Sabarimala Mandala Season 2026: 16 November

At a glance

Temple opens

Monday, 16 November 2026 (Onmanorama, 17 October 2026)

Mandala season begins

Vrischikam 1: Tuesday, 17 November 2026

Vrishchika Sankranti

16 November, 7:50 PM (Drik Panchang: 7:48 PM)

Mandala Pooja

Sunday 27 December by the 41-day count; TDB yet to announce

Makaravilakku

On Makara Sankranti: the Sankranti is at 9:16 PM on 14 January 2027 (Drik: 9:14 PM); TDB will announce the day

Every month

The first five days of each Malayalam month, and for Vishu and Onam (Kerala Tourism)

Booking

Online Virtual-Q booking is mandatory for all pilgrims (TDB): sabarimalaonline.org

Deity

Dharma Sastha (Ayyappa)

Place

Pathanamthitta district, Kerala; about 5 km on foot from Pampa to Sannidhanam

Malayalam year

1202 (Kollam era): TDB’s 2026-27 Mandala–Makaravilakku festival

Sabarimala 2026-27: how firm each date is

The opening date is announced; the other dates follow from the Malayalam calendar, but TDB makes the final announcement. On 18 October 2026 TDB’s website had no 2026-27 calendar yet, and sabarimala.kerala.gov.in was not loading. Each date below says where it comes from.

How the Malayalam calendar sets the dates

Kerala’s Malayalam (Kollam) calendar is solar: each month begins with the Sankranti at which the Sun enters the next sign. Vrischikam begins with the Vrishchika Sankranti, Dhanu with the Dhanu Sankranti and Makaram with the Makara Sankranti. When the Sankranti comes after sunset, the month’s first day is the next day. In 2026 the Vrishchika Sankranti is at 7:50 PM on 16 November, while sunset in Kochi is at about 6:00 PM; so Vrischikam 1 is 17 November, and the temple opens the evening before, on 16 November. The same happened in Thulam: the Tula Sankranti was at 7:59 PM on 17 October, Thulam 1 on 18 October, and the temple opened on the evening of 17 October. A Sankranti moment is the same all over India.

Mandala vratham: the 41-day custom

By custom, pilgrims keep a 41-day vow before the Sabarimala pilgrimage, called the Mandala vratham. According to Kerala Tourism and Manorama these practices are common: the vow begins with “Malayidal”, wearing a mala of tulsi or rudraksha beads received from a temple priest or a Guruswami (one who has made 18 pilgrimages), taken off only when the pilgrimage is complete; plain single-coloured clothes, mostly black, blue or saffron (Manorama: people from Tamil Nadu mostly wear blue, from Karnataka and Andhra black, and Malayalis saffron); celibacy; freshly cooked vegetarian food; no cutting of hair or nails; and restraint of anger. A pilgrim under the vow is addressed as “Swami”. These are customs, and practice differs between Guruswamis and families; ask your own Guruswami.

The Irumudi and the eighteen steps

The Irumudi kettu is a two-compartment bundle the pilgrim carries on the head. According to Kerala Tourism the front part (munmudi) holds the puja offerings for the temple and the back part (pinmudi) the pilgrim’s own things. The main offering is a coconut filled with ghee: its water is drained and ghee poured in, and the ghee is offered at the temple in the Neyyabhishekam. The Irumudi is packed on the evening before the journey under a Guruswami’s guidance (Kettunira). Only those who have kept the vow and carry the Irumudi climb the eighteen sacred steps (Pathinettampadi) to the temple; Kerala Tourism gives several traditional meanings of the number, such as the five senses, the emotions, the three gunas, and knowledge and ignorance.

From Pampa to Sannidhanam

Most pilgrims come by road to Pampa. According to Kerala Tourism, pilgrims bathe in the Pampa and then begin the climb up Neelimala. According to Onmanorama the footpath from Pampa to Sannidhanam (the temple) is about 5 km and passes Neelimala, Appachimedu, Sabaripeedam and Saramkuthi; the climbs at Neelimala and Appachimedu are the hardest. By tradition Sabaripeedam is where Shabari did penance. The Swami Ayyappan Road runs alongside, and the two paths meet near Saramkuthi. Some pilgrims also walk the old long forest trail from Erumeli (Periya Pathai). Route and facility rules can change each year; take current information from TDB and the district administration.

Virtual-Q booking

TDB’s website says online Virtual-Q booking is mandatory for all pilgrims visiting Sabarimala. Booking is on TDB’s official site, sabarimalaonline.org, where you choose a day and time slot. Spot booking and the daily limit are set each season by TDB and the High Court’s directions, so check there before you travel.

Makaravilakku, Makara Jyothi and the Thiruvabharanam

According to Kerala Tourism, Makaravilakku is held on Makara Sankranti and is the main day of the Mandala–Makaravilakku season: in the evening a lamp is seen on the Ponnambalamedu hill, which devotees watch from Sannidhanam, Neelimala and Saramkuthi, and seeing it is considered auspicious. Ayyappa’s sacred ornaments (Thiruvabharanam) leave the Valiyakoikkal temple at Pandalam in procession three days before Makaravilakku and reach Sannidhanam on Makaravilakku day. In 2011 the Kerala High Court asked the temple authorities to explain the difference between Makara Jyothi and Makaravilakku; the temple’s chief Tantri, Kandararu Maheswararu, then said that Makara Jyothi is a star and Makaravilakku is the ritual of lighting a lamp on the hill, and according to The News Minute the TDB and the Pandalam palace also said the hilltop lamp is lit by people. Devotees watch the lamp with reverence, as tradition holds.

The court case on the entry rule

By tradition, women aged 10 to 50 do not go to Sabarimala for darshan. On 28 September 2018 a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, by a 4:1 majority, allowed women of all ages to enter (Indian Young Lawyers Association v. State of Kerala). On 14 November 2019, instead of deciding the review petitions, the bench by 3:2 sent them, with other cases on religion and equality, to a larger bench of seven judges. A nine-judge bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant heard the reference from 7 April to 14 May 2026 and reserved its judgment (LiveLaw, 14 May 2026). This page takes no position on the question; check the Supreme Court and TDB for the current position.

Checked against Drik Panchang

The Sankranti moments on this page are from our panchang calculation (Indian Standard Time, Lahiri ayanamsha). Drik Panchang’s 2026 Sankranti list gives the Tula Sankranti at 7:57 PM on 17 October, the Vrishchika Sankranti at 7:48 PM on 16 November and the Dhanu Sankranti at 10:29 AM on 16 December, and its Makar Sankranti 2027 page gives the moment as 9:14 PM on 14 January. Our calculation gives 7:59 PM, 7:50 PM, 10:31 AM and 9:16 PM, that is 1–2 minutes later; all the dates agree. Drik gives the Makar Sankranti punya kaal the next morning, 15 January, because the Sankranti falls after sunset; North India’s Makar Sankranti bath and charity are on that day, while Sabarimala’s Makaravilakku follows the custom of the Sankranti day’s evening.

Frequently asked questions