Hindu Pilgrimage Calendar 2027: Festivals and Yatras by Month

By Teerthayan • October 2026

The Hindu pilgrimage calendar 2027 is unusually full: the Ardh Kumbh at Haridwar runs from January to April, Maha Shivaratri falls on 6 March, the Char Dham temples open in late April or May, the Amarnath Yatra runs in July and August, and the Simhastha Kumbh at Nashik-Trimbakeshwar holds its main Amrit Snans in August and September. Below is a month-by-month guide to the main festivals and the yatras that are open or at their best. Dates were checked against drikpanchang.com and the Government of India's 2027 holiday list; where sources differ we give only the month.

Hindu pilgrimage calendar 2027: festival dates at a glance

January and February: Haridwar Ardh Kumbh begins

The Uttarakhand government has announced ten main bathing days for the Haridwar Ardh Kumbh, starting with Makar Sankranti on 14 January and running until Chaitra Purnima on 20 April. February has bathing days on Mauni Amavasya (6 February), Basant Panchami (11 February) and Magh Purnima (20 February). Basant Panchami is also when the Badrinath opening date is traditionally announced. Read how to reach Kumbh Mela 2027 before you book. Winter is also a good time for the winter Char Dham yatra to the winter seats of the four deities, or our winter Char Dham package from Rishikesh.

March: Maha Shivaratri and Holi

Maha Shivaratri falls on Saturday, 6 March 2027, and is one of the three Amrit Snan days at the Haridwar Ardh Kumbh. It is the most popular day of the year at the Jyotirlinga temples; see our 12 Jyotirlinga guide, or the Mahakaal Darshanam and Somnath Jyotirlinga trips. The Kedarnath opening date is traditionally announced on Maha Shivaratri at Ukhimath. Phalguna Amavasya on 8 March is another Amrit Snan at Haridwar. Holi falls in late March; sources differ on whether the main day is the 22nd or the 23rd, so check your local panchang.

April: Chaitra Navratri and Ram Navami

Chaitra Navratri begins on Wednesday, 7 April, which is also Nav Samvatsar, a Haridwar bathing day. Ram Navami falls on Thursday, 15 April. The final Haridwar Amrit Snan is on Mesh Sankranti, 14 April, and the mela ends with Chaitra Purnima on 20 April. Navratri brings large crowds to the Vaishno Devi trek (see our Vaishno Devi package from Jammu), and Ram Navami is a natural time for the Ram Kashi Yatra to Ayodhya and Varanasi.

May and June: Char Dham opens

Yamunotri and Gangotri traditionally open on Akshaya Tritiya, which falls in May 2027 (Vaishakha Shukla Tritiya; drikpanchang lists 9 May, though some calendars differ). Kedarnath and Badrinath open around the same time, on dates announced earlier in the year. May and June are the peak months; plan with our Char Dham registration and route guide, and look at the Char Dham package from Haridwar or the Do Dham package. The season for Kailash Mansarovar also begins around this time; see the overland yatra from Kathmandu or the Kailash aerial darshan guide.

July and August: Amarnath and Shravan

Shravan, the month dedicated to Lord Shiva, runs roughly from mid-July to mid-August in the North Indian calendar. The Amarnath Yatra traditionally ends on Shravan Purnima, which is Raksha Bandhan, on 17 August 2027; the start date is announced by the Shrine Board in spring. See the Amarnath package from Srinagar or the Amarnath and Ladakh tour. July is also the usual window for the tough Shrikhand Mahadev Yatra, and August for Kinnaur Kailash. In Nashik, the first Simhastha Kumbh Amrit Snan is on Monday, 2 August, and the second on Tuesday, 31 August. Janmashtami falls on Wednesday, 25 August. Monsoon rain affects Himalayan roads in these months, so keep buffer days.

September: Ganesh Chaturthi and the last Nashik snan

Ganesh Chaturthi is on Saturday, 4 September. The third Nashik Amrit Snan is on 11 September at Nashik and 12 September at Trimbakeshwar, itself a Jyotirlinga; the Panch Jyotirlinga and Dwadash Jyotirlinga yatras pair well with this. The Manimahesh Yatra is traditionally held between Janmashtami and Radha Ashtami. As the monsoon eases in late September, the Char Dham route usually gets quieter and clearer.

October: Sharad Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali

Sharad Navratri starts at the end of September or early October, with Dussehra in October; calendars differ on the exact days, so confirm locally. It is the best time to visit Shakti Peeths; see our Shakti Peeth list and the Maha Shakti Peeth circuit. Diwali falls on Friday, 29 October. Kedarnath traditionally closes around Bhai Dooj after Diwali, so October is the last full month for the Kedarnath yatra.

November and December: Kartik Purnima and winter yatras

Kartik Purnima falls on Sunday, 14 November, the same day as Guru Nanak Jayanti; Varanasi celebrates Dev Deepawali around it. Badrinath usually closes in November on a date fixed by the temple committee; see our Badrinath guide. December is ideal for the warmer plains and coastal shrines, for winter Char Dham, and for the Pashupatinath and Muktinath yatra.

Using this pilgrimage calendar

Festival dates follow the lunar calendar and can shift by a day depending on your location. Temple opening and closing dates, Kumbh rules and yatra registrations are announced by the authorities closer to each season, so use this Hindu pilgrimage calendar 2027 to plan, then confirm before you book.