Magh Mela 2027 from Varanasi: Dates, Bathing Days, Cab and Tempo Traveller Guide

We've been driving pilgrims out of Varanasi since 1993, when our founder started with one Ambassador car outside Cantt station. Prayagraj is the shortest of the big pilgrim runs from here, so it's a road our drivers know well. Most of the year it's an easy day out: Sangam, boat, Bade Hanuman, lunch, home. Then winter comes, the sand at the Sangam fills up with tents, and the same 125 km turns into a very different drive. That's the Magh Mela, and this is how we plan it.

So here's the short answer. UP Tourism lists Magh Mela 2027 from 15 January to 6 March 2027, on the sands at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj. The Sangam is about 125 km from Varanasi, which is two and a half to three hours on NH-19 on a normal day. You can go and be back the same night. On the big bathing days, though, the last few kilometres can take longer than the whole highway.

When is Magh Mela 2027?

Magh Mela 2027 is listed for 15 January to 6 March 2027. That's from UP Tourism's entry on the government's Incredible India site. The closing date matches Maha Shivratri, which the central government's 2027 holiday list also puts on 6 March. The 2026 mela closed with the Maha Shivratri bath too.

The dates move a lot from one year to the next, because they follow the moon. The 2026 mela opened on Paush Purnima, 3 January, and closed on Maha Shivratri, 15 February. The 2027 one starts almost two weeks later and runs on into March. So please don't copy last year's plan.

Which are the main bathing days in 2027?

There are six big snan days. Here's where 2027 stands in mid-November 2026:

• Makar Sankranti: 14 January on the central government's holiday list, while UP Tourism's window opens on the 15th. We plan for crowds on both days.
• Paush Purnima: 22 January by the panchang, the full moon of Paush, when kalpvas begins.
• Mauni Amavasya: 6 February by the panchang, the new moon of Magh. It usually draws the biggest crowd of the season.
• Basant Panchami: 11 February, on the central government list.
• Maghi Purnima: 20 February by the panchang, the full moon of Magh, when kalpvas ends.
• Maha Shivratri: 6 March, the last bath of the mela.

Those three panchang dates aren't official yet. The Mela Authority puts out the snan list and the traffic plan nearer the time. Last year the full list was in the papers by the end of November, about five weeks before the first bath. We'd wait for that notice before you book a hotel around one of them.

How do you get from Varanasi to Magh Mela?

By road, in a cab or a tempo traveller you've hired for the day. It's about 125 km on NH-19, the old GT Road, past Mirzapur. On an ordinary mela day our drivers take two and a half to three hours, sometimes a bit more on the Prayagraj side. On a big bathing day, add an hour or two each way and leave Varanasi by four in the morning.

Trains and UPSRTC buses run too, and the state adds buses for the mela. For 2026 the UP government said 3,800 buses would be on duty, 75 of them electric shuttles between the city and the mela area. That helps once you're in Prayagraj. The hard bit is getting from Prayagraj Junction to the sand with grandparents and bags, and that's where a vehicle of your own earns its fare.

Where do you park at Magh Mela?

In the official parking lots on the edge of the mela, and then you walk. For 2026 the administration set up 42 parking sites. On the big snan days the police close the roads near the Sangam to private vehicles and send them to those lots, and from there it's a long walk on sand. Ordinary days are busy too, but far easier.

Our drivers follow the traffic plan the police put out for each bath, not the one from last year. Before anyone walks off, agree on one meeting point at the parking lot. When lakhs of people are on the same stretch of sand, phones often struggle, and that meeting point is how your group finds each other again.

What does a cab or tempo traveller to Magh Mela cost?

These are our same-day round trip fares from Varanasi to Prayagraj, the same as on our Varanasi to Prayagraj cab page:

• Swift Dzire, up to 4 people: ₹4,800
• Innova Crysta, up to 6: ₹6,500
• 12-seater tempo traveller: ₹7,800
• 17-seater tempo traveller: ₹9,800
• Maharaja Urbania, our luxury van for up to 9: ₹12,500

A drop at the mela costs the same as the round trip, because the vehicle comes back to Varanasi empty. During the mela, fares can go up 30 to 50 percent on the busy days, so we confirm yours when you book. Staying on for kalpvas or a night in a camp? Tell us, and we'll price the days the car waits.

A day plan that works

Leave Varanasi at four if it's a big snan day, or around six on an ordinary one. Pack warm layers, a towel and a dry set of clothes, because January mornings by the river are cold and a wet ride home is worse. Have your dip, then go on to Bade Hanuman and Akshayavat if the queues look sensible. On an ordinary day you're back in Varanasi by about eight in the evening.

If you've got older family members with you, Mauni Amavasya is hard going. We'd suggest a quieter day in the same week. Same Sangam, same Ganga, far smaller crowd. Our Sangam day trip guide has the ordinary-day plan, with the boat ride and the temples. If you want the priest, boat and stay sorted too, have a look at our Prayagraj tour package, and if you're carrying on to Ayodhya, the 3-day Ayodhya itinerary shows how people pace that pilgrimage.

Frequently asked questions

1. When is Magh Mela 2027?

UP Tourism lists it from 15 January to 6 March 2027, at the Sangam in Prayagraj. The last bath is on Maha Shivratri, 6 March.

2. What is the date of Mauni Amavasya 2027?

The panchang puts it on 6 February 2027. It isn't official yet, so we'd wait for the Mela Authority's list before booking a hotel around it. It's usually the busiest day of the whole mela.

3. How far is Magh Mela from Varanasi?

About 125 km to the Sangam, on NH-19. Two and a half to three hours on a normal day. Give it an extra hour or two on a big bathing day.

4. Can we do Magh Mela as a day trip from Varanasi?

Yes, lots of people do. Leave early, have your dip, see Bade Hanuman if the queue's not silly, and you're home by evening.

5. Can cars go right up to the Sangam during the mela?

Not on the big snan days. Cars go to the lots on the edge and everyone walks in from there. Other days it's a lot easier.

6. How much is a tempo traveller from Varanasi to Magh Mela?

Our 12-seater is ₹7,800 and the 17-seater is ₹9,800 for a same-day round trip. On the busy mela days it can cost more, so we confirm the fare when you book.

Planning a Magh Mela trip? Tell us your date and how many of you are coming, and we'll confirm the vehicle and the fare. Call or WhatsApp us on +91 92503 31290, or plan your trip online.