Girivalam · Full-moon walk

Girivalam December 2026: Margazhi Pournami date & time

When is Girivalam in December 2026? Margazhi Pournami falls on Wednesday, 23 December 2026: the full-moon window opens at 9:57 AM that day and closes at 7:40 AM on Thursday 24 December (IST). Here is when to start, what the weather and crowd will be like, and how to plan the walk.

This Pournami has now passed. See the next full moon Girivalam date & time.

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Girivalam date and time, December 2026

Girivalam on a full moon follows the Purnima tithi, not the clock. For Margazhi 2026 the tithi begins at 9:57 AM on Wednesday 23 December and ends at 7:40 AM on Thursday 24 December (IST).

The window is already open by the evening (it began at 9:57 AM on Wednesday 23 December), so the usual 7–10 PM start falls comfortably inside it. It closes at 7:40 AM on Thursday 24 December. To finish inside the window at an easy pace of about five hours, set off by about 2:40 AM. The 14 km walk takes most people three to five hours, so there is room to stop at the lingams or the temple. Every other month’s date and time is on the Girivalam dates & timings page.

Weather and what to carry in December

December nights and the hour before dawn are cool, sometimes properly chilly, so carry a light layer you can tie round your waist once you warm up. The northeast monsoon is usually easing by now but a shower is possible. Whatever the month, carry a small torch even on a full-moon night, a phone, a little cash for tea and at least a litre of water. Many pilgrims walk barefoot; if you are not used to it, read barefoot or shoes? before you decide.

What Margazhi Pournami means

Margazhi is the most sacred of the Tamil months, given wholly to devotion, and dawn is its traditional hour of worship. This is the last full moon of 2026, and walking it in the cool of the year’s end makes a fitting close to twelve months of circling the hill.

It comes a month after the great Karthigai Pournami, so the road is calmer than it was then, though still busy on the night itself.

Plan the day

If you are travelling in, book your room early; full-moon dates fill up quickly (see where to stay in Tiruvannamalai). Special buses are usually run for Pournami, so look for the transport corporation notices a few days ahead. Eat lightly before you start and keep to the left side of the road with the crowd. On the walk itself, our route in detail shows the way stop by stop, and the Girivalam walking companion takes you round all 41 stops at your own pace; it loads once and works offline, which helps when the mobile network is busy.

First time on a full-moon night? Read what to expect on a Pournami night walk and the complete Girivalam guide.

The window follows the timings published for Tiruvannamalai and has been checked against the moon’s position; panchangams can differ by minutes. Confirm close to the date. Last updated 23 October 2026.