Rash Mela at Dublar Char, Sundarbans

Once a year, at the full moon of late Kartik, thousands of pilgrims sail through the Sundarbans to Dublar Char, a fishing island at the edge of the Bay of Bengal. They come for the Rash Mela: prayers to Krishna, a fair on the beach and, at dawn, a holy bath in the sea. Travelling there through the mangrove forest is half the experience.

Updated 21 October 2026. The Forest Department usually announces the exact dates and rules two to three weeks before the festival; we update this page as soon as it does.

Rash Mela dates for 2026

The dates follow the full moon, so they move by up to three weeks from year to year.

Permits and rules

The festival is run under Forest Department rules, which are published each year. In 2024 they included:

• A permit for every visitor, applied for with an ID (a passport for foreign visitors), and an entry token you carry at all times.
• Five fixed routes into the forest, stamped on the permit, with boats travelling by day only and stopping only at Forest Department stations.
• Life jackets on every boat and check-in with the control room at Alorkol.
• No single-use plastic, loud music, fireworks, nets, axes or firearms.

The festival was limited to Hindu pilgrims in 2022 and 2023, and reopened to everyone, including tourists, in 2024. In 2025 visitors from about 15 countries took part.

What happens

• Puja to Krishna and a fair along the shore, with stalls and music through the evening.
• At dawn after the full moon, pilgrims line the beach to pray and take a holy bath in the sea, believed to wash away sins.
• Dublar Char is also a seasonal dry-fish camp for thousands of fishermen, so you see one of the Sundarbans’ great working landscapes too.

How to get there

From Dhaka, drive about four to five hours to Mongla or Khulna via the Padma Bridge. Licensed launches and trawlers then take most of a day to cross the forest to Dublar Char. Most visitors join a three-day trip that includes the boat, food and permits, sleeping on board.

Tips for visiting

• Book early: licensed launches for the festival fill fast.
• Carry your passport and keep your permit with you.
• Bring warm layers for the night on deck, a torch and seasickness tablets.
• Facilities on the island are basic, and no plastic is allowed.
• Watch the dawn bath respectfully and ask before taking photos.

Visiting with us

We arrange the festival as part of our Sundarbans Mangrove and Wildlife Expedition, with a licensed boat, permits and a guide who knows the rituals. Plan your trip and tell us you would like to see the Rash Mela.

Rash Mela FAQs