नासिक में गिनीज वर्ल्ड रिकॉर्ड: एक साथ 517 लोगों के शंखनाद, सिंहस्थ कुंभ से पहले गोदावरी नदी के तट पर आयोजन

Nashik Sets Guinness World Record With Mass Conch-Blowing Ceremony Ahead of Simhastha Kumbh

Indianewslive247.com – न स क म ग न ज – Nashik marked a major spiritual and cultural milestone before the formal opening ceremonies of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela, as hundreds of devotees gathered on the banks of the Godavari River to sound conch shells together. The event, held on Sunday at Devmamaledar Yashwant Maharaj Patangan, was declared a Guinness World Record achievement and drew attention to the city’s preparations for the long-awaited religious gathering.

Guinness World Records senior adjudicator Rishi Nath announced the accomplishment amid chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.” The celebration brought together participants of different age groups, all taking part in a coordinated shankhnaad that continued for about five and a half minutes.

A New Benchmark for Simultaneous Shankhnaad

The principal event description identified 517 participants as having blown conch shells at the same time, creating a new global benchmark. This surpassed the earlier record established in New Jersey, United States, in 2019, when 303 people performed the act simultaneously.

A video statement connected with the event referred to 501 participants, while also confirming that the previous total of 303 had been exceeded. In either count, the Nashik gathering represented a substantial increase over the earlier world record and highlighted the scale of public involvement in the ceremony.

“Congratulations! You have created a new world record,” Rishi Nath told the participants.

The record-setting programme was organised by the Nashik Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority, also known as NTKMA. The Anantvijay Shankhnaad team of the Gungaurav Trust took part in the effort. Organisers arranged specially certified conch shells for the occasion, which were brought from Chennai for use in the coordinated performance.

Linking Tradition With the Kumbh Mela Opening

The mass shankhnaad was designed as more than a record attempt. It was also intended to connect an established religious tradition with the ceremonial beginning of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela. In Hindu religious practice, the sound of a conch shell is commonly associated with prayers, auspicious occasions and the commencement of sacred rituals.

NTKMA commissioner Shekhar Singh said the initiative would help unite this tradition with the auspicious opening of the Kumbh Mela. A further conch-blowing programme is planned for the flag-hoisting ceremony, when a group of 251 participants will sound conch shells at the designated time.

The scale of the event offered a public display of collective participation ahead of one of India’s most significant religious gatherings. Rather than focusing only on the record itself, the ceremony placed Nashik’s cultural identity and its preparations for the Kumbh Mela at the centre of the occasion.

Preparations for the Flag-Hoisting Ceremony

The Kumbh Mela flag-hoisting ceremony is scheduled for October 31 at 12:02 pm at Ramkund in Nashik. President Droupadi Murmu has been invited to attend the programme. The Guinness World Record certificate is also expected to be presented during the occasion.

District guardian minister Girish Mahajan congratulated the participants and described the event as a showcase of Indian culture, spiritual traditions and public participation before a global audience. He also urged Nashik residents to take part in the Kumbh Mela and welcome the large number of devotees expected to visit the city.

Ramkund, situated on the Godavari River, is set to become a focal point of the opening observances. The choice of the riverbank for the record event reinforced the link between the shankhnaad ceremony and the sacred landscape associated with Nashik’s Kumbh traditions.

Simhastha Kumbh Will Run Until July 2028

The Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela is held once every 12 years in the twin holy towns of Nashik and Trimbakeshwar. The upcoming edition is scheduled to begin on October 31, 2026, and continue until July 24, 2028.

Its extended duration will bring religious ceremonies, pilgrim gatherings and major civic activity to the region. The flag-hoisting ceremony will formally set the tone for the event, while the Guinness World Record celebration has already given the opening phase a distinctive public moment.

For the 517 devotees identified in the main event announcement, the achievement was both a personal participation in a world record and a collective expression of faith. The sound of hundreds of conch shells rising together along the Godavari created a symbolic beginning to the preparations for Simhastha Kumbh, combining a centuries-old ritual with a modern international recognition.