Ramkund and Kuśāvarta Tīrtha to feature on special postage stamps for the 2027 Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh
The stamps will be released on 31 October at the Kumbh's flag-hoisting, and President Droupadi Murmu has been invited.
- Hindustan Times (PTI)
- ETV Bharat
Special postage stamps featuring Ramkund in Nashik and Kuśāvarta Tīrtha in Trimbakeshwar are being issued to mark the Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2027, according to an official release reported by PTI. The stamps fall under the Department of Posts' 'My Stamp' initiative and are meant to carry the spiritual heritage of the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar region to a national audience.
They will be unveiled on 31 October, the day of the Kumbh's Dhvajārohaṇa (flag-hoisting), and President Droupadi Murmu has been invited to the ceremony, the release said. Ramkund is among the region's most revered bathing sites and holds particular importance for the Vaiṣṇava tradition, being linked with the Amṛt Snān during the Simhastha.
Its stamp captures the ghat's distinctive architecture and its long association with Kumbh rituals. Kuśāvarta Tīrtha in Trimbakeshwar, set against the Brahmagiri hills, is a key bathing site for Śaiva ascetics during the Mela.
Its stamp shows the structure of the kuṇḍa and the surrounding landscape, reflecting its place in the Śaiva identity of Trimbakeshwar. "The special postage stamps featuring Ramkund and Kushavarta Tirtha will help bring the significance of these two sacred sites to a wider audience," said Shekhar Singh, Commissioner of the Nashik Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority.
ETV Bharat also reported that the stamps were designed to showcase the religious significance and cultural heritage of the two towns. The release frames the stamps as part of the run-up to a Mela that will draw sādhus, akhāḍās and pilgrims to both Nashik and Trimbakeshwar.
Key data
Two stamps (Ramkund, Nashik; Kuśāvarta Tīrtha, Trimbakeshwar); release on 31 Oct 2026 at the Kumbh Dhvajārohaṇa; issued under India Post's 'My Stamp' scheme.
Why it matters
The Nashik Kumbh is unique in splitting its sacred bathing between a Vaiṣṇava site and a Śaiva site, and the stamps put both traditions on the same national footing. The 31 October flag-hoisting is the first big public milestone for pilgrims planning their snān.
GK: did you know?
A Simhastha Kumbh is held when Bṛhaspati (Jupiter) is in Siṃha (Leo), and both Nashik-Trimbakeshwar and Ujjain host one; Kuśāvarta is traditionally regarded as the point where the Godāvarī, rising on Brahmagiri, first emerges.
