Preparations for the 2027 Simhastha Kumbh Mela in Nashik and Trimbakeshwar will be formally launched on October 31, when President Droupadi Murmu has been invited to attend a flag-hoisting ceremony marking the start of the process.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, accompanied by a high-level Maharashtra delegation, met Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday and extended the invitation. The President has also been invited to participate in a Goda aarti and other events planned for the day in Nashik and Trimbakeshwar.
The October 31 programme is expected to include the launch of the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority’s website, the release of the official Kumbh Mela song, the unveiling of a coffee-table book and the release of a commemorative postal stamp. The flag-hoisting ceremony will serve as the formal public marker for preparations for the 2027 religious gathering.
Deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, cabinet ministers, senior officials and representatives of religious organisations associated with the Kumbh Mela were part of the delegation that met the President. The delegation also included water resources and Kumbh Mela minister Girish Mahajan, food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal, school education minister Dada Bhuse and minister Narhari Zirwal.
Nashik mayor Himgauri Aher, Trimbak municipal council president Triveni Tungar, office-bearers of the Nashik and Trimbakeshwar Purohit Sanghs, Simhastha Kumbh Mela Authority chairman and divisional commissioner Pravin Gedam, and Kumbh Mela commissioner Shekhar Singh were also present during the meeting.
The delegation presented Murmu with a specially designed invitation package showcasing Maharashtra’s spiritual, cultural and entrepreneurial heritage. According to officials, the package contains a three-dimensional pop-up artwork depicting the mythological origins, spiritual significance and scale of the Kumbh Mela.
The gift hamper included products sourced from Shabari Naturals under the tribal development department. Officials said the inclusion was intended to reflect tribal knowledge, sustainable livelihoods and local entrepreneurship from Maharashtra.
The formal launch comes as the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority begins preparing for the 2027 Simhastha Kumbh Mela. The supplied details do not specify the wider infrastructure, mobility, sanitation or crowd-management works planned for the event. The next publicly identified milestone is the October 31 flag-hoisting ceremony and the associated launch of the authority’s website and official Kumbh material.
