Sacred calendar · The first full moon
Chitra Pournami: the first full moon of the Tamil year
The first full moon after the Tamil New Year, and one of the most auspicious of all ~ a day of Chitragupta and the cleansing of karma. Chitra Pournami 2026 (1 May), and how it is kept at the fire-hill.
The short version
- 2026 date
- Friday, 1 May 2026 ~ the first full moon of the Tamil year (month of Chithirai).
- Its theme
- Karmic cleansing and new beginnings ~ a cosmic reset at the year’s opening.
- Chitragupta
- The divine scribe of karma is worshipped; devotees seek to set right their account.
- At Arunachala
- Girivalam on this most auspicious full moon carries the charge of a blessed fresh start.
Of the thirteen full moons that a Tamil year can hold, a few carry a special weight ~ and Chitra Pournami is among the greatest of them. It is the first full moon after the Tamil New Year, the full moon of the opening month of Chithirai, and it is held to be one of the most auspicious and spiritually potent full-moon days of the entire year. At Arunachala, where every Pournami already draws the pilgrims to walk the hill, Chitra Pournami is a full moon of unusual power ~ a day for cleansing the karmic slate and beginning the year afresh.
The full moon of Chithirai
Chitra Pournami is the full-moon day of the Tamil month of Chithirai (April–May), the first month of the Tamil year ~ so it is the first Pournami of the new year, its full moon falling under the Chitra nakshatra from which it takes its name. As the first full moon after the year’s beginning, it carries the whole freight of new beginnings, fresh starts, and the setting-right of things ~ a cosmic reset at the opening of the year. Across Tamil Nadu it is a day of temple worship, holy bathing, fasting, and charity, and in Tamil astrology one of the most favourable of all days for beginning anything of importance.
Chitragupta and the accounting of karma
The day’s deepest theme is karma, and it is bound up with a striking figure: Chitragupta, the divine scribe who, in the tradition, keeps the exact record of every soul’s deeds ~ the good and the ill alike ~ for Yama, the lord of death, against the day of reckoning. Chitra Pournami is his special day. Devotees worship Chitragupta and seek to cleanse and correct their karmic account ~ to confess and set right past wrongs, to resolve on better conduct, to wipe the slate as clean as they can before the divine accountant at the year’s turning. It is a day of moral stock-taking as much as celebration ~ a pause to reckon honestly with one’s own deeds and to begin the new year lighter.
A day to reckon honestly with one’s own deeds ~ to set right the karmic account, and begin the new year lighter.
Chitra Pournami at Arunachala
At Tiruvannamalai, Chitra Pournami joins the great tradition of the full moon at the fire-hill. As on every Pournami, the pilgrims come to walk Girivalam around Arunachala through the night ~ but on this first, most auspicious full moon of the year, the walk carries the special charge of new beginnings and karmic cleansing. To circle the hill of Shiva on the day of the karmic accounting, resolving to begin again, is a powerful way to keep it. The great temple holds special worship, and the day has the festive, hopeful quality of a fresh start blessed by the hill. Note that because it falls in Chithirai (April–May), Chitra Pournami often comes in the hot season ~ so if you walk, take the usual care with the heat.
Chitra Pournami 2026 falls on Friday, 1 May 2026. As a lunar full-moon day the Gregorian date shifts each year (April or May); confirm against the temple’s calendar. For every full moon of the year, see our Pournami calendar, and for the whole year’s festivals, the sacred calendar.
Frequently asked questions
When is Chitra Pournami 2026?
Chitra Pournami 2026 falls on Friday, 1 May 2026 ~ the full-moon day of the Tamil month of Chithirai, the first full moon of the Tamil year. As a lunar day the Gregorian date shifts each year, falling in April or May, so confirm against the temple calendar.
What is the significance of Chitra Pournami?
It is the first and one of the most auspicious full moons of the Tamil year, a day of new beginnings and karmic cleansing. It is especially associated with Chitragupta, the divine scribe who keeps the record of every soul's deeds for Yama; devotees worship him and seek to cleanse and correct their karmic account before the new year. It is a day of moral stock-taking, temple worship, holy bathing, fasting and charity.
Who is Chitragupta?
Chitragupta is the divine scribe in the Hindu tradition who keeps a precise record of every individual's karma ~ their good and bad deeds ~ for Yama, the lord of death, against the day of reckoning. Chitra Pournami is his special day, when devotees worship him and seek to wipe their karmic slate clean.
How is Chitra Pournami observed at Arunachala?
As on every Pournami, pilgrims walk Girivalam around Arunachala through the night ~ but on this first, most auspicious full moon of the year the walk carries the special charge of new beginnings and karmic cleansing. The Arunachaleswarar temple holds special worship. As it falls in April–May, it often comes in the hot season, so take care with the heat if you walk.
Last updated 22 January 2026. Following the documented record preserved by Sri Ramanasramam and his devotees; where an account is traditional, it is told as such.