Short answer: No. Drones are strictly prohibited at Varanasi ghats during Dev Diwali. Jammers are active. 100+ drones were lost in 2024. Read this before you travel.
Flying a drone over the Varanasi ghats during Dev Diwali is illegal and dangerous. Anti-drone jammers are deployed and active by security agencies. Once your drone enters the jammed zone, it will lose signal and crash — and you will not recover it. Over 100 drones were lost in 2024 alone. Do not make this costly mistake.
Dev Diwali is one of India's largest public gatherings — over 1 million people congregate on and around the Varanasi ghats on Kartik Purnima night. The Indian government, UP Police, and security agencies classify this as a high-security event. A rogue or malfunctioning drone crashing into a dense crowd can cause serious injuries or fatalities. Additionally, VIP and VVIP movements during the event make the airspace strictly controlled.
Beyond safety, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regulations require all drone flights in populated areas and over government-designated zones to have prior official permission — which is almost never granted for individual tourists during events of this scale.
Anti-drone jamming systems are deployed by security agencies at the Varanasi ghats every Dev Diwali. These jammers work by blocking the radio frequency signals between your drone and its remote controller. Once your drone enters the jammed zone:
In 2024, more than 100 drones were lost at Dev Diwali Varanasi in this exact manner. Their owners had no idea jammers were active and lost thousands of rupees worth of equipment instantly — with no possibility of recovery.
If you are a professional videographer, journalist, or authorized media agency and need genuine drone permission for Dev Diwali, the only official route is to apply in person at the Varanasi Superintendent of Police (SP) Office well in advance of the event. Casual tourist applications are almost never approved. The process involves:
Office of the Superintendent of Police (SP), Varanasi
Sigra, Varanasi – 221010, Uttar Pradesh
Approach well in advance — ideally 30–45 days before Dev Diwali.
The good news: you don't need a drone to capture stunning Dev Diwali footage. The best view of Dev Diwali is from a boat on the Ganga — and this view is far superior to any drone shot taken from above. Here's what you can do instead:
Flying a drone without permission in a restricted airspace or over a prohibited area is an offence under DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) and can attract penalties including:
VisitKashi strongly advises all guests: Do not bring a drone to Dev Diwali Varanasi unless you have official written permission from the SP Office.
The Ganga is the best vantage point in the world to watch Dev Diwali. Book your VisitKashi boat now before it's too late.