools and scholars taking part in Gita programmes, and village temples across Haryana that will host recitations.

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