NMC Marbat Photo Contest Nagpur: Submit Your Old Festival Photos and Visit the Free Exhibition on September 10 and 11
Nagpur’s Marbat Festival 2026 is getting a beautiful new addition. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation is organising a two-day photography competition and exhibition to celebrate the city’s historic Marbat tradition. Furthermore, the exhibition will be held on September 10 and 11 at the ground-floor exhibition hall of Kavivarya Suresh Bhat Sabhagruh. As a result, residents can see rare and historical photographs of the Marbat festival — right before the main procession on September 11.
The exhibition will be open from 10 AM to 8 PM on both days. Moreover, entry is free for all visitors. Therefore, this is a perfect pre-festival experience for families, history enthusiasts and photography lovers across Nagpur.
What the Exhibition Will Show — Rare Historical Marbat Photos
The purpose of this exhibition goes beyond a photography contest. Furthermore, NMC specifically wants to collect and display rare historical photographs documenting the 145-year-old tradition of Kali and Pili Marbat.
Standing Committee Chairperson Shivani Dani-Wakhare explained the vision behind the initiative. The event aims to preserve visual records of the Marbat tradition across generations. Moreover, old and archival photographs of the festival will be displayed alongside contemporary images. As a result, visitors will get a rare opportunity to see how the Marbat procession looked decades ago — and how it has evolved over 145 years.
For many Nagpur families, old photographs of the Marbat procession are treasured personal memories. Furthermore, this exhibition gives those private memories a public platform. As a result, the collective visual history of one of Nagpur’s most distinctive traditions will be on display for the entire city to see.
How to Submit Your Old Marbat Photos — Step by Step
NMC is actively inviting citizens and photography enthusiasts to contribute vintage and archival photographs of the Marbat festival. Furthermore, the submission process is simple and completely digital.
Send your photographs by email to nmcnagpur.photo@gmail.com. Moreover, any Nagpur resident who has old photographs of the Marbat procession — from any decade — can submit them for consideration. As a result, the exhibition will reflect the genuine visual memory of the community rather than just official or professional photographs.
The photography contest and exhibition are being coordinated by Gajanan Ranade of the Orange City Photographer Club. Furthermore, this is a well-established photography community in Nagpur with significant experience in organising photography exhibitions and competitions. Therefore, the curation and display of photographs will be done to a professional standard.
Who Is Organising This — The Leadership Behind It
The initiative is being organised under the guidance of senior NMC and civic leadership. Furthermore, Mayor Neeta Thakre, Deputy Mayor Leela Hathibed, Ruling Party Leader Narendra Borkar, Municipal Commissioner Dr Vipin Itankar and the Sports Committee are all involved in overseeing the event.
Standing Committee Chairperson Shivani Dani-Wakhare is the key driving force behind this specific initiative. Furthermore, she has been closely associated with NMC’s broader effort to elevate the Marbat Festival to national and international prominence this year. As a result, the photography exhibition is part of a cohesive strategy — alongside the Rs 2 crore civic investment and the BookMyShow ticketing — to make Marbat 2026 the most professionally managed edition in the festival’s history.
Where Is Kavivarya Suresh Bhat Sabhagruh — How to Get There
Kavivarya Suresh Bhat Sabhagruh is one of Nagpur’s most well-known public auditoriums. Furthermore, it is located in the Civil Lines area of Nagpur — close to the Divisional Commissioner Office, the NMC headquarters and the Nagpur District Court complex.
The venue is easily accessible from all parts of the city by road and auto-rickshaw. Moreover, it is in close proximity to the Nagpur Central Bus Stand and Nagpur Railway Station. As a result, reaching Suresh Bhat Sabhagruh on September 10 and 11 should be straightforward for residents from any part of Nagpur.
Parking is available in the surrounding Civil Lines area. Furthermore, given that this is a daytime event from 10 AM to 8 PM, commute times should be manageable for most visitors.
Why This Exhibition Matters — Preserving Nagpur’s Visual Heritage
The Marbat Festival is 145 years old. Furthermore, Nagpur’s historical archives of this tradition — in terms of visual documentation — are fragmented and largely in private hands. Old photographs that capture the festival as it was in the early 20th century, mid-century and later decades are invaluable historical records.
Moreover, these photographs carry stories that written records cannot fully capture. The size of the crowds, the design of the effigies in different eras, the faces of participants across generations, the changing streetscapes of Itwari through which the procession has always moved — all of these are preserved in old photographs that most Nagpur families have tucked away in albums.
The NMC exhibition creates a moment for this scattered visual history to come together. Furthermore, by digitising and exhibiting these photographs, NMC is creating a permanent archive of Marbat’s visual story. As a result, future generations will have access to this heritage in a way that would not exist without this initiative.
The Full Marbat 2026 Calendar — What Is Happening and When
For Nagpur residents who want to participate fully in Marbat 2026, here is the complete schedule of events.
September 10 and 11 — Photography competition and exhibition at Kavivarya Suresh Bhat Sabhagruh from 10 AM to 8 PM. Free entry. Submit vintage photos to nmcnagpur.photo@gmail.com.
September 11 — Main Marbat procession through the lanes of Itwari and East Nagpur. Free for everyone to attend. The procession features Kali Marbat, Pili Marbat and Badgya effigies followed by thousands of participants.
September 11 — BookMyShow ticketed event at Gandhi Putla starting at 12:30 PM. Executive ticket Rs 500, Heritage Walk Rs 750. Includes special T-shirt. For ages 18 and above.
As Nagpur Updates reported yesterday, the main procession is completely free — there are no tickets required. Furthermore, the BookMyShow event is a separate, optional organised experience for those who want a curated festival participation with the Heritage Walk.
What to Do Right Now — Before September 10
If you have old photographs of the Marbat festival, send them to nmcnagpur.photo@gmail.com as soon as possible. Furthermore, the exhibition opens on September 10 — so submissions need to arrive before that date.
Moreover, plan your visit to the Suresh Bhat Sabhagruh exhibition for either September 10 or September 11. If you visit on September 11, you can combine the exhibition visit with attendance at the main Marbat procession in the evening. As a result, you can experience both the historical and contemporary dimensions of Marbat 2026 in a single day.
Nagpur Updates will publish a full report from the Marbat Festival 2026 procession on September 11 — including photographs, crowd estimates and the social themes depicted in this year’s Badgya effigies.
