President Droupadi Murmu will attend the Dhwajarohan (flag hoisting) ceremony at Nashik and Trimbakeshwar on Saturday (October 31), formally marking the beginning of the Simhastha Kumbh period.

The religious congregation is expected to draw around 12 crore visits over the entire festival, according to the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority, making it one of the largest gatherings to be organised in Maharashtra.

The formal Simhastha period will begin on October 31, 2026, with the hoisting of flags at Ramkund in Nashik and Kushavarta Tirtha in Trimbakeshwar. It will continue until July 2028.…