Nashik Simhastha Kumbh: President Murmu invited to October 31 flag hoisting

Maharashtra has formally invited President Droupadi Murmu to the flag-hoisting ceremony that will open the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela on 31 October 2026. A state delegation led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, and handed over the invitation. The Dharmadhwaj, or religious flag, is to be raised at 12.02 pm at the same moment at Ramkund in Nashik and at Kushavarta Tirtha in Trimbakeshwar, marking the start of a Kumbh that is held once in 12 years.

The Kumbh Mela is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world and rotates between four sites: Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik-Trimbakeshwar. The gathering in Nashik and Trimbakeshwar is called Simhastha because, according to tradition, it is held when the planet Jupiter is in Simha, the sign of Leo. Pilgrims believe that bathing in the Godavari at this time carries special spiritual merit, and sadhus of the various akharas, the traditional orders of ascetics, lead the main processions. The flag-hoisting is the ritual opening: once the flags are raised at Ramkund and Kushavarta, the Simhastha period formally begins.

An invitation to the President gives the opening a national profile. The state has planned the day as more than a ritual. The collective aarti with thousands of tribal participants is meant to show the customs, folk traditions and community life of Maharashtra's tribal population alongside the temple and river rites, an attempt to present the Kumbh as a shared cultural event of the region. Ahead of the opening, organisers also plan two world record attempts, including a mass conch-blowing event on 25 October at Yashwant Maharaj Ground in Nashik.

The preparations have not been smooth everywhere. A report on 18 October said the riverbed at Ramkund had dried up during ongoing development works, and that two local groups, the Ganga Godavari Purohit Sangh and the Ramteerth Godavari Seva Samiti, conduct separate aartis there. Because works at Ramkund and the nearby ghats are still incomplete, the administration has restricted devotees' entry to parts of the area for a period of about two to three weeks. Officials have been reviewing projects such as the Ram Kal Path at Ramkund and the restoration of Kushavarta Kund, with instructions to finish them before the ceremony.

Short-term: Nashik's police and civic bodies are preparing for crowds and a possible presidential visit on 31 October, with security surveys of the Godavari ghats and temporary entry limits near Ramkund while works are finished. Devotees planning to visit Ramkund in the coming days should expect restrictions.

Long-term: The opening starts a long Simhastha period that runs until July 2028, with the largest crowds expected on the Amrit Snan days in 2027. The state's new Kumbh Mela Authority, its roads, river-cleaning and ghat works will be tested over these months, and they will remain part of the city's infrastructure afterwards.

Who is affected: Pilgrims and sadhus of the akharas, residents and traders of Nashik and Trimbakeshwar, tribal communities of Nashik district taking part in the aarti, and the police, civic and railway authorities managing the crowds.

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