Sacred calendar · The whole year
The Tamil festival year at Arunachala, month by month
The Tamil sacred year is a great wheel of festivals, one turning into the next through the twelve months ~ and at Arunachala the whole of it turns around the hill. A month-by-month map of sacred time at Tiruvannamalai.
The short version
- The wheel
- Twelve Tamil months, each with its festivals ~ beginning with Chithirai in mid-April.
- The two peaks
- Karthigai Deepam (Nov–Dec) and Maha Shivaratri (Feb–Mar) tower over the year.
- Ramana’s days
- Jayanti in Margazhi (Dec–Jan); Advent Day in Aavani (Sep); Aradhana around Panguni.
- The rhythm
- Woven through with monthly Pournami and twice-monthly Pradosham and Ekadashi.
The Tamil sacred year is a great wheel of festivals, one turning into the next through the twelve Tamil months, each with its own character, its own deities, its own light. At Arunachala, this whole year turns around the hill ~ every festival kept at the fire-mountain and its great temple, coloured by the presence of Shiva as the mountain itself. This is an overview of that year, month by month ~ a map of sacred time at Tiruvannamalai, so that whenever you come, or wherever you are, you can know what the season holds.
The turning of the Tamil year
The Tamil year begins in mid-April with the month of Chithirai, and runs through twelve lunar-solar months, each roughly a month of the Gregorian calendar but shifting against it. Because the festivals follow the moon and the stars, their Gregorian dates change each year ~ which is why any list of dates must be checked against a current panchang. But the shape of the year is constant, and worth knowing. Here is the wheel, month by month, with the great days that fall in each and the greatest festivals of Arunachala marked in their seasons.
The year, month by month
Chithirai
Apr–MayThe Tamil New Year opens the year. Its full moon is the great Chitra Pournami, the first and most auspicious of the year, the day of karmic cleansing.
Vaikasi
May–JunThe month of Vaikasi Visakam, sacred to Murugan, and (in the wider calendar) of Buddha Purnima. The heat is at its height; the pre-dawn Pournami walks are kindest.
Aani
Jun–JulFestivals of Shiva as the cosmic dancer (Aani Thirumanjanam at Chidambaram). A contemplative, quieter season at the hill.
Aadi
Jul–AugA month of intense devotion to the Goddess (Amman), and of Guru Purnima, honouring the teacher ~ deeply resonant at Arunachala for those who hold Ramana or the hill as guru.
Aavani
Aug–SepRich with festivals ~ Krishna Janmashtami, Vinayaka Chaturthi (Ganesha). The monsoon greens the hill. And in this season falls Ramana’s Advent Day (1 September).
Purattasi
Sep–OctA month of fasting and devotion, especially on Saturdays; Navaratri, the nine nights of the Goddess, often falls here. The pleasant season begins to return.
Aippasi
Oct–NovThe season of lamps, leading toward the festival of lights (Deepavali). Cool, clear, post-monsoon air ~ one of the loveliest times to walk the hill.
Karthigai
Nov–DecThe great month at Arunachala. The towering festival of Karthigai Deepam ~ the beacon of fire lit on the summit ~ is the crown of the whole year here.
Margazhi
Dec–JanThe most sacred of Tamil months, given wholly to devotion; the month of dawn worship and the Tiruvempavai. Ramana Jayanti, his birth, falls in Margazhi.
Thai
Jan–FebThe month of Pongal (the harvest thanksgiving) and Thai Poosam, sacred to Murugan ~ a month of new beginnings and abundance.
Masi
Feb–MarThe month of the great Maha Shivaratri, the great night of Shiva ~ second only to Deepam among Arunachala’s Shaiva festivals ~ and of Masi Magham.
Panguni
Mar–AprThe month of Panguni Uthiram, celebrating the divine marriages; and, around this season, Ramana’s Aradhana, his mahasamadhi. The year comes full circle toward Chithirai again.
The two great peaks
Of all these, two festivals tower over the Arunachala year. Karthigai Deepam, in Karthigai (Nov–Dec), is the greatest ~ the beacon on the summit, the millions, the hill blazing as the fire it is. And Maha Shivaratri, in Masi (Feb–Mar), is the great night of Shiva kept at the very form of Shiva. Around these two peaks, and the monthly Pournami and twice-monthly Pradosham and Ekadashi, the whole sacred year of the hill is woven. To live here a full year is to walk this entire wheel ~ and to feel, month by month, the changing light of the sacred fall upon the one unchanging mountain.
Every festival here follows the Tamil lunar-and-star calendar, so its Gregorian date shifts each year ~ always confirm against a current panchang or the temple’s calendar before planning. For the confirmed 2026 dates of the great days, see the sacred calendar, the Pournami calendar, and the Karthigai Deepam 2026 page.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main festivals at Arunachala through the year?
The two greatest are Karthigai Deepam (in Karthigai, Nov–Dec), when a beacon of fire is lit on the summit, and Maha Shivaratri (in Masi, Feb–Mar), the great night of Shiva. Others through the Tamil year include Chitra Pournami (the first full moon, Apr–May), Guru Purnima (Aadi), Navaratri (Purattasi), Pongal (Thai), and Ramana's own days ~ Jayanti (Margazhi), Advent Day (Aavani) and Aradhana (around Panguni).
How is the Tamil festival calendar structured?
The Tamil year begins in mid-April with the month of Chithirai and runs through twelve lunar-solar months, each roughly a Gregorian month but shifting against it. Festivals follow the moon and stars, so their Gregorian dates change each year, though the shape of the year ~ which festivals fall in which season ~ is constant.
When is the best festival time to visit Arunachala?
It depends on what you want. For the single greatest spectacle, Karthigai Deepam (Nov–Dec) is unmatched, though extremely crowded. Maha Shivaratri (Feb–Mar) is the great night of Shiva. The cool months from November to February hold several festivals and the most comfortable weather. For quiet, come between the great days ~ see our guide to the best time to visit.
Why do the festival dates change every year?
Because the Tamil sacred calendar is lunar-and-solar, keyed to the moon's phases (tithis) and the stars (nakshatras) rather than the fixed Gregorian calendar. A festival kept on a particular tithi or star falls on a different Gregorian date each year, which is why any date must be confirmed against a current panchang or the temple's calendar.
Last updated 22 January 2026. Following the documented record preserved by Sri Ramanasramam and his devotees; where an account is traditional, it is told as such.