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The Akhara Parishad, the fair administration and the Uttarakhand government have completely prepared the outline of the bathing dates for the divine and grand Ardh Kumbh Mela to be organized on the holy banks of Mother Ganga in the pilgrimage city of Haridwar. A total of 11 ‘Amrit Snan’ (royal and major baths) will be organized from January 14 i.e. Makar Sankranti to April 20 for crores of devotees, saints and monks of Akharas coming from India and abroad. This time in this huge festival of faith, the most supernatural scene of Uttarakhand’s rich folk culture and god tradition will also be seen, when on March 15, traditional ‘Dev Dolliyas’ coming from hundreds of villages of Kumaon and Garhwal will reach together at Har Ki Pauri and take a bath in the nectar of Ganga.
The formal start of Ardh Kumbh Mela will begin on January 14 with the first holy festival of Makar Sankranti. On this day, the Sun will move out of Sagittarius and enter Capricorn and during the auspicious time of Uttarayan, lakhs of devotees will take a dip in the continuous stream of Ganga at Har Ki Paidi, Subhash Ghat, Malviya Island and VIP Ghat from Brahma Muhurta. According to astrological calculations, due to the special zodiac combination of Jupiter and Sun during this period, the benefits of bathing in Ganga increases manifold. With this first bath of Makar Sankranti, the cantonment entry of Akharas, sermons of saints and huge stores running 24 hours will be inaugurated in the entire fair area.
The biggest and spiritual attraction of this Ardh Kumbh will be ‘Dev Doli Mahasnan’ to be held on March 15. From the remote hilly areas of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand—Badrinath, Kedarnath Valley, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh, Almora and Uttarkashi—more than 500 traditional Dev Dollis will reach Haridwar with the symbols of their respective village deities, clan deities and revered deities and the beats of Dhol-Damau.
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Unique confluence of culture and spirituality: When the villagers of the Himalayan villages, dressed in their traditional attire, will move towards Har ki Paidi carrying the deity dolls on their shoulders, the whole atmosphere will echo with ‘Jai Maa Gange’ and local deity chants.
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Rare Ganga bath of Gods: According to folk beliefs, consecration of these idols and palanquins of the Gods in the holy water of Ganga brings divine blessings on the entire Uttarakhand and the nation and brings happiness and prosperity. Lakhs of photographers, researchers and devotees from India and abroad will gather in Haridwar to witness this rare moment.
The dates of 11 major Amrit Snan decided by the fair administration and Vidwat Sabha are as follows:
| Sl.No. | name of holy festival/bath | scheduled date | religious and spiritual importance |
| 1. | Makar Sankranti (First Amrit Snan) | 14 January | Sun’s Uttarayan entry, formal launch of Ardha Kumbh |
| 2. | Paush Purnima Bath | January (full moon date) | Beginning of Kalpvas and worship of Ganga by saints |
| 3. | Mauni Amavasya (Shahi Snan Festival) | Magha Amavasya | Silent fasting practice and huge nectar bath of Naga Sadhus of Akharas |
| 4. | Basant Panchami (Amrit Snan) | Magh Shukla Panchami | Worship of Mother Saraswati and welcoming of spring season |
| 5. | Achala Saptami (Rath Saptami) | Magh Shukla Saptami | Special blessings of Sun God and great bath to attain health. |
| 6. | Maghi Purnima | Magh Purnima | Closing bath of Kalpavas of Magh month |
| 7. | Mahashivratri (the most sacred royal bath) | Falgun Krishna Chaturdashi | Worship of Lord Shiva, divine bath in Ganga of all 13 Akharas |
| 8. | Phalgun Purnima (Holika Dahan festival) | phalgun purnima | Devotional bath on the banks of Ganga with celebration of colors |
| 9. | Dev Doli Mahasnan (Special Cultural Bath) | March 15th | Collective Ganga Abhishek of 500+ traditional Dev Dollis of Uttarakhand |
| 10. | Chaitra Shukla Pratipada (New Samvatsar / Navratri) | Chaitra Shukla Paksha | Beginning of Hindu New Year and holy bath of Shakti worship |
| 11. | Aries Sankranti / Vaishakhi (Last Mahasnan) | 13/14 to 20 April | Sun enters Aries, full oblation bath of Kumbh Mela |
During Ardh Kumbh, all the 13 recognized Akharas of Sanyasi, Bairagi and Udasin sects will take out a royal procession (Peshwai) from the cantonments with their traditional weapons, silver cauldrons, grand chariots and flags to Har Ki Pauri. On the royal baths of Mahashivratri and Mauni Amavasya, first of all the Naga Sadhus of Mahanirvani, Atal, Juna, Niranjani and Anand Akhara will take a dip in the ‘Brahmakund’ of Har Ki Paidi with the deafening chant of Har Har Mahadev. After this, common devotees will be allowed to proceed for bathing in the Ganga.
Keeping in view the possible influx of crores of devotees, the Uttarakhand government has divided the fair area into dozens of super zones and sectors.
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AI Surveillance for Crowd Management: Artificial Intelligence (AI) based CCTV cameras are being installed at Har Ki Paidi and major railway-bus stations, which will automatically send an alert to the control room as soon as the crowd density increases so that there is no possibility of any kind of stampede.
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Expansion of Ganga Ghats and cleanliness of water: From Rishikesh to Haridwar’s Bairagi Camp and Kankhal, construction of new pucca ghats and changing rooms is being completed rapidly. Clean and clear water will be continuously released from Tehri Dam so that devotees can bathe in the clean Ganga water even at the lowest water level.
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Temporary tent city and health facilities: Modern Swiss cottages and dormitory tent cities are being built in the Mela area to accommodate more than 50,000 devotees, along with a 100-bed temporary ICU hospital and 24-hour ambulance boats will be deployed on the waves of the Ganga.