Patna: The Haj pilgrimage from Bihar will begin on April 18 this year, but for the first time in about 15 years, pilgrims from the state will not depart for Haj from Gaya International Airport. The change comes after only 95 applicants opted for Gayaji as their departure point, mainly due to the high airfare from the airport.
According to officials, the airfare from Gayaji for the Haj journey is around Rs 1.73 lakh, the highest among departure points in the country. As a result, most applicants selected alternative airports such as Kolkata, Delhi and Lucknow while submitting their online applications. The 95 pilgrims who initially chose Gayaji have also opted for these airports as their second preference and will now depart from them.
The Haj travel schedule will take place in two phases. In the first phase, from April 18 to May 4, pilgrims will travel to Medina and return via Jeddah. In the second phase, from May 5 to May 19, pilgrims will travel to Jeddah and return via Medina.
In the first phase, the largest number of pilgrims from Bihar—1,379—will depart from Delhi airport. Another 724 pilgrims will leave for Medina from Kolkata. A total of 316 pilgrims will depart from Mumbai for Medina and Jeddah, while 81 will leave from Lucknow and one pilgrim from Nagpur for Medina. In the second phase, 26 pilgrims will depart from Hyderabad, 14 from Bengaluru and 11 from Ahmedabad for Jeddah.
Airfares vary widely depending on the departure airport. The fare from Gayaji is Rs 1.73 lakh, while Kolkata is Rs 1.29 lakh, Lucknow Rs 1.08 lakh, Nagpur Rs 1.07 lakh, Bengaluru Rs 1.04 lakh, Hyderabad Rs 1.01 lakh, Delhi Rs 98,630, Ahmedabad Rs 95,880 and Mumbai Rs 90,844.
Officials and community representatives say the absence of an active Haj Committee in Bihar has also contributed to the decline in the number of pilgrims this year. Haji Ilyas, also known as Sonu Babu, a member of the Central Haj Committee, said awareness campaigns encouraging people to undertake the pilgrimage were not conducted in the state due to the committee’s absence.
The Bihar State Haj Committee has remained dissolved since May 14, 2025. For the past 11 months, it has been functioning only under a Chief Executive Officer without a chairman or members. Because of this, only 2,552 pilgrims from the state will perform Haj this year, the lowest number in recent years.
The absence of departures from Gayaji has also led to another first in two decades. The traditional “Duaiya Majlis” held at Haj Bhavan in Patna before the departure of pilgrims will not take place this year.
District-wise data shows that Patna district will send the highest number of pilgrims, with 333 people travelling for Haj. Araria will send 190 pilgrims, Katihar 185, Gayaji 181 and Purnea 164. Smaller districts such as Sheohar will send two pilgrims, Madhepura six, Arwal seven and Sheikhpura nine.
To assist the pilgrims, the Bihar government will deploy 17 State Haj Inspectors at its expense.
Meanwhile, the state government had nominated chairpersons for the Bihar State Sunni and Shia Waqf Boards in 2025 ahead of the assembly elections. Mohammad Irshadullah was appointed chairman of the Sunni Waqf Board, while Irshad Ali Azad was appointed chairman of the Shia Waqf Board. However, both are yet to be formally inducted as members of the Haj Committee.
Minority Welfare Minister Zama Khan said the formation of the Bihar Haj Committee is pending but assured that the committee will be constituted soon.
