Festival · Vishnu

Holika Dahan

A bonfire on the eve of Holi, remembering how the devotee Prahlada was saved from the fire while Holika burned.

Holika Dahan 2027
Sunday 21 March 2027
New Delhi

For New Delhi, Sunday 21 March 2027

Purnima tithi

Begins
6:22 pm
Ends
4:14 pm, 22 Mar
Sunrise
6:25 am
Sunset
6:33 pm
Moonrise
5:38 pm
Moonset
5:56 am, 22 Mar

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

Full panchang for this day →

Puja times

For New Delhi, Sunday 21 March 2027

Holika Dahan

6:33 pm to 8:55 pm

Pradosh Kaal
6:33 pm to 8:55 pm
Bhadra (no fire)
6:22 pm to 5:15 am, 22 Mar
Purnima begins
6:22 pm
Purnima ends
4:14 pm, 22 Mar

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

How it is kept

Customs vary by region and family

  • Light the bonfire after the right time in the evening
  • Walk around it and offer grain and coconut
  • Pray for protection from harm

What it remembers

Holika Dahan, the burning of Holika, is the bonfire lit on the full moon night of Phalguna, the eve of Holi. It remembers the boy Prahlad, who sat in the fire unharmed while the demoness Holika burned. The fire is lit in Pradosh Kaal while Purnima holds and Bhadra is over, never in Bhadra Mukha; the page shows the time for your city.

Prahlad and Holika

The demon king Hiranyakashipu had a boon that made him almost unkillable, and he demanded worship as god. His son Prahlad worshipped only Vishnu. After many attempts on the boy’s life, the king’s sister Holika, who had a shawl that fire could not burn, sat in a pyre with Prahlad on her lap. The shawl flew from her to cover him: Prahlad walked out unharmed, and Holika burned.

Narasimha

Hiranyakashipu could be killed by neither man nor beast, neither inside nor outside, neither by day nor by night. Vishnu came as Narasimha, half man and half lion, at twilight, on the threshold of the palace, and tore him apart on his lap. Holika Dahan’s fire is lit at that same twilight.

The new grain

The fire also marks the spring harvest: the new ears of wheat and barley and green chana (hola) are roasted in it and shared, and the ash is put on the forehead for health. Holi, holak and hola all come from the roasted grain.

Lighting the fire

The fire is lit at the muhurat shown on the page: in Pradosh Kaal while Purnima holds, after Bhadra if Bhadra ends before midnight. Families keep it in many ways; follow your own tradition where it differs.

  1. In the days before, gather wood, dried cow-dung cakes and leaves for the pyre at a crossroads or open ground, with a stick or effigy for Prahlad in the middle.
  2. Before the muhurat, worship the pyre: water, roli, rice, flowers, raw cotton thread wound round it three or seven times, turmeric, jaggery and a coconut.
  3. At the muhurat, the eldest lights the fire. The Prahlad stick is pulled out, unburnt.
  4. Walk round the fire, offering new wheat, barley and chana, and roast them in it to eat as prasad.
  5. Carry home a little of the fire to light the hearth, and apply the cooled ash on the forehead the next morning.

What you need

  • Wood, cow-dung cakes (gulariya) and leaves for the pyre
  • Roli, rice, flowers, raw cotton thread and a coconut
  • New ears of wheat, barley and green chana to roast
  • Water in a pot (lota) to offer

Across India

Braj (Mathura and Vrindavan)

At Phalen village a priest walks through the Holika fire, and the week of Braj Holi reaches its height.

Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

Holika Dahan at every crossroads, with songs (phag and chaita), and the roasted grain shared.

Maharashtra and Goa

Shimga: the fire on the full moon with puran poli offered to it, and the village palkhis.

Gujarat and Rajasthan

The bonfire with coconuts thrown in, and the walk round it seven times; the children’s pranks begin.

South India

Kama Dahanam: Kama’s effigy is burnt, remembering Shiva burning him with his third eye.

When it falls

Purnima of Phalguna. Kept on the day this tithi holds in the evening. Lit after Bhadra (Vishti karana) has passed; if Bhadra lasts past midnight, it moves to the next day.

These are the usual rules. A few days can differ by a day in your tradition, so check with your temple.

Holika Dahan in the coming years

New Delhi, India time

  1. 2027Sunday 21 March 2027
  2. 2028Friday 10 March 2028

Questions

When is Holika Dahan in 2027?

Sunday 21 March 2027, in New Delhi. In a few places it can fall a day apart, so the date above is worked out for your city.

When does Holika Dahan fall?

Purnima of Phalguna. Kept on the day this tithi holds in the evening. Lit after Bhadra (Vishti karana) has passed; if Bhadra lasts past midnight, it moves to the next day.

How is Holika Dahan kept?

Families light the bonfire after the right time in the evening, walk around it and offer grain and coconut and pray for protection from harm. Customs vary by region and family.

Who is honoured on Holika Dahan?

Vishnu. A bonfire on the eve of Holi, remembering how the devotee Prahlada was saved from the fire while Holika burned.

Why is the time of Holika Dahan important?

The fire must be lit in Pradosh Kaal while Purnima holds, and not during Bhadra, the first half of Purnima; above all never in Bhadra Mukha, held to bring misfortune. If Bhadra ends before midnight, the fire waits for it. The page works this out for your city.

Why is Holika Dahan sometimes a day before Holi’s full moon?

Holika Dahan is kept on the evening Purnima holds; Holi, the colours, is the next morning. When Purnima begins in the evening, the fire is that night and Holi the day after.

What is roasted in the fire?

New ears of wheat and barley, and green chana (hola), the first of the spring harvest. They are roasted in the fire, shared as prasad, and some families keep a little for the next year.

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