Festival

Holika Dahan

Name: Holika Dahan
Start: 2027-03-21
End: 2027-03-21
Location: Madurai

Bonfire on Phalguna Purnima during Pradosh, avoiding Bhadra.

Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India 9.9190°, 78.1195° Asia/Kolkata (UTC+05:30) North Indian · Lahiri (calibrated)

Panchang for 21/03/2027 (Sun) All dates

Next date March 2027 21 Sunday in 166 days

CategoryFestival Major
Defining tithi / momentShukla Paksha Purnima: 18:21 to 16:13 (next day)
Lunar monthPhalguna Shukla Paksha (same name in Amanta and Purnimanta)

Timings on Sunday, 21 March 2027

Pradosh Kaal 18:28 to 20:50 2 h 23 min · 21/03/2027 (Sun)

Rule applied: Smarta — Bhadra lasts past midnight and Bhadra Puchha does not fall between Pradosh and midnight, so Holika Dahan is done in Pradosh, avoiding Bhadra Mukha. (Setting: Holika Dahan and Bhadra: common North Indian rule (Pradosh after Bhadra; else before midnight; else Bhadra Puchha; never Bhadra Mukha))

Not selected:

Alternate rule followed by some pandits (e.g. of Banaras): wait until Bhadra ends, even after midnight. 05:15 (next day) to 06:20 (next day)
Bhadra Puchha, not usable because it falls outside Pradosh–midnight. 01:26 (next day) to 02:32 (next day)

Pradosh Kaal 18:28 to 20:50
Nishita Kaal 00:00 (next day) to 00:48 (next day)
Bhadra (Vishti) 18:21 to 05:15 (next day)
Bhadra Puchha 01:26 (next day) to 02:32 (next day)
Bhadra Mukha 02:32 (next day) to 04:20 (next day)

Why this date?

Bhadra lasts past midnight and its Puchha is not in the evening; Pradosh is used, avoiding Bhadra Mukha.

Puja vidhi

Mantra & Bhakti

Om Jai Jagdish Hare

All mantras, aartis and stotras for this festival

Recipes, stories and temples

Prasad to make

Puran poli

Story for children

Why do we play with colours on Holi?

Across India

How this festival is celebrated in different regions, with the regional names and each date's rule.

Read the regional guide

How the date is determined

The date is Phalguna Shukla Paksha Purnima; the month name is the same in the Amanta and Purnimanta systems.
It falls on the day when this tithi prevails during Pradosh Kaal — the first fifth of the night after sunset.
If the tithi prevails at that time on two consecutive days, the day on which it covers more of that period is taken.
If the tithi does not touch that period on any day (a kshaya tithi), the Hindu day on which the tithi prevails longest is used.
The ritual time window excludes Bhadra (Vishti karana).
If Bhadra covers the whole period, the window shown starts when Bhadra ends.
In a year with an Adhik month of the same name, it is observed in the regular (Nija) month.

Traditional variation

If Bhadra covers Pradosh, many Panchangs permit Holika Dahan in Bhadra Puchha or after Bhadra ends; follow local guidance.

This is the date given by the rule shown above for the selected place. It is not the only valid date: regional Panchangs, family customs and sampradayas may observe it on a different day.

Rule source: Tithi–kaal rule of the Dharmashastra digests (Nirnaya Sindhu / Dharma Sindhu), as applied by modern drik-ganita (computed) Panchangs

Traditions may vary by region and Panchang convention. Times are shown for the selected place, time zone and calculation profile.

Calculated with engine 1.4.2 · rules rules-2026-09-29-a0a4505e · profile north-lahiri-calibrated v1 · ayanamsa lahiri_drik_compat · astronomy-engine@2.1.19 · Asia/Kolkata

Dates in 2026

Holika Dahan — 2026
Date	Defining tithi / moment	Time windows	Decision notes
03/03/2026 (Tue) Phalguna Shukla Paksha (same name in Amanta and Purnimanta)	Shukla Paksha Purnima: 17:56 (previous day) to 17:07	Pradosh Kaal 18:28 to 20:52 (2 h 24 min)	Holika Dahan moves to the next day's Pradosh (Purnima lasts three and a half prahars after that sunrise).

Dates in 2027

Holika Dahan — 2027
Date	Defining tithi / moment	Time windows	Decision notes
21/03/2027 (Sun) Next Phalguna Shukla Paksha (same name in Amanta and Purnimanta)	Shukla Paksha Purnima: 18:21 to 16:13 (next day)	Pradosh Kaal 18:28 to 20:50 (2 h 23 min)	Bhadra lasts past midnight and its Puchha is not in the evening; Pradosh is used, avoiding Bhadra Mukha.