Mahamaagham festival faces uncertainty amid dispute over management, leadership

The second edition of the ‘Mahamaagham’ festival being planned at Tirunavaya in the district is facing uncertainty amid a dispute over its management, finances, and leadership.

The Margadarshak Mandalam, a body of Hindu ascetics in Keralam, has accused Juna Akhara Mahamandaleshwar Swami Bharati of sidelining the festival’s existing organisers and failing to maintain financial transparency.

The festival was held in 2026 on the banks of the Bharathapuzha at Tirunavaya. According to a statement by Margadarshak Mandalam president Swami Chidanand Puri and general secretary Swami Satswaroopananda Saraswati, disputes arose after Anandavanam Bharati joined the organising committee for the 2026 event.

The Mandalam alleged that Anandavanam Bharati sought to take control of the festival and announced that the next edition would run for 51 days without consulting the existing organisers.

It also raised questions about the handling of festival funds, claiming that the old committee was left with expenses and liabilities.

The dispute has reportedly prevented the organisers from forming a reception committee for the next edition, leaving its arrangements uncertain.

The Mandalam said talks with Anandavanam Bharati failed after he insisted on conducting the festival in the form of a ‘Keralam Kumbh Mela’ under Juna Akhara’s leadership. It proposed bringing the organisers from both banks of the river under a single committee.

At a subsequent meeting at Tirunavaya, representatives of both groups agreed to work together and asked the Mandalam to lead the festival. The Mandalam said it would consider the request subject to conditions, including a unified committee and an independent audit of income and expenditure, with the accounts made public.

However, no final decision on the leadership or arrangements for the upcoming event was announced. With the organisers divided and the management structure yet to be settled, the timing and future arrangements of the next Mahamaagham festival remain uncertain.