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The Kannada Panchangam is a lunisolar calendar used by approximately 45 million Kannada speakers in Karnataka. Like the Telugu calendar, it follows the Chandramana (lunar) tradition — months run from one New Moon to the next in the Amanta system, and the year begins on Ugadi (Chaitra Shukla Pratipada), the same day as the Telugu New Year. The Kannada calendar uses the same 12 Sanskrit lunar month names as the Telugu and North Indian systems. What distinguishes Karnataka's calendar culture is the regional emphasis on Dasara (Mysore Dasara being one of India's greatest royal festivals) and Varamahalakshmi Vratam, a women's festival that holds special prominence in Karnataka.
Kannada months use the same Sanskrit lunar month names as the broader South Indian Panchangam tradition. Each month runs from the day after Amavasya (New Moon) to the following Amavasya. An intercalary Adhika Masa is added approximately every 33 months to synchronise the lunar year with the solar cycle.
| # | મહિનો | Kannada | રાશિ | ગ્રેગોરિયન |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chaitra | ಚೈತ್ರ | Mesha–Vrishabha | Mar – Apr |
| 2 | Vaishakha | ವೈಶಾಖ | Vrishabha–Mithuna | Apr – May |
| 3 | Jyeshtha | ಜ್ಯೇಷ್ಠ | Mithuna–Kataka | May – Jun |
| 4 | Ashadha | ಆಷಾಢ | Kataka–Simha | Jun – Jul |
| 5 | Shravana | ಶ್ರಾವಣ | Simha–Kanya | Jul – Aug |
| 6 | Bhadrapada | ಭಾದ್ರಪದ | Kanya–Tula | Aug – Sep |
| 7 | Ashvija | ಆಶ್ವಯುಜ | Tula–Vrischika | Sep – Oct |
| 8 | Kartika | ಕಾರ್ತಿಕ | Vrischika–Dhanus | Oct – Nov |
| 9 | Margashira | ಮಾರ್ಗಶಿರ | Dhanus–Makara | Nov – Dec |
| 10 | Pushya | ಪುಷ್ಯ | Makara–Kumbha | Dec – Jan |
| 11 | Magha | ಮಾಘ | Kumbha–Meena | Jan – Feb |
| 12 | Phalguna | ಫಾಲ್ಗುಣ | Meena–Mesha | Feb – Mar |
Ugadi (Kannada–Telugu New Year, Chaitra Shukla Pratipada — Ugadi Pachadi, Panchangam Shravanam)
Varamahalakshmi Vratam (Friday before Shravana Purnima — Karnataka's most important women's festival; decorated kalasha worship of Goddess Lakshmi)
Ganesha Chaturthi (Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi — 10-day festival with clay idols, immersion on Ananta Chaturdashi)
Mysore Dasara / Navaratri (9-night celebration culminating in Vijayadashami — Mysore Palace illumination, Jumboo Savari elephant procession, Karnataka's state festival)
Deepavali (Kartika Amavasya), Kartika Deepotsava (lamp festivals at Shaiva temples, especially Dharmasthala)
The Kannada calendar shares its core architecture with the Telugu calendar — both are chandramana, amanta-month, lunisolar reckonings anchored to the Salivahana Shaka era of 78 CE — but it inherits a distinctive Karnataka-specific implementation shaped by the major Karnataka sampradayas (Madhva, Smarta and Veerashaiva). The Karnataka adoption of the Shaka system is unbroken from the medieval Vijayanagara period; the saint and Madhva scholar Vyasatirtha (Vyasaraja, c. 1460–1539), patron saint of the Vijayanagara Empire, established Panchanga-producing mathas that continue to publish authoritative Kannada Panchangas today.
Karnataka’s New Year, Yugadi (ಯುಗಾದಿ — yuga-adi, “the beginning of an age”), falls on the same chandramana date as Telugu Ugadi: Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. Yugadi 2026 falls on 19 March 2026, inaugurating the Parabhava Nama Samvatsara in Shaka 1948.
The distinction from Tamil Nadu and Kerala is sharp. Tamil Puthandu and Malayali Vishu follow the souramana (solar) calendar, marking the day the Sun enters Mesha (Aries); these fall in mid-April, typically 14 or 15 April, and are not on the same day as Yugadi. There is also no equivalence with Pongal, which is the Tamil mid-January harvest festival marking Makara Sankranti; Karnataka’s parallel for Pongal is Sankranti / Suggi Habba, observed on the same Gregorian day (around 14 January) but as a harvest thanksgiving rather than as the new year.
All three traditions share the same chandramana dates; the divergence is in which festivals receive principal household observance.
Signature observances: Madhva Navami (Magha Shukla Navami), Krishna Janmashtami, Sri Krishna Paryaya at Udupi, Madhva Jayanti.
Authoritative almanacs: Uttaradi Matha, Sri Vyasaraja Matha, Sri Raghavendra Matha
Signature observances: Ganesha Chaturthi, Maha Shivaratri, Navaratri / Vijayadashami, Krishna Janmashtami, Deepavali.
Authoritative almanacs: Sringeri Panchanga
Signature observances: Maha Shivaratri, Basava Jayanti (Vaishakha Shukla Tritiya), Allamaprabhu Jayanti, Jangama-aradhane.
Authoritative almanacs: Various Veerashaiva matha calendars
Mysore Dasara, the official state festival of Karnataka, is the most public ceremonial expression of the Kannada chandramana calendar. The modern royal celebration was initiated by Raja Wodeyar I in mid-September 1610 at Srirangapatna, and has run almost continuously for over four centuries. The festival spans Ashvina Shukla Pratipada to Ashvina Shukla Dashami.
Ghatasthapana — installation of the kalasha and family deity puja inside the palace.
Continuation of Devi Mahatmyam recitation; nightly palace illumination (~100,000 light bulbs).
Cultural programmes — Carnatic music, classical dance, wrestling at the palace grounds.
Saraswati Puja — the Maharaja venerates Saraswati and Mahishasuramardhini.
Durga Ashtami.
Ayudha Puja — the royal sword is worshipped and taken out in procession.
Jamboo Savari — the great procession from the palace to Bannimantap; the Chamundeshwari idol travels in a ~750 kg golden mantapa on the back of a lead elephant; Banni mara puja at Bannimantap recalls the Pandavas’ Shami-tree concealment.
The Jamboo Savari procession on Vijayadashami is the climactic day: the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari is placed inside a golden mantapa weighing approximately 750 kg of gold on the back of a decorated lead elephant. The procession features elephants, camels, horses, mounted units of the Karnataka Mounted Police, folk dance troupes from across Karnataka, and tableaux representing the state’s districts. At Bannimantap, the festival concludes with the Banni mara puja (worship of the Shami tree), recalling the Mahabharata episode where the Pandavas concealed their weapons in a Shami tree during their year of exile.
Samvatsara numbering: Parabhava is the 40th of the 60-year Prabhavadi cycle; Plavanga, Kilaka, Saumya and Sadharana follow.
| Year | Samvatsara | Shaka | Yugadi note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Parabhava | 1948 | 19 March 2026 — current year |
| 2027 | Plavanga | 1949 | Yugadi early April 2027 |
| 2028 | Kilaka | 1950 | late March 2028 |
| 2029 | Saumya | 1951 | mid-April 2029 |
| 2030 | Sadharana | 1952 | early April 2030 |
Founder of the Dvaita Vedanta school and the architect of the Karnataka Vaishnava festival calendar. He established the eight Udupi mathas (the Ashta Mathas) whose worship procedures and festival timings he codified in his Tantrasara. The annual Sri Krishna Paryaya rotation among the eight mathas is one of the longest-running festival institutions in India.
The pivotal figure for Karnataka panchanga production. Patron saint of the Vijayanagara Empire and a great Madhva polymath, he founded the Sri Vyasaraja Matha, whose annual Kannada Panchanga remains in continuous circulation. His three principal works — Nyayamruta, Tatparya Chandrika and Tarka Tandava — were credited by the Advaita scholar Appayya Dikshita with “securing the melon of Madhvaism with three bands.” His samadhi at Navabrindavana, an island in the Tungabhadra near Anegundi, remains an active pilgrimage site.
Born in Bijapur, Karnataka. His Siddhanta Shiromani is one of the foundational Sanskrit astronomical treatises that subsequent Karnataka almanac-makers built on. The Lilavati and Bijaganita portions of the work also encode the mathematical machinery — including treatment of zero, equations and the chakravala cyclic method — that the panchanga-makers of later centuries relied on for planetary mean motions.
The Veerashaiva calendrical tradition draws on their vachana literature; the festival days Basava Jayanti (Vaishakha Shukla Tritiya) and Allamaprabhu Jayanti are integrated into the Karnataka chandramana calendar. Together they ground the Lingayata sampradaya’s liturgical year independently of any matha-issued almanac.
The modern Madhva matha lineages — Uttaradi Matha, Sri Raghavendra Matha and Sri Vyasaraja Matha — together with the Smarta Sringeri Sharada Peetham, have institutionalised Kannada panchanga publishing into an annual cycle that continues uninterrupted into the twenty-first century.
Upcoming dates for major Karnataka festivals with tithi (lunar day), computed for Bangalore/Mysore. Includes Yugadi, Varamahalakshmi, Ganesha Chaturthi, Mysore Dasara, Deepavali, and other observances. Dates auto-update daily from our panchang engine — never stale.
| તહેવાર | તારીખ | તિથિ |
|---|---|---|
| Subramanya Shashthi (Skanda Shashthi) | રવિવાર, 19 જુલાઈ 2026 | Margashira Shukla Shashthi |
| Naga Panchami | સોમવાર, 17 ઓગસ્ટ 2026 | Shravana Shukla Panchami |
| Varamahalakshmi Vratam | શુક્રવાર, 28 ઓગસ્ટ 2026 | Friday before Shravana Purnima |
| Krishna Janmashtami | શુક્રવાર, 4 સપ્ટેમ્બર 2026 | Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami |
| Ganesha Chaturthi | સોમવાર, 14 સપ્ટેમ્બર 2026 | Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi |
| Mahalaya Amavasya | શનિવાર, 10 ઓક્ટોબર 2026 | Bhadrapada Amavasya |
| Navaratri begins (Ghatasthapana) | રવિવાર, 11 ઓક્ટોબર 2026 | Ashvija Shukla Pratipada |
| Ayudha Puja (Mahanavami) | મંગળવાર, 20 ઓક્ટોબર 2026 | Ashvija Shukla Navami |
| Mysore Dasara / Vijayadashami | બુધવાર, 21 ઓક્ટોબર 2026 | Ashvija Shukla Dashami |
| Naraka Chaturdashi | રવિવાર, 8 નવેમ્બર 2026 | Kartika Krishna Chaturdashi |
| Deepavali / Lakshmi Puja | રવિવાર, 8 નવેમ્બર 2026 | Kartika Krishna Amavasya |
| Bali Padyami | મંગળવાર, 10 નવેમ્બર 2026 | Kartika Shukla Pratipada |
| Tulsi Vivah | શનિવાર, 21 નવેમ્બર 2026 | Kartika Shukla Dwadashi |
| Karthika Pournami / Tripurari Purnima | મંગળવાર, 24 નવેમ્બર 2026 | Kartika Shukla Purnima |
| Vaikuntha Ekadashi (Gita Jayanti) | રવિવાર, 20 ડિસેમ્બર 2026 | Margashira Shukla Ekadashi |
| Makar Sankranti / Sankranthi | ગુરુવાર, 14 જાન્યુઆરી 2027 | Pausha (Solar — Capricorn ingress) |
| Ratha Saptami | શનિવાર, 13 ફેબ્રુઆરી 2027 | Magha Shukla Saptami |
| Maha Shivaratri | શનિવાર, 6 માર્ચ 2027 | Phalguna Krishna Chaturdashi |
| Holi | સોમવાર, 22 માર્ચ 2027 | Phalguna Purnima |
| Yugadi / Ugadi (Kannada New Year) | બુધવાર, 7 એપ્રિલ 2027 | Chaitra Shukla Pratipada |
| Sri Rama Navami | ગુરુવાર, 15 એપ્રિલ 2027 | Chaitra Shukla Navami |
| Hanuman Jayanti | મંગળવાર, 20 એપ્રિલ 2027 | Chaitra Purnima |
| Akshaya Tritiya | શનિવાર, 8 મે 2027 | Vaishakha Shukla Tritiya |
| Vat Savitri Vrat | શુક્રવાર, 18 જૂન 2027 | Jyeshtha Purnima |
Ugadi is celebrated identically in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, both marking Chaitra Shukla Pratipada as the new year. In Karnataka, the day begins with an oil bath, prayers, and the preparation of Ugadi Pachadi — the six-taste chutney of raw mango, jaggery, neem flowers, tamarind, green chilli, and salt. The Panchangam Shravanam (new year almanac recitation) is performed at temples and homes, where priests predict the year's outcomes based on the reigning Samvatsara (one of 60 named years in the Jovian cycle), the ruling planet's influence, rainfall, and agricultural prospects. Kannada Ugadi celebrations are known for their emphasis on literary and cultural programs — poetry readings, Kannada drama performances, and concerts — reflecting Karnataka's deep literary tradition (the state has produced more Jnanpith Award winners than any other Indian state).
The Mysore Dasara is one of India's most spectacular festivals, celebrated over 10 days culminating on Vijayadashami (Ashvija Shukla Dashami — September/October). It commemorates the goddess Chamundeshwari's (Durga's) victory over the demon Mahishasura, for whom Mysore (Mahishuru) is named. The Mysore Palace is illuminated with 100,000 light bulbs every evening for 10 nights. The Jumboo Savari procession on the final day is the centrepiece: a magnificently decorated elephant carries the golden howdah (Ambari) bearing the image of Goddess Chamundeshwari through the streets of Mysore, accompanied by caparisoned elephants, cavalry, marching bands, tableaux from all districts of Karnataka, and a torchlight parade at night. The Karnataka government organises a 10-day cultural programme called "Dasara Exhibitions" with folk arts, classical music, dance performances, and the Dasara Kavi Sammelana (poets' gathering). Dasara weekend draws over a million visitors to Mysore.
The Kannada Chandramana Panchangam is lunisolar: months are lunar (Amanta system, New Moon to New Moon), recalibrated with the solar cycle via Adhika Masa every ~33 months. Karnataka uses the same 60-year Jovian cycle as the rest of South India (Prabhava through Akshaya), and each year's character is assessed at Ugadi based on the ruling planet. The Kannada Panchangam is used for muhurta determination, tithi-based vrats, and the agricultural calendar of the Deccan. A notable feature of Karnataka's calendar tradition is the "Varamahalakshmi Vratam" — observed on the Friday before Shravana Purnima, when women worship Goddess Lakshmi by installing a decorated kalasha and performing elaborate puja. Unlike Maharashtra where Ganapati Utsav dominates, and unlike Tamil Nadu where the Murugan tradition is paramount, Karnataka's religious calendar is characterised by the balance of Shaiva (Shiva worship), Vaishnava (particularly the Madhva Brahmin tradition of Udupi), and Shakta (Chamundeshwari, Renuka Devi) traditions.