President Murmu hoists the Dharmadhvaja at Ramkund, formally opening the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela
The flags now fly at both bathing centres and will come down only in July 2028, making this a Simhastha of about 21 months.
- The Indian Express
- Hindustan Times
President Droupadi Murmu unfurled the Dharmadhvaja, the religious flag of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela, at Ramtirtha in Nashik at 12.02 pm on Saturday, The Indian Express reported. Before hoisting the flag, she offered oblations into the yajñakuṇḍa and performed pūjā of the Godavari.
The rituals were led by priest Satish Shukla and Chandrashekhar Panchakshari, president of the Purohit Sangh. "The religious flag flying is not just a mark of religious identity, but a sacred symbol connecting thousands of years of cultural memory with the present," Shukla said after the ceremony.
About 30 km away, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hoisted the flag at Kushavarta Tirtha in Trimbakeshwar. That ceremony was held in the presence of Jagadguru Shankaracharya Vidhushekhara Bharati of the Sringeri Peetham.
Mahants, sādhus and saints from various akhāḍās attended the Nashik ceremony. The flag carries an amṛta kumbha, Oṃkāra, the letter Śrī, and the makara, vehicle of Goddess Godavari, according to the published description.
The closing ceremonies are listed for 24 July 2028 at Trimbakeshwar and 29 July 2028 at Nashik. Hindustan Times reported that projects worth an estimated ₹34,732 crore are planned, with about 12 crore pilgrim visits projected.
The first major Amṛta Snāna is due on 2 August 2027. Unusually, Vaiṣṇava akhāḍās bathe at Ramkund in Nashik and Śaiva akhāḍās at Kushavarta, an arrangement HT traced to a Peshwa-era settlement after a clash in 1790.
Key data
Flag hoisted at 12.02 pm, 31 Oct 2026; closing on 24 Jul 2028 (Trimbakeshwar) and 29 Jul 2028 (Nashik); ₹34,732 crore in projects, about 85% for permanent works (HT); about 12 crore pilgrim visits projected; first Amṛta Snāna 2 Aug 2027; 13 akhāḍās (3 Vaiṣṇava, 10 Śaiva).
Why it matters
The Nashik Simhastha is one of the four great Kumbh gatherings, and the flag hoisting begins the long run-up for sādhus and lakhs of families planning a snāna in the Godavari. How the twin centres handle crowds and keep the river clean will shape the experience of every pilgrim.
GK: did you know?
The Simhastha is held when Bṛhaspati (Jupiter) enters Siṃha rāśi (Leo), and Trimbakeshwar, near the source of the Godavari, is one of the twelve Jyotirliṅgas of Śiva.
