Festival · Ayyappa
Makaravilakku
The great day of the Sabarimala season, when the Sun enters Makara. Lord Ayyappa’s ornaments, the Thiruvabharanam, arrive from Pandalam, and at dusk pilgrims watch for the Makara Jyothi on the hill of Ponnambalamedu.
- Makaravilakku 2027
- Thursday 14 January 2027
- New Delhi
For New Delhi, Thursday 14 January 2027
- Sunrise
- 7:15 am
- Sunset
- 5:45 pm
- Moonrise
- 10:51 am
- Moonset
- 11:33 pm
Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.
Full panchang for this day →How it is kept
Customs vary by region and family
- Watch for the Makara Jyothi at dusk
- Light lamps at home and at Ayyappa temples
- Chant Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa
What it remembers
Makaravilakku is held at Sabarimala on the day the Sun enters Makara, in mid-January, the high point of the Mandala and Makaravilakku season. Lord Ayyappa’s sacred ornaments arrive from Pandalam, the Makara Sankrama Pooja is done at the moment the Sun changes sign, and at dusk pilgrims on every hillside watch for the light on Ponnambalamedu.
Keeping the day
Pilgrims gather at Sabarimala, and many more keep the day at home or at an Ayyappa temple. Follow your guru swami where his way differs.
- Bathe early and pray before Lord Ayyappa, at Sabarimala, at his temple near you or at home.
- Offer ghee, flowers and camphor, and light a lamp.
- Chant Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa and the Shasta Pancharatnam through the day.
- At dusk, light lamps at home, and watch the Makaravilakku if you are at Sabarimala or near a screen showing it.
- Share aravana payasam, appam or a sweet of the harvest, as Pongal and Sankranti are kept at the same time in many homes.
What you need
- Ghee, flowers and camphor
- Lamps for the evening
- A picture of Lord Ayyappa
- Prasad or a harvest sweet to share
Across India
Sabarimala
Pilgrims camp for days on the hills round the temple to watch the light at dusk, and the Thiruvabharanam is put on the god for the evening worship.
Pandalam
The Thiruvabharanam procession sets out from the Valiya Koyikkal temple two days before, received with lamps all along its forest route.
Tamil Nadu
Thai Pongal, the harvest festival, falls at the same time, and many swamis end their pilgrimage with it.
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
Ayyappa temples and camps hold special poojas, and many groups end their deeksha in the days that follow.
When it falls
The day the Sun enters Makara (Capricorn) by Kerala time, when the Makara Sankrama Pooja is done at Sabarimala. The same date for every city.
These are the usual rules. A few days can differ by a day in your tradition, so check with your temple.
Makaravilakku in the coming years
New Delhi, India time
- 2027Thursday 14 January 2027
- 2028Saturday 15 January 2028
Questions
When is Makaravilakku in 2027?
Thursday 14 January 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 Makaravilakku fall?
The day the Sun enters Makara (Capricorn) by Kerala time, when the Makara Sankrama Pooja is done at Sabarimala. The same date for every city.
How is Makaravilakku kept?
Families watch for the Makara Jyothi at dusk, light lamps at home and at Ayyappa temples and chant Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa. Customs vary by region and family.
Who is honoured on Makaravilakku?
Ayyappa. The great day of the Sabarimala season, when the Sun enters Makara. Lord Ayyappa’s ornaments, the Thiruvabharanam, arrive from Pandalam, and at dusk pilgrims watch for the Makara Jyothi on the hill of Ponnambalamedu.
Is Makaravilakku on Makar Sankranti?
Yes: it is the day the Sun enters Makara, reckoned in Kerala, and the Makara Sankrama Pooja is done at that moment. It can fall a day before the Makar Sankranti date given for North India, which moves to the next day when the Sun enters after sunset.
What is the Makara Jyothi?
At dusk on Makaravilakku a light is seen on Ponnambalamedu, across the valley from the temple. The Travancore Devaswom Board has said this light is lit as a ritual; many hold a bright star seen in the sky that evening to be the Makara Jyothi itself. For pilgrims, seeing it is the moment the season builds to.
When does the season close?
A few days after Makaravilakku, about 20 January. The temple shuts after the last pujas, to open again for the first days of the next Malayalam month.