Navarathri 2026 in Tamil Nadu, District Wise: Golu, Saraswathi Pooja, Ayutha Poojai and Vijayadasami
Navarathri in Tamil Nadu begins on Sunday 11 October 2026. Saraswathi Pooja and Ayutha Poojai fall on Monday 19 October and Vijayadasami on Tuesday 20 October. Here are the dates, Vijay Muhurat for 14 cities and what each region is known for.
Navarathri in Tamil Nadu begins on Sunday 11 October 2026. Saraswathi Pooja and Ayutha Poojai fall on Monday 19 October and Vijayadasami on Tuesday 20 October.
Quick answer: Navarathri 2026 in Tamil Nadu begins on Sunday 11 October. Saraswathi Pooja and Ayutha Poojai are on Monday 19 October and Vijayadasami is on Tuesday 20 October. The Vijay Muhurat on 20 October falls between 1:51 PM and 2:52 PM IST depending on the district: 1:51–2:38 PM in Chennai, 2:01–2:48 PM in Madurai and 2:05–2:52 PM in Coimbatore. Kulasai Dasara's Soorasamharam at Kulasekarapattinam is expected on the night of 20 October, but the temple has not yet published its 2026 schedule.
This guide covers Tamil Nadu district by district, for families at home and Tamils abroad who keep home-state dates. For the festival worldwide, see the Dussehra / Vijayadashami 2026 guide and our Navratri 2026 NRI guide.
Navarathri 2026 dates in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu panchangams follow the same dates as most of India this year. The traditional division into three nights each for Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi is shown below.
| Day | Date | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Mahalaya Amavasya | Sat 10 Oct | Ancestral offerings; many families set up Golu steps around this day |
| Navarathri day 1 | Sun 11 Oct | Navarathri begins; kalasam and Golu, first of three nights for Durga |
| Days 1–3 | Sun 11 – Tue 13 Oct | Durga |
| Days 4–6 | Wed 14 – Fri 16 Oct | Lakshmi |
| Days 7–9 | Sat 17 – Mon 19 Oct | Saraswathi |
| Saraswathi Pooja and Ayutha Poojai | Mon 19 Oct | Books, instruments, tools and vehicles worshipped |
| Vijayadasami | Tue 20 Oct | Vidyarambham, new beginnings; Dashami from 12:50 PM IST |
| Kulasai Dasara Soorasamharam | Night of Tue 20 Oct (expected) | Kulasekarapattinam; confirm via the temple's HR&CE page |
Note that Karnataka's Mysuru panchanga places Vijayadashami on Wednesday 21 October. The reason is a difference in calendar rules, not a mistake: Dashami runs from 12:50 PM IST on 20 October to 2:11 PM IST on 21 October. Tamil Nadu's calendars, like Drik Panchang for India, use the afternoon (Aparahna) rule and choose the 20th, when Dashami covers the whole afternoon. Mysuru uses the tithi at sunrise and chooses the 21st. Read more in our Karnataka district-wise guide.
Vijayadasami 2026 Vijay Muhurat by district
The table gives the Vijay Muhurat on Tuesday 20 October 2026 for 13 major Tamil Nadu cities, mostly district headquarters, plus Kulasekarapattinam for Thoothukudi district and Puducherry for reference. These are not separate calculations for all 38 districts: the window shifts by only a few minutes across the state, from 1:51 PM in Chennai to 2:05 PM in Coimbatore. Every window falls inside Dashami, which began at 12:50 PM. Timings were computed from local sunrise and sunset and match Drik Panchang within about a minute.
| District | Reference city | Vijay Muhurat, Tue 20 Oct (IST) |
|---|---|---|
| Chennai | Chennai | 1:51–2:38 PM |
| Kanchipuram | Kanchipuram | 1:54–2:41 PM |
| Vellore | Vellore | 1:56–2:43 PM |
| Tiruvannamalai | Tiruvannamalai | 1:56–2:43 PM |
| Thanjavur | Thanjavur | 1:56–2:44 PM |
| Tiruchirappalli | Tiruchirappalli | 1:58–2:45 PM |
| Salem | Salem | 2:00–2:47 PM |
| Madurai | Madurai | 2:01–2:48 PM |
| Thoothukudi | Kulasekarapattinam | 2:01–2:49 PM |
| Erode | Erode | 2:02–2:49 PM |
| Tirunelveli | Tirunelveli | 2:02–2:50 PM |
| Kanyakumari | Nagercoil | 2:04–2:52 PM |
| Coimbatore | Coimbatore | 2:05–2:52 PM |
| Puducherry (UT, for reference) | Puducherry | 1:53–2:41 PM |
If your district is not listed, use the nearest city. The grouping below covers all 38 districts; within each group the difference is a few minutes at most.
| Region | Districts | Use the window for |
|---|---|---|
| Chennai and the north coast | Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, Ranipet | Chennai or Kanchipuram |
| North interior | Vellore, Tirupathur, Tiruvannamalai, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri | Vellore or Tiruvannamalai (Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri a few minutes later, closer to Salem) |
| East coast and delta | Viluppuram, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur | Puducherry or Thanjavur |
| Central | Tiruchirappalli, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Karur, Pudukkottai, Namakkal | Tiruchirappalli (Namakkal and Karur closer to Salem) |
| Kongu (west) | Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Nilgiris | Coimbatore, Erode or Salem |
| South | Madurai, Dindigul, Theni, Sivaganga, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram | Madurai |
| Far south | Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari | Tirunelveli, Kulasekarapattinam or Nagercoil |
For Tamils abroad: do not convert the India window (1:59–2:45 PM IST) to your local time. It lands at the wrong time of day outside India. Use the local afternoon window for your city: see our guides for Singapore, Malaysia, the USA, the UK, Canada and Australia.
Golu: the heart of Tamil Navarathri
In most Tamil homes, Navarathri means Golu (Kolu): an odd number of steps, often five, seven or nine, covered in cloth and arranged with dolls of deities, saints, wedding scenes, village life and festival processions. A kalasam is placed on the first evening, and families add a theme or a park scene at the base.
- Evening visits: women and girls visit one another's Golu, sing a song or a sloka, and receive thamboolam: betel leaves, areca nut, turmeric, kumkumam, a fruit and a small gift.
- Sundal: a different sundal (spiced legumes) is made as naivedyam each evening, from chickpeas and green gram to black-eyed beans and peanuts.
- Kolam: a fresh kolam at the entrance each morning, often larger and more elaborate through the nine days.
- Dismantling: on or after Vijayadasami, one doll is symbolically laid down in the evening and the Golu packed away.
Chennai neighbourhoods are known for their Golu doll markets in the weeks before Navarathri, and temples across the state host Golu displays and evening music programmes. For slokas to recite during Golu visits, see our Navratri 2026 NRI guide.
Saraswathi Pooja and Ayutha Poojai on 19 October
On Monday 19 October, Saraswathi Pooja and Ayutha Poojai are observed together. Students place their textbooks and notebooks before the goddess, musicians their instruments, and the books are not opened again until Vijayadasami. Ayutha Poojai extends the same respect to the tools of every trade: vehicles are washed and garlanded, shops and factories clean and decorate machines, and offices bless computers and ledgers. Pori (puffed rice), sundal and fruit are typical offerings, and vehicles are often marked with kumkumam and a lime crushed under the wheel before the first journey.
Saraswathi Pooja and Vijayadasami are normally public holidays in Tamil Nadu, but the exact 2026 holiday dates are set by the state government and employers, so check the official list.
Vijayadasami on 20 October
Vijayadasami is the day for beginnings. Books and instruments are taken back from the pooja, and young children are introduced to learning through Vidyarambham: guided by a parent, teacher or priest, they trace the first letters, often in rice. Many music and dance schools, and some schools, admit new students on this day. With the Dashami tithi beginning only at 12:50 PM IST, families who want their Vidyarambham inside Dashami often choose the afternoon, around the Vijay Muhurat in the table above; others follow their temple or family priest.
Keeping Tamil Nadu dates abroad
Tamil families in Singapore, Malaysia, the Gulf, the UK and North America keep the same Navarathri sequence, but local panchangs can shift individual days. Navarathri begins on Sunday 11 October everywhere in our date map and Vijayadasami is Tuesday 20 October in most countries, but it moves to Wednesday 21 October in eastern Australia and New Zealand. A few practical points:
- Golu works anywhere: a bookshelf or stacked boxes covered with a veshti or saree make good steps, and many families carry a few heirloom dolls back from Chennai or Madurai each trip.
- Weekday Saraswathi Pooja is hard to keep with school and office hours abroad; many families do the pooja on Monday evening and invite friends for Golu over the weekend of 17–18 October.
- Temples abroad often hold group Vidyarambham on Vijayadasami. Check your local temple's announcements, as booking is sometimes required.
- For temple listings near you, see your country guide in the Dussehra 2026 cluster.
District traditions and 2026 status
Navarathri is celebrated in every district, mostly at home and in local temples. The places below are known for something distinctive. We describe them in general terms only, and say where 2026 dates are not yet announced.
Thoothukudi: Kulasai Dasara, Kulasekarapattinam
The Mutharamman temple at Kulasekarapattinam hosts one of South India's largest Dasara festivals. Devotees take vows, wear costumes (vesham) of deities and other figures, and collect alms during the festival period, and the Soorasamharam is enacted on the beach on Dasara night. In 2026 the Soorasamharam is expected on the night of 20 October, but the official schedule has not yet been published. Confirm on the temple's HR&CE page before you travel, and expect very large crowds.
Madurai: Meenakshi Amman temple
The Meenakshi Amman temple marks Navarathri with daily alankaram of the goddess and a Golu display. 2026 Navarathri dates and schedule: not yet announced.
Kanyakumari: Padmanabhapuram procession
By long tradition, deities including Saraswathi are carried in procession from the Padmanabhapuram palace area to Thiruvananthapuram for the Navarathri festival there, and returned afterwards. 2026 procession dates: not yet announced.
Chennai and the north
Chennai is known for home Golu culture, temple Golu and evening music and dance programmes through the nine nights. Programmes are announced locally by temples, sabhas and residents' associations, usually close to the date.
Delta, Kongu and the south
In the Cauvery delta, Kongu belt and southern districts, Navarathri centres on Amman temples, home Golu and Ayutha Poojai in shops, farms and workshops. Check your local temple's notice board or announcements for 2026 timings.
Planning tips for 2026
- Set up Golu before Sunday 11 October so it is ready for the first evening.
- Saraswathi Pooja and Ayutha Poojai fall on a Monday this year; plan workplace and vehicle poojai for 19 October.
- Vidyarambham on Tuesday 20 October: if you want it inside Dashami, choose the afternoon.
- For Kulasekarapattinam, wait for the temple's official schedule before booking travel.
- Deepavali follows on Sunday 8 November 2026: see our Diwali 2026 guide and the November 2026 festival calendar.
Frequently asked questions
When is Saraswathi Pooja 2026 in Tamil Nadu?
Saraswathi Pooja and Ayutha Poojai are both on Monday 19 October 2026 in Tamil Nadu. Books, instruments and tools are kept for pooja that day and taken up again on Vijayadasami, Tuesday 20 October.
When is Vijayadasami 2026 in Tamil Nadu?
Tuesday 20 October 2026. The Dashami tithi begins at 12:50 PM IST that day, and the Vijay Muhurat in Chennai is 1:51–2:38 PM.
Why does Mysuru celebrate Vijayadasami on 21 October when Tamil Nadu marks 20 October?
Dashami runs from 12:50 PM IST on 20 October to 2:11 PM IST on 21 October. Calendars that use the afternoon (Aparahna) rule, as Tamil Nadu panchangams do this year, choose 20 October. The Mysuru panchanga uses the tithi at sunrise and chooses 21 October.
When should I set up Golu in 2026?
Most families arrange the Golu steps before Navarathri begins on Sunday 11 October 2026, often with a kalasam placed on the first evening, and keep it up through Vijayadasami on Tuesday 20 October. Follow your family's custom for the day of setting up and dismantling.
When is Kulasai Dasara Soorasamharam in 2026?
Kulasekarapattinam's Soorasamharam is expected on the night of Vijayadasami, 20 October 2026, but the temple's official schedule has not yet been published. Confirm on the temple's HR&CE page before travelling.
Editor's note
Editor's note (4 October 2026): Dates follow Tamil Nadu panchangams and Drik Panchang for India, and Vijay Muhurat timings are calculated for each listed city. Kulasai Dasara's official schedule, Madurai Meenakshi's Navarathri dates and the Padmanabhapuram procession dates are not yet confirmed; organisers are still publishing 2026 flyers; we will update this guide.
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