Kharmas is the time the Sun spends in Dhanu or Meena. In 2026-27: 16 December to 14 January 2027 (Dhanu) and 15 March to 14 April 2027 (Meena). By custom no weddings are held then: on the wedding muhurat list December’s last date is 12 December and the next is Friday, 15 January 2027. Worship, japa and charity go on.
Kharmas 2026-27: from when to when
| The Sun in | Begins | Ends | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dhanu (Sagittarius) | 16 December 202610:31 AM, Dhanu Sankranti | 14 January 20279:16 PM, Makar Sankranti | 30 |
| Meena (Pisces) | 15 March 20277:05 AM, Meena Sankranti | 14 April 20273:34 PM, Mesha Sankranti | 31 |
| Dhanu (Sagittarius) | 16 December 20274:43 PM, Dhanu Sankranti | 15 January 20283:27 AM, Makar Sankranti | 31 |
Times in Indian Standard Time; the moment of a Sankranti is the same all over India. Our calculation, within 1–2 minutes of Drik Panchang’s Sankranti times (New Delhi). The day count includes both the first and the last day.
What Kharmas is
Each month the Sun moves from one sign to the next; that moment is called Sankranti. The month the Sun spends in Dhanu (Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti), and the month it spends in Meena (Meena Sankranti to Mesha Sankranti), is called Kharmas. The panchang reckons the Sun’s sign sidereally (with the Lahiri ayanamsha), so Dhanu Sankranti falls in mid-December each year and Makar Sankranti on 14 or 15 January.
Kharmas and wedding dates
Drik Panchang, following Muhurta Chintamani, says weddings are held while the Sun is in Mesha, Vrishabha, Mithuna, Vrishchika, Makara or Kumbha; not while it is in Dhanu or Meena, and it calls the Dhanu month Kharmas. So the wedding muhurat list is empty in these days:
- Dhanu Kharmas 2026-27: December’s last date is Saturday, 12 December 2026, the next Friday, 15 January 2027 (Makar Sankranti).
- Meena Kharmas 2027: March’s last date is Sunday, 14 March 2027, the next Sunday, 18 April 2027.
- Dhanu Kharmas 2027-28: the last date of December 2027 is Tuesday, 14 December 2027; the next dates come after Makar Sankranti in January 2028.
Days without a date can also have other reasons (the nakshatra or tithi); the full list and each day’s time:
What custom avoids, and what it keeps
Besides weddings, by custom many families also avoid engagement, griha pravesh, mundan, naming and ear-piercing ceremonies, starting new work and buying property such as a house or a vehicle in Kharmas (Aaj Tak, 15 March 2026, as religious belief). These are customs, not one uniform rule of the texts; families and regions keep them differently.
For griha pravesh, Drik Panchang’s list goes by the lunar month, nakshatra and tithi, not the Sun’s sign, and it has days inside Kharmas: 18 December, 19 December, 30 December and 1 January, and 7 days between 15 March and 14 April. Our list has the same days. Families who keep Kharmas leave them out; ask your purohit.
- Griha Pravesh muhurat December 2026
- Griha Pravesh muhurat January 2027
- Griha Pravesh muhurat March 2027
- Griha Pravesh muhurat April 2027
Worship, japa, fasts and charity are not held back in Kharmas; by the same source, offering water to the Sun and giving in charity are held to be special at this time. The vrats and festivals below are kept on their days.
Vrats and festivals in Kharmas
Dhanu (Sagittarius) Kharmas (16 December – 14 January)
Meena (Pisces) Kharmas (15 March – 14 April)
- Amalaki Ekadashi18 March
- Holika Dahan21 March
- Holi22 March
- Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Jayanti (Gaura Purnima)22 March
- Phalguna Purnima22 March
- Papamochani Ekadashi2 April
- Chaitra Amavasya6 April
- Chaitra Navratri day 1: Ghatasthapana, Shailputri Puja7 April
- Nav Samvatsar (Hindu New Year), Gudi Padwa, Ugadi7 April
- Gangaur9 April
- Yamuna Chhath12 April
- Baisakhi14 April
The whole month: Hindu calendar December 2026 · Hindu calendar January 2027 · Hindu calendar March 2027 · Hindu calendar April 2027
Kharmas: questions and answers
When does Kharmas 2026 begin?
On Wednesday, 16 December 2026, at 10:31 AM, when the Sun moves from Vrishchika into Dhanu (Dhanu Sankranti). It lasts until Thursday, 14 January 2027.
Does Kharmas end on 14 or 15 January?
The Sun enters Makara at 9:16 PM on the night of Thursday, 14 January 2027; that is where Kharmas ends. The moment is at night, so Drik Panchang keeps Makar Sankranti and its punya kaal the next day, Friday, 15 January 2027, and the wedding dates resume from 15 January. That is why some write 14 January and others 15.
Why are there no weddings in Kharmas?
Drik Panchang, following Muhurta Chintamani, says weddings are held while the Sun is in Mesha, Vrishabha, Mithuna, Vrishchika, Makara or Kumbha, and not while it is in Dhanu or Meena; it calls the Dhanu month Kharmas, in which weddings are not held. It is a rule of muhurat, nothing to fear.
When is the first wedding date after Kharmas?
On Friday, 15 January 2027, 7:15 AM–2:15 PM (New Delhi). Before the March 2027 Kharmas the last date is 14 March, and after it the first is Sunday, 18 April 2027.
When is Kharmas in 2027?
Twice: from 15 March (7:05 AM) to 14 April (3:34 PM), while the Sun is in Meena, and from 16 December 2027 (4:43 PM) to 15 January 2028 (3:27 AM), while the Sun is in Dhanu again.
Can one do griha pravesh in Kharmas?
Traditions differ here. Many families avoid griha pravesh in Kharmas too. But Drik Panchang’s griha pravesh list goes by the lunar month, nakshatra and tithi, and it has days inside Kharmas: 18 December, 19 December, 30 December and 1 January, and 7 days in March–April 2027. Our list gives the same days. Follow your family’s custom and ask your purohit.
Are Kharmas and Adhik Maas (Malmas) the same?
No. Kharmas is fixed by the Sun’s sign: the Sun in Dhanu or Meena. Adhik Maas (Purushottam Maas) is a lunar month in which no Sankranti of the Sun falls. In everyday speech many also call Kharmas “Malmas”, which mixes the two; Drik Panchang too lists them separately in its marriage rules.
Sources
- Sankranti moments: Drik Panchang, Sankranti 2026, 2027 and 2028, New Delhi (drikpanchang.com/sankranti/sankranti.html; the Dhanu and Makar Sankranti pages), read 9 October 2026: Dhanu 10:29 AM on 16 December 2026, Makara 9:14 PM on 14 January 2027 (kept on 15 January), Meena 7:04 AM on 15 March 2027, Mesha 3:33 PM on 14 April 2027, Dhanu 4:42 PM on 16 December 2027, Makara 3:26 AM on 15 January 2028. Our calculation is 1–2 minutes later each time
- Weddings and the Sun’s sign, Kharmas: Drik Panchang, “Choosing Auspicious Marriage Date” (drikpanchang.com/shubh-dates/info/choosing-auspicious-marriage-date.html), after Muhurta Chintamani
- Vivah and griha pravesh muhurats: Drik Panchang’s 2026 and 2027 lists for New Delhi, and the SanatanBodh lists checked against them
- What custom avoids and keeps in Kharmas: Aaj Tak, “Kharmas 2026”, 15 March 2026 (as religious belief; no text is cited)
- Adhik Maas: SanatanBodh panchang method (sanatanbodh.in/en/panchang/ganana-vidhi/)
- The Sun’s sign: SanatanBodh panchang calculation (astronomy-engine, Lahiri ayanamsha)
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