Dev Deepawali — Group Package: Whole Boat, Rooms & Transport

You get exclusive use of a double-decker Bajra boat — no other bookings on board — along with the boatman and crew, an on-board guide, life jackets for everyone, and chai, water and light snacks through the evening. The boat carries a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 60 people, so it suits a satsang mandali, an extended family, or an office group travelling together.

This is a whole-boat hire, not a per-person ticket — you are booking the entire vessel and its capacity for your group, not individual seats. Because boat tier and hotel category vary by group, pricing is quoted directly over WhatsApp rather than fixed on the page, so confirm the figure for your dates and group size before you commit.

Kartik Purnima, the main night of Dev Deepawali, falls on 24 November 2026, and that is the evening this whole-boat experience is built around. Confirm your exact boarding time and ghat with us 48 hours before your date, since these details are finalised closer to the day.

Included: exclusive boat use, boatman and crew, an on-board guide, life jackets, and chai, water and light snacks. Not included: the priest and ritual materials for an on-water diya-daan, quoted separately if you want it, and any dinner beyond snacks — dinner boxes can be arranged separately on request.

It's built for groups who want the boat to themselves — a satsang mandali, an extended family gathering, or a company outing — with no strangers sharing the deck. Boarding is via a gangway with railings throughout, which our page describes as manageable for elders and children, though anyone with significant mobility limits should tell us in advance so we can plan the boarding point accordingly.

As listed on our page, one night's rooms near the ghats for the festival date and group pickup/drop-off transport are included in the hire. Any hotel stay beyond that single night, or transfers outside the festival evening, are quoted separately, so tell us your full itinerary if you need more than one night covered.

Once we quote your group a price based on boat tier and hotel category, a 40% advance locks the boat and rooms, and the balance is due 30 days before your arrival date. Because the boat is paid to the boatman months in advance for the festival, this schedule isn't flexible.

If fog or a flooded ghat prevents the boat from moving, we substitute rooftop aarti viewing at a heritage hotel and refund ₹3,500 per person for the lost boat segment. This is a real possibility in Varanasi in November, so plan for it rather than assuming clear conditions.

Once confirmed, the booking is non-refundable regardless of notice period, because the boat is prepaid to the boatman months ahead of the festival for your group alone. Genuine medical emergencies and force majeure are handled separately on a case-by-case basis, so raise those with us directly if they arise.