On the sacred banks of the Godavari, amid auspicious echoes of Vedic mantras and the blowing of conch shells, a gathering of saints, politicians and thousands of devotees at Ramtirtha in Nashik, President Droupadi Murmu unfurled Dharmadhwaja, or the religious flag, at 12.02 pm on Saturday, marking the launch of the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela .

President Murmu first offered oblations into the sacrificial fire (Yagnakund). Following this, she ritually worshipped the life-giving Godavari and paid respects to the religious flag. Accompanied by the chanting of priests, she hoisted the flag.

As the flag fluttered in the sky, the surroundings of Ramtirtha echoed with the blowing of conch shells.…