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Kumbh Mela 2021

02 Feb 2021

The Kumbh Mela is a Hindu pilgrimage held on a 12-year cycle at four different locations across India. It is one of the largest religious pilgrimages in the world, attended by millions of pilgrims who gather to bathe in the sacred waters of the holy rivers.

The 2021 Kumbh Mela began on the banks of holy river Ganga at Haridwar in Uttarakhand on 14th January 2021 (Makar Sankranti) and is set to conclude on 27th April 2021.

The Government of India have issued guidelines to the State Government of Uttarakhand on preventative measures to contain spread of COVID-19 during Kumbh Mela, Haridwar 2021. The guidelines include information on:

  • protecting vulnerable and high risk group populations, such as pregnant women, those over 65 years or under 10 years of age
  • promoting COVID-19 appropriate behaviour, such as physical distancing and use of face coverings
  • mandatory COVID-19 testing requirements
  • other specific administrative and technical requirements for preventing spread of COVID-19

Advice for travellers

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) currently advise against all travel abroad, unless travellers have a legally permitted reason to do so. Many international commercial passenger air services are currently suspended under current UK-COVID-19 restrictions. If you are planning to travel against the FCDO advice, you should be aware of the following:

  • Before booking any international travel, you should check the latest FCDO Foreign Travel advice including entry requirements and quarantine restrictions.  Be aware that this advice may change rapidly.
  • You should review and follow the latest health advice for travel to India: see fitfortravel India country page for further information.
  • Travel insurance is essential, but may be invalid if travelling against FCDO advice.
  • You should be aware of necessary precautions to reduce your risk of exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) before, during and after travel as detailed on the  COVID-19: Health Considerations for Travel page.

See the Haridwar Kumbh Mela 2021 website for further information.