Shri Balaji Maharaj yatra festival at Deulgaon Raja to begin on October 11
The Ashwin yatra runs from October 11 to November 6, followed by the Kartik yatra from November 10 to December 5, 2026.
The annual yatra festival of Shri Balaji Maharaj at Deulgaon Raja will be celebrated with great enthusiasm again this year. Shri Balaji Maharaj, whose shrine has a historic tradition, is described as the presiding deity of all devotees. Every year, large numbers of devotees come to Deulgaon Raja to pay obeisance, from across Maharashtra and from beyond the state border.
This year, the ghatasthapana (ritual installation of the sacred pot) for the festival will take place on Sunday, October 11, Ashwin Shu. 1. Various religious programmes will follow. The Mandapotsav has been scheduled for Monday, October 19, Ashwin Shu. 8 and 9. The Dussehra palanquin procession will be taken out on Ashwin Shu. 9 and 10, running from midnight on Tuesday, October 20, to Wednesday, October 21. The Lalit Utsav will be held at sunrise, at 5:45 am, on Thursday, October 29, Ashwin Kr. 4.
The Ashwin yatra festival will run from October 11 to November 6, 2026. The Kartik yatra festival will be held from November 10 to December 5, 2026. Raje Vijaysinh Jadhav, the hereditary trustee of the Shri Balaji Maharaj Sansthan, and its administrator Kishor Bidkar have appealed to devotees to have darshan of Shri Balaji Maharaj during the festival and partake of prasad.
Devotees are busy preparing for the annual festivals. Every year, journalists publicise the festivals and the yatra far and wide through news reports, advertisements, articles and compiled information. This year too, the Sansthan held a consultation meeting of journalists to plan the publicity. A separate internal meeting was also held of members of the space allotment committee formed by the Sansthan to manage the yatra held on Survey No. 98 of Shri Balaji Maharaj.
Under government circulars, the district collector must approve the yatra's management plan and standard operating procedure (SOP), which fixes the duties and responsibilities of all departments concerned. The Sansthan has also written a detailed letter to the district collector seeking permission for the festival and the yatra.
