Magh Mela Prayagraj: Sangam, Kalpvas and Bathing Days

Quick answer: The Magh Mela at Prayagraj is the yearly bathing fair at the Triveni Sangam, where the Ganga and Yamuna meet and the Saraswati is believed to join them. It is held in the Hindu month of Magh, roughly January to February. Pilgrims bathe on set days, and many stay a month in camps for Kalpvas. The Prayagraj Mela Authority organises it.

2027 at a glance

Item	What we know
Magh Mela 2027 schedule	2027 schedule awaited from the Prayagraj Mela Authority (Government of Uttar Pradesh)
Makar Sankranti 2027 in India	15 January in India per the panchang; some government lists mark 14 January
Sun enters Makara	9:14 PM IST on Thursday 14 January 2027 (Drik Panchang)
Place	Triveni Sangam, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh
Organiser	Prayagraj Mela Authority, a statutory body under the Prayagraj Mela Authority, Allahabad Act (UP Act No. 5 of 2018)

The Ministry of Tourism's Incredible India site carries a "Magh Mela 2027" listing credited to Uttar Pradesh Tourism (Incredible India). It is a tourism listing, not the Mela Authority's bathing schedule, so we do not reproduce its dates here. Wait for the authority's own announcement before fixing travel.

Our 2026 Magh Mela page covers the 2026 fair.

What is the Magh Mela?

The Magh Mela is held every year on the sandbanks at the Sangam in Prayagraj. The Prayagraj district website describes the Sangam as the place where the brown Ganga meets the green Yamuna, joined by the Saraswati, which is believed to flow underground. The district calls Prayag "Tirtharaj", the king of tirthas (holy bathing places) (Prayagraj district).

The Incredible India listing describes devotees, saints and pilgrims coming during the Magh month to bathe at the confluence, with religious ceremonies, discourses by saints, devotional music and cultural programmes (Incredible India).

The same sandbanks host the Kumbh Mela. The Prayagraj district site says the Kumbh is held at four tirthas in turn (Prayag, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain), linked to the legend of drops of amrit (nectar) falling at those places (Prayagraj district). The Uttarakhand government's Garhwal division portal adds that an Ardh (half) Kumbh is held every six years at only two places, Haridwar and Prayag (Garhwal division portal). The Magh Mela is the yearly fair held in the years between. The Prayagraj Mela Authority organises all three: the Maha Kumbh, the Kumbh and the Magh Mela (Prayagraj Mela Authority).

What is Kalpvas?

Kalpvas means staying at the Sangam for a fixed period under a spiritual discipline. A person who keeps it is a kalpvasi.

Period: The Press Information Bureau (Ministry of Culture) wrote in January 2025 that, according to tradition, Kalpvas begins on Paush Purnima (the full moon of Paush) and continues for a month until Magh Purnima. During this time devotees live in tents near the Sangam (PIB, 13 January 2025).
Discipline: PIB describes vows of celibacy, simplicity and regular prayer. A PTI report from the 2026 mela described kalpvasis bathing in the Ganga twice a day, eating one meal a day and spending the rest of the time in meditation and worship (PTI via The Week, 3 January 2026).
Camps: PIB notes that tirth purohits and Prayagwals (the pilgrim priests of Prayag) conduct rituals for pilgrims in the mela area. The Incredible India listing sums Kalpvas up as about a month of prayer, meditation, charity and simple living.

Families keep Kalpvas in different ways, and some begin or end on different days. Ask your family priest or the Prayagwal who hosts your camp which rules your family follows.

What are the main bathing days, and how are they fixed?

The bathing days are tied to the Hindu calendar, so their Gregorian dates change every year. A PTI report on the 2026 mela named these as the main bathing days (PTI via The Week, 3 January 2026):

Bathing day	How it is fixed
Paush Purnima	Full moon of the month of Paush; opens the mela and Kalpvas
Makar Sankranti	The Sun's entry into sidereal Makara (a solar date)
Mauni Amavasya	New moon of Magh; mauna means silence
Basant Panchami	Fifth lunar day of the bright half of Magh
Maghi Purnima	Full moon of Magh; Kalpvas ends
Mahashivratri	The fourteenth night of the waning moon after Maghi Purnima

Makar Sankranti is the only solar date in the list; the others follow the Moon. In some years Makar Sankranti falls before Paush Purnima, in others after it. The Mela Authority announces the official list each season. For the Mauni Amavasya bath, see our guide to Mauni Amavasya.

What do pilgrims do at the Sangam?

Snan: the bath at the confluence, often reached by boat. The district site notes that boats can be hired at the ghat near the fort (Prayagraj district).
Daan: gifts of food, sesame, blankets and money, especially on Makar Sankranti. See our Sankranti daan guide.
Rites through a priest: many families have rites at the river performed by a Prayagwal or tirth purohit.
Satsang: listening to discourses in the camps of saints and akharas (monastic orders).

PIB's 2025 note says that bathing in rivers such as the Ganga and Yamuna on Makar Sankranti "is believed to cleanse sins and bestow spiritual merit". That is a statement of belief. HinduTone makes no promise about the result of any bath or gift. For the meaning of the Sankranti bath and how to keep it at home, see Sankranti snanam: the holy bath. Uttar Pradesh's home customs for the day are in our guide to Khichdi Sankranti.

How do I reach the Magh Mela?

Mode	Details (official sources)
Air	Prayagraj Airport (Bamrauli). Varanasi and Lucknow airports are farther away (Prayagraj district)
Rail	Prayagraj Junction, Prayagraj Chheoki Junction, Prayagraj Rambag and Prayagraj Sangam stations (Incredible India)
Road	Civil Lines bus stand in Prayagraj; the Sangam is about 7 km from Civil Lines (Prayagraj district)
On site	Walk across the sandbanks; pontoon bridges link the sectors (PTI, 2026)

Book trains on IRCTC and check Indian Railways for special trains in the mela season. Vehicle routes and parking change on the main bathing days, so look for the district's traffic notices before you travel.

Where can pilgrims stay?

Pilgrims stay in hotels and dharamshalas in the city, in camps of their family priest or a religious organisation, or in tents set up for the season. PIB reported that for the 2025 Maha Kumbh the Mela Authority set up tents with electricity, water and sanitation for kalpvasis. Facilities for a Magh Mela year are announced by the authority; check before you book.

Safety: cold, crowds and water

Cold. January and February mornings at the Sangam are cold. The 2026 PTI report described biting cold on the opening day. Carry warm layers, a dry set of clothes and a towel, and change quickly after the bath.
Water. Bathe only at marked ghats within barricades. Do not swim out. Follow the instructions of police and water police.
Crowds. Agree on a meeting point. Write a phone number on a card for each child and elder. Melas at Prayagraj run lost-and-found centres; PIB described the Bhule-Bhatke camps and Khoya-Paya (lost-and-found) centres at the 2025 Maha Kumbh.
Health. Elders and people with heart, lung or blood-pressure problems should speak to a doctor first and avoid the peak hours of the big bathing days.
Cleanliness. Use no plastic in offerings; take your waste back.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Magh Mela in 2027?

The 2027 schedule is awaited from the Prayagraj Mela Authority (Government of Uttar Pradesh). Makar Sankranti falls on 15 January in India per the panchang, with some government lists marking 14 January. The other bathing days follow the lunar calendar and will be in the authority's list.

Is the Magh Mela the same as the Kumbh Mela?

No. The Magh Mela is held every year at the Sangam in the Magh month. The Kumbh is held at Prayag on a twelve-year cycle, with an Ardh Kumbh in between. The same authority organises both.

What is a kalpvasi?

A kalpvasi is a person who keeps Kalpvas, living near the Sangam for about a month from Paush Purnima to Magh Purnima. They follow a simple routine of bathing, prayer, limited meals and charity. Rules differ by family.

Which is the most important bath of the Magh Mela?

Families value different days. Makar Sankranti, Mauni Amavasya and the full-moon baths are widely kept. We do not rank them; follow your family custom.

Is there registration or an e-pass for the Magh Mela?

We found no official page requiring registration for 2027. Check the Prayagraj Mela Authority and Prayagraj district websites for current rules before you travel.

Can children and elders go?

Yes, many families bring them. Choose a less crowded day if you can, keep them close at the ghats, and make sure they stay warm and dry.

Sources

Prayagraj District Administration, "Sangam" (tourist place page), https://prayagraj.nic.in/tourist-place/sangam/, accessed 12 November 2026.
Prayagraj Division, "Prayagraj Mela Authority", https://prayagrajdivision.nic.in/division/prayagraj-mela-authority/, accessed 12 November 2026.
Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Incredible India, "Magh Mela Prayagraj 2027" (credited to Uttar Pradesh Tourism), https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/festivals-and-events/uttar-pradesh/magh-mela-2027, accessed 12 November 2026.
Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Culture, "The Beginning of Maha Kumbh 2025", 13 January 2025, https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2025/jan/doc2025113485101.pdf, accessed 12 November 2026.
PTI via The Week, "Lakhs bathe in freezing Sangam waters as Magh Mela begins in Prayagraj", 3 January 2026, https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/national/2026/01/03/lakhs-bathe-in-freezing-sangam-waters-as-magh-mela-begins-in-prayagraj.html, accessed 12 November 2026.
Government of Uttarakhand, Garhwal Division, "Kumbh Mela", https://garhwal.uk.gov.in/kumbh-mela/, accessed 12 November 2026.
Drik Panchang, Makar Sankranti 2027 (moment of the Sun's entry into Makara), via the HinduTone 2027 date sheet.

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.

Magh Mela at Prayagraj: A Guide to the Sangam, Kalpvas and the Bathing Days