Hindu Festivals & Temple Celebrations 2026

The Vaikuntha Dwaram remains open for darshan from Vaikunta Ekadashi (Dec 30, 2025) through Jan 8, 2026. Special darshan queues at major Vishnu temples.

Sacred bathing at Sangam Prayagraj, Gangasagar Island, and all major river ghats. Kite flying in Gujarat.

Tamil harvest festival. Meenakshi temple in Madurai holds grand celebrations for 4 days.

Knowledge and arts deity. Schools, universities, and Saraswati temples hold special worship.

The great night of Shiva: all-night vigil, abhishek, and Bhasma Aarti at all 12 Jyotirlingas. India's most devotionally intense night.

Festival of colour marking the victory of Prahlad's devotion. Mathura–Vrindavan Holi begins a week earlier with Lathmar Holi.

Fifth day after Holi: final colours in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Birth of Lord Rama. Ayodhya Ram Mandir sees its largest footfall since consecration. Rameshwaram holds special abhishek. Observed by some traditions on Mar 27; confirm locally.

Birthday of Hanuman: all major Hanuman temples hold overnight readings of Hanuman Chalisa.

Auspicious day for beginning pilgrimages. Badrinath opens seasonally around this date. Gold purchases peak.

Birth, Enlightenment, and Parinirvana of the Buddha. Bodh Gaya sees pilgrim overflow from Buddhist nations.

Himalayan pilgrimage season begins. Helicopter and trekking routes activate. First month sees the heaviest rush.

Maharashtra and South India version of Vat Savitri, observed on the full moon of Jyeshtha. Women fast and pray under the Banyan tree for their husband's longevity.

The centuries-old chariot festival. The massive wooden chariots of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are pulled by lakhs of devotees through Puri. Millions of pilgrims attend.

Replicated in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vrindavan, and 100+ cities across India and internationally.

Vishnu goes to cosmic sleep for 4 months (Chaturmas). Pilgrims begin the Wari Palkhi to Pandharpur in Maharashtra. Auspicious start of the Chaturmas period.

Full moon of Ashadha, the guru's full moon. Ashrams, monasteries, and spiritual centres hold special guru puja. Vyasa Puja at Kashi is particularly revered.

The holiest month of the Hindu calendar for Shiva devotees. Every Monday is especially sacred. Bhasma Aarti passes at Mahakaleshwar are in very high demand and go quickly once booking opens.

Millions of Kanwariyas (Shiva devotees) carry sacred Ganga jal on foot from Haridwar and Sultanganj to their home Shiva temples. Roads in UP, Uttarakhand, Bihar, and Delhi affected.

Sacred serpent worship. The Nagchandreshwar shrine at Mahakaleshwar opens ONCE PER YEAR on this day only; thousands travel specifically for this darshan.

Kerala's biggest harvest festival. Grand boat races (Vallam Kali) at Alleppey. Padmanabhaswamy and Guruvayur temples are at their most festive.

Festival of sibling bonds observed on Shravana Purnima (the full moon of Shravan). Major Vishnu temples receive special donations.

Shravana Purnima: the final and often most crowded day of the holiest Shiva month. Kanwar Yatra concludes.

Birth of Lord Krishna at midnight. Mathura transforms completely, drawing vast crowds. Dwarka (Char Dham) holds elaborate ashtami celebrations. ISKCON temples worldwide.

11-day festival. Pune's Dagdusheth and Mumbai's Siddhivinayak are the epicentres. Maharashtra and Goa hold India's most elaborate Ganesh celebrations. Final day Visarjan is massive.

Final day of Ganesh Chaturthi. The grand Visarjan procession in Mumbai and Pune is one of India's largest urban religious gatherings.

Nine nights of Devi worship. Vaishno Devi at absolute peak. Gujarat's Navratri Garba is UNESCO-recognized cultural heritage. Kolkata Durga Puja draws vast crowds.

Triumph of good over evil. Mysuru palace illuminated Dussehra is one of India's most spectacular events. Kota (Rajasthan) holds the largest Ravan effigy burning in India.

Women fast from sunrise to moonrise for their husbands. Moon sighting ceremony at moonrise.

Festival of lights: Lakshmi Puja on the main night. Ayodhya's Ram Mandir illumination with hundreds of thousands of earthen lamps. Tirupati sees some of its heaviest donations of the year. Dhanteras is Nov 6; Govardhan Puja Nov 10; Bhaiya Dooj Nov 11.

Bihar and eastern UP's most sacred festival. Ghats at Patna, Varanasi, and the Ganga are packed for 4 days. Devotees stand in water offering arghya to rising and setting sun. Main Sandhya Arghya on Nov 15.

Vishnu wakes from his 4-month cosmic sleep (Chaturmas ends). Marriage season begins. Major Vishnu temples hold Tulsi Vivah ceremony.

Full moon of Kartika: the most auspicious full moon of the year for Narmada bathing (Omkareshwar), Somnath mela, and Pushkar Camel Fair. Varanasi Dev Deepawali: hundreds of thousands of lamps on the Ganga ghats.

A great flame (Maha Deepam) is lit atop Arunachala hill at Tiruvannamalai. One of India's oldest fire festivals, it culminates a ten-day celebration. Large crowds circumambulate the hill on foot (Girivalam). Night-time atmosphere is extraordinary.

Mokshada Ekadashi: the Vaikunta Dwara opens symbolically at Tirupati and Srirangam (expect long queues). Also Gita Jayanti: Kurukshetra holds a 7-day Gita Mahotsav at the sacred battlefield.

Sacred month for early morning temple visits at dawn. Tirupati, Tirumala, and all Vishnu temples offer special Tiruvembavai and Tiruppavai recitations at 4–5 AM.