The mountain · The sacred calendar

The sacred calendar of Arunachala 2026

Every full moon, festival and holy day of the sacred year at Arunachala, month by month, with the meaning of each — and the two great peaks, Maha Shivaratri and Karthigai Deepam. For the exact Girivalam times of each full moon, see the Girivalam dates & timings page.

ArunachalaShiva

The year, month by month

And here is 2026 in full ~ every marked day of the sacred year, in order, each linked to its own guide. full moon fire festival Ramana day new-year Arunachala day

January 2026

2 Margazhi PournamiFirst full moon of the year, in sacred Margazhi ~ dawn worship, a pre-dawn Girivalam. ~Jan Ramana Jayanti (Margazhi)Bhagavan's birth, kept on his star Punarvasu ~ great celebration at the ashram. Mid-Jan Thai PongalThe Tamil harvest thanksgiving; the month of Thai, of new beginnings.

February 2026

1 Thai PournamiThe full moon of Thai ~ abundance and fresh starts. 15 Maha ShivaratriThe great night of Shiva ~ fasting and an all-night vigil at the fire-hill.

March 2026

2–3 Masi PournamiThe full moon of Masi ~ prized for spiritual cleansing.

April 2026

1 Panguni PournamiThe full moon of Panguni ~ union and completion (Panguni Uthiram). ~Apr Ramana AradhanaThe anniversary of Ramana's mahasamadhi ~ reverent celebration, not grief. Mid-Apr Tamil New Year (Chithirai)The Tamil year begins ~ the month of Chithirai opens. 30 Chithirai Pournami (night)Begins the great Chitra Pournami ~ the year's most auspicious full moon.

May 2026

1 Chitra PournamiThe first, most auspicious full moon of the Tamil year ~ karmic cleansing. 30–31 Vaikasi PournamiThe second full moon of May ~ the reason 2026 holds 13 Pournamis instead of 12.

June 2026

29 Aani PournamiThe full moon of Aani ~ walked in the cool pre-dawn of high summer.

July 2026

28 Aadi PournamiThe full moon of Aadi ~ Guru Purnima, honouring the teacher.

August 2026

27 Aavani PournamiThe full moon of Aavani ~ the monsoon greens the hill.

September 2026

1 Ramana Advent DayThe day the sixteen-year-old Ramana arrived at Arunachala, never to leave. 25 Purattasi PournamiThe full moon of Purattasi ~ the pleasant season returns.

October 2026

25 Aippasi PournamiThe full moon of Aippasi ~ the season of lamps; luminous, cool, clear.

November 2026

23 Karthigai PournamiThe great full moon ~ opens into Karthigai Deepam. 24 Karthigai DeepamThe beacon of fire lit on the summit ~ the greatest festival of Arunachala.

December 2026

23 Margazhi PournamiThe year closes as it opened, in sacred Margazhi ~ the final full moon of 2026.

The two great peaks of the year

Of all these days, two tower above the rest ~ worth planning a whole journey around.

Karthigai Deepam 24 November 2026 The beacon of fire on the summit ~ the greatest festival of the hill, drawing millions. Maha Shivaratri 15 February 2026 The great night of Shiva ~ fasting and an all-night vigil at the fire-hill.
A living calendar ~ always confirm dates

Because sacred days follow the lunar-and-star calendar, their Gregorian dates shift each year, and can vary by a day between sources ~ always confirm against the temple’s or ashram’s own calendar before making travel plans. This page is refreshed each year. For the full detail of any day, follow its link; for the exact monthly Girivalam timings, see the Pournami calendar; and for how sacred time works, the Tamil festival year.

Walking the Girivalam?

On a full-moon night? The walking companion takes you round all 41 stops offline, and our Girivalam dates & timings page shows the next full moon and every date for 2026–27. Open the Girivalam walking companion →

Keep reading

More from the guide, chosen to go with this page.