Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra 2026 or 2027? Here’s What’s Actually Confirmed

On September 5, 2026, a group calling itself the Kurud Temple Committee plans to send Goddess Nanda Devi’s doli out from Siddhpeeth Kurud Temple. Meanwhile, the committee that has organized this pilgrimage from Nauti village for generations says the whole thing has been pushed to 2027.

Same goddess. Same 280-kilometre route through Roopkund and Homkund. Two committees, two very different answers to “when is it happening.”

If you’ve been searching for the Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra 2026 date and keep landing on conflicting pages, you’re not losing your mind. The confusion is real, and it comes from an actual dispute between two organizing bodies – not sloppy blogging. This guide lays out who’s saying what, why, and what that means if you’re trying to plan around it.

What’s Actually Confirmed So Far

Here’s the short version before the details:

Committee	Position
Shri Nanda Devi Raj Jat Committee, Nauti (the traditional/official organizer)	Postponed the pilgrimage to 2027
Kurud Temple Committee	Announced a separate 2026 event, called “Badi Jaat Yatra,” beginning September 5, 2026

Both groups agree the mathematically due year is 2026 – the yatra runs on a 12-year cycle, and the last one was held in 2014. Where they split is on whether the region is actually ready to host it this year.

Why Is There a Dispute?

The Nauti committee’s reasoning comes down to bandwidth, not belief. 2027 also happens to be the year of the Haridwar Kumbh Mela – technically an Ardh Kumbh, but the Uttarakhand government is reportedly treating it as a full-scale event. Running two massive pilgrimages back to back, both needing state resources, security deployment, and infrastructure, put real strain on planning. So the traditional committee opted to shift the Raj Jat by a year rather than compete for the same government support the Kumbh will absorb.

The Kurud Temple Committee disagreed. Their argument, roughly: faith shouldn’t bend around a government calendar. A retired army colonel involved in the discussions put it bluntly – the pilgrimage is a matter of public belief and tradition, not politics, and should be run on that basis alone, regardless of what else the state has on its plate that year. (ETV Bharat has the fuller account of that debate.)

That disagreement led the Kurud group to organize its own event for 2026 under a different name – Badi Jaat Yatra – while the original Raj Jat name stays associated with the Nauti committee’s 2027 date.

Is Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra Happening in 2026?

Depends which one you mean.

The Badi Jaat Yatra, organized by the Kurud Temple Committee, is happening in 2026. It’s scheduled as a 21-day pilgrimage starting September 5, from Kurud Temple, with traditional right-holders from the Badan, Dasholi, Lata, and Band regions taking part. (Full schedule details here.)

The official Nanda Devi Raj Jat, the one tied to the Nauti committee and the centuries-old royal-priest tradition, is not happening in 2026. That one’s been pushed to 2027.

So: yes, something is happening on the mountain in 2026. Whether it counts as the Raj Jat, or as a related-but-separate event, depends on who you ask – and honestly, that’s likely to stay a point of local tension rather than get a clean resolution before September rolls around.

What’s the Difference Between “Raj Jat” and “Badi Jaat”?

They’re closely related but not identical in organizational lineage. The Raj Jat, as traditionally practiced, is inseparable from the Nautiyal Brahmins of Nauti village – the hereditary royal priests whose presence is considered necessary for the pilgrimage to count as complete. That’s the version tied to the 2027 postponement.

“Badi Jaat” is the name the Kurud committee is using for its 2026 version – same goddess, overlapping route, but organized under different leadership and without the Nauti committee’s involvement. Think of it less as a rival pilgrimage and more as a fork: same origin story, different custodians this cycle.

If your priority is the full traditional version with the Nautiyal royal priests, that’s the 2027 event. If you’re set on going in 2026, the Badi Jaat Yatra is the one actually running.

When Will the Next Full Nanda Devi Raj Jat Take Place?

Based on the Nauti committee’s January 2026 announcement, the traditional Raj Jat is now expected in 2027. Exact dates haven’t been locked down publicly at the time of writing – pilgrimage dates in this tradition are typically confirmed closer to the event, tied to the local Hindu lunisolar calendar rather than a fixed Gregorian date.

Worth flagging: shifting the count to 2027 also raises the question of what happens to the 12-year cycle going forward. Does the next one after that land in 2039, or does the cycle reset around whichever year actually gets held? Neither committee has said, and it’s not really answerable yet.

How to Stay Updated

Given how fluid this is, a few sources are worth bookmarking rather than relying on any single blog post (including this one) for a final answer:

• Official Uttarakhand tourism and district administration channels for Chamoli
• Chamoli Police’s social media, which has been posting event updates directly
• Local news coverage out of Uttarakhand, which has been tracking the committee dispute more closely than national outlets

Quick Answers

How this guide was researched: This piece draws on recent Indian regional news coverage of the committee dispute, the Nanda Devi Raj Jat’s Wikipedia entry (cross-checked against news sources rather than relied on alone), and public statements and event announcements from the organizing committees and tour operators covering the region. Given how fast this situation is moving, treat any specific date here as provisional and confirm against official channels before making travel plans.

Sources referenced:

• ETV Bharat: “A Goddess, Tradition And Deadline: Will Nanda Rajjat Yatra Happen In 2026 Or Be Pushed To 2027?” – regional news coverage of the postponement dispute
• Wikipedia: Nanda Devi Raj Jat – background and cycle history (cross-referenced, not used as a sole source)
• Nagarjuna Travels: “Nanda Devi Badi Jaat Yatra 2026 Announced” – details on the Kurud Temple Committee’s 2026 event and September 5 start date