Full moon Girivalam dates & times 2026

The first full moon of the year falls in Margazhi, the most sacred of Tamil months, given wholly to devotion. Dawn is traditionally the hour of worship in Margazhi, and the pre-dawn cool makes an early-morning Girivalam especially beautiful. A quietly powerful way to begin the year at the hill.

Thai is the month of new beginnings and thanksgiving in Tamil Nadu, following the Pongal harvest. Its full moon carries a mood of abundance and fresh starts. With this window falling in the early morning, a pre-dawn walk greets the day with the tithe still in force.

Masi Magham and the Masi full moon are held especially sacred for spiritual cleansing and for honouring ancestors; sea and river bathing is traditional across the south. At Arunachala the full moon is felt to amplify the purifying power of the circumambulation.

Panguni Uthiram, near this full moon, celebrates the divine marriages of the gods, and the month carries a mood of union and completion. An auspicious time for blessings on relationships and for wholeness, walked in the gentler warmth before the summer sets in.

Chithirai Pournami (Chitra Pournami) is one of the most auspicious full moons of the entire year, opening the Tamil new-year month. It draws large, joyful crowds to Girivalam. Falling in the night, it offers the classic moonlit night walk ~ though expect the path to be full.

2026 carries an extra lunar month (Adhika Maas), which is why the year holds thirteen Pournamis rather than the usual twelve ~ this is the additional one. Vaikasi is also linked with Vaikasi Visakam and, in the wider calendar, with Buddha Purnima. A rare year to walk an extra sacred full moon.

The Aani full moon falls in the heart of summer, its window in the cool pre-dawn ~ by far the kindest hour to walk in this season. Aani carries festivals of Shiva as the cosmic dancer; a still, early, quiet walk suits its contemplative mood.

Aadi is a month of intense devotion to the goddess (Amman), with the powerful Aadi worship across Tamil Nadu; it also carries Guru Purnima near this full moon, honouring the teacher. A resonant time at Arunachala for those who hold Ramana or the hill itself as guru.

Aavani is rich with festivals ~ Avani Avittam, Krishna Janmashtami and Vinayaka Chaturthi cluster in this season. Its full moon comes as the monsoon greens the hill, and a morning walk can catch Arunachala at its most lush and rain-washed.

Purattasi is a month of fasting and devotion, especially on Saturdays. Its full moon falls as the worst heat has passed and the pleasant season approaches ~ a fine time to resume longer, more comfortable daytime walks around the hill.

Aippasi carries the season of lamps, leading toward the festival of lights; its full moon (linked with Sharad Purnima in the wider calendar) is prized for a luminous, gentle quality. The cool, clear post-monsoon air makes this one of the loveliest months to walk.

The greatest of them all at Arunachala. This full moon opens into Karthigai Deepam, when the Maha Deepam is lit on the summit on 24 November 2026 and millions walk Girivalam through the night. Extraordinary beyond description ~ and extraordinarily crowded. See our full Karthigai Deepam 2026 guide.

→ Full Karthigai Deepam 2026 guide

The year closes as it opened, in sacred Margazhi. This final full moon of 2026, walked in the cool of the year's end, is a fitting close to twelve months of circling the hill ~ and the threshold of the next year's cycle of Pournamis.