📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Goutam1962
Religion
West Bengal to Elevate Gangasagar Mela to International Status by 2027, Says CM
✍️ Daily Excelsior
🗓 31 Oct 2026, 06:15 AM
👁 18
Chief Minister Adhikari announced that the annual Gangasagar pilgrimage will be upgraded to an international event from 2027, aiming to attract devotees worldwide.
Kolkata, Oct 31 — West Bengal's Chief Minister Adhikari announced that the Gangasagar Mela, the state's flagship pilgrimage on Sagar Island, will be transformed into an international event starting in 2027. The declaration was made during a press conference in Kolkata, where the CM highlighted the government's plan to upgrade infrastructure, improve crowd management and promote the festival on global tourism platforms.
The move seeks to position Gangasagar alongside other world‑renowned religious gatherings, encouraging participation from overseas Hindu communities and cultural tourists. Officials said the upgrade will involve expanding ferry services, modernising sanitation facilities, and setting up multilingual information centres to cater to non‑Hindi and non‑Bengali visitors.
State tourism and pilgrimage departments have been tasked with drafting a detailed roadmap, with a target to roll out pilot initiatives by 2025. The CM emphasized that the core religious rituals will remain unchanged, ensuring that the spiritual essence of the mela is preserved while the scale of the event expands.
Stakeholders, including local vendors and NGOs, welcomed the proposal, citing potential economic benefits for the island's residents. However, they also urged the government to address environmental concerns, given the fragile coastal ecosystem of the Ganges delta.
The announcement comes as part of West Bengal's broader strategy to boost religious tourism and diversify its economy ahead of the 2028 national elections.
The move seeks to position Gangasagar alongside other world‑renowned religious gatherings, encouraging participation from overseas Hindu communities and cultural tourists. Officials said the upgrade will involve expanding ferry services, modernising sanitation facilities, and setting up multilingual information centres to cater to non‑Hindi and non‑Bengali visitors.
State tourism and pilgrimage departments have been tasked with drafting a detailed roadmap, with a target to roll out pilot initiatives by 2025. The CM emphasized that the core religious rituals will remain unchanged, ensuring that the spiritual essence of the mela is preserved while the scale of the event expands.
Stakeholders, including local vendors and NGOs, welcomed the proposal, citing potential economic benefits for the island's residents. However, they also urged the government to address environmental concerns, given the fragile coastal ecosystem of the Ganges delta.
The announcement comes as part of West Bengal's broader strategy to boost religious tourism and diversify its economy ahead of the 2028 national elections.