How do I find the correct date and Tithi of Makaravilakku?

Makaravilakku is observed on a specific Tithi (lunar day), so the exact date depends on your location. Dharmayana shows the upcoming dates and Tithi running through the festival, along with the day's full Panchanga — Nakshatra, Yoga, Karana and Muhurat.

How can I observe Makaravilakku at home?

Most festivals are observed at home with a simple pooja, vrat (fast), aarti and reading or listening to the festival's prarthanas and stotras. The Dharmayana app guides you step-by-step with the right prarthanas, audio chants and reminders.

Can I book a Pandit or pooja for Makaravilakku through Dharmayana?

Yes. Pandit-led pooja at home, online pooja and sankalp on the festival day are managed inside the Dharmayana app, along with options for virtual pooja for NRIs.

Which prarthanas and mantras should I chant on Makaravilakku?

Each festival has prarthanas associated with the deity being honoured — Lakshmi Stotras on Diwali, Durga Saptashati on Navratri, Rudrashtakam on Shivratri, and so on. You can listen to them on this page or browse all prarthanas with audio inside the Dharmayana app.

Why does the festival date change every year?

Hindu festivals follow the lunisolar calendar — they are anchored to a Tithi, Paksha and Masa, not a fixed Gregorian date. Because the lunar month is shorter than the solar one, the festival shifts every year.

Is it okay to perform festival rituals virtually or remotely?

Yes. For families living away from home or abroad, virtual pooja and online sankalp are widely accepted — the intent (sankalp) and chanted mantras carry the rituals. Dharmayana offers virtual pooja with verified Pandits and digital prasad.

Makaravilakku 2027

Q: What are Hindu festivals and why are they celebrated?

Hindu festivals like Diwali, Navratri, Shivratri, Holi and Janmashtami mark sacred moments tied to deities, seasons and lunar/solar cycles. Each festival has its own story, vrat, prarthana and rituals, and is timed using the Panchanga so the date moves slightly every year.

15th Jan 2027

Makaravilakku

On Makara Sankranti evening at Sabarimala, the temple's Ayyappa idol is dressed in the Thiruvabharanam — gold ornaments brought on foot from Pandalam palace, the deity's foster home. After the lamp-offering, devotees turn east to glimpse the Makaravilakku, a light that flares thrice on Ponnambalamedu hill.

Makaravilakku 2027 falls on 15th January 2027.

Panchanga

Panchanga For 15th Jan 2027

Upcoming Dates For Makaravilakku

15th Jan 2027

Friday

15th Jan 2028

Saturday

About

The Thiruvabharanam are Ayyappa's royal ornaments, kept all year at Pandalam palace. The Pandalam king is said to have raised Ayyappa as a foster son, and the jewels are his parting gift. Three days before Makara Sankranti, priests carry them in three caskets along a forest path to Sabarimala. A Garuda (Brahminy kite) is believed to circle above the procession as escort. The ornaments reach the shrine at dusk on Sankranti day and are placed on the idol for the evening worship. Pilgrims then look across the valley at Ponnambalamedu, a hill three kilometres east, where the Makaravilakku lamp is lit three times. In 2011, the Kerala government told the High Court that this lamp is lit by hand on the hill, by tribal Mala Araya families — a fact that has not dimmed devotion.

Panchanga

PANCHANGA FOR 15th Jan 2027

Upcoming Dates For Makaravilakku

15th Jan 2027

Friday

15th Jan 2028

Saturday

PRARTHANA FOR MAKARAVILAKKU

1. Ayyappa Pancharatnam

2. Shabarigirivasa Stotram

Prarthanas & mantras for MakaravilakkuListen to devotional prarthanas and chants for Hindu festivals

Festival Pooja & Pandit Booking

Want a Pandit-led pooja for this festival at home, or online if you live abroad? Dharmayana connects you with verified Pandits for all major Hindu festivals — Diwali, Navratri, Shivratri, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi and more.

You can book:

Festival pooja at home with a verified Pandit
Online / virtual pooja with live video and digital prasad
Same-day sankalp for time-sensitive festivals

Bookings, samagri lists and Pandit assignment are all handled inside the Dharmayana app — choose the festival, pick a date and the rest is taken care of.

Prarthana, Mantras & Vrat Katha

Every festival has its own prarthanas, stotras and vrat kathas. Reading or listening to them on the festival day is the simplest way to observe the tradition at home.

Inside the Dharmayana app you can listen to:

1000+ prarthanas, mantras and stotras with clear audio
Festival-specific kathas — Lakshmi, Durga, Shiva, Ganesha, Krishna
Multilingual versions: Sanskrit, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and more

Browse the full collection of prarthanas or get the app to play them on the festival morning without ads.

Festival Date, Tithi & Muhurat

Hindu festivals are tied to a specific Tithi, not a fixed date — so the day shifts every year and even varies slightly across cities.

Open the Panchanga for the festival day to see the exact Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga, Karana and Shubh Muhurat for pooja in your location.

The Dharmayana app keeps track of all upcoming festivals on the Hindu calendar and reminds you in advance.

Personalised Astrology Around Festivals

Festivals are also a good time to look at your kundali — many families plan sankalp, donations or new beginnings around them.

Inside the app you can:

Generate your personal Vedic kundali
Talk to a Jyotisha for guidance around career, relationships or health
Run kundali matching before fixing a marriage during the festival season

All of this is available inside the Dharmayana app — no fixed schedule, use it whenever you need it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hindu festivals — like Diwali, Navratri, Mahashivaratri, Holi and Janmashtami — mark sacred moments tied to deities, seasons and lunar/solar cycles. Each festival has its own story, vrat, prarthana and rituals, and is timed using the Panchanga so the date moves slightly every year against the Gregorian calendar.

Book Pandit & Festival Pooja
on the Dharmayana App

Book Makaravilakku Pooja on the Dharmayana App

Verified Pandits, prarthanas with audio and accurate Panchanga, all in one place.

Makaravilakku 2027

Festival Pooja & Pandit Booking

Prarthana, Mantras & Vrat Katha

Festival Date, Tithi & Muhurat

Personalised Astrology Around Festivals

Frequently Asked Questions

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