Ugadi 2027: Dates, Where to Celebrate and Travel Tips

Ugadi 2027 is expected on Wednesday 7 April 2027, the date listed by both Office Holidays and the Bhakti Bharat festival calendar ^{1 2}. It is a regional holiday in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu ¹.

The date moves every year because Ugadi follows the Hindu lunisolar calendar. It falls on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, the first lunar day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, which usually lands in late March or early April ³. The name comes from the Sanskrit Yugadi, from yuga, an era, and adi, a beginning ³. Recent and upcoming dates:

• Ugadi 2025 fell on Sunday 30 March 2025 ¹

• Ugadi 2026 fell on Thursday 19 March 2026 ¹

• Ugadi 2027 is expected on Wednesday 7 April 2027 ^{1 2}

• Ugadi 2028 is listed for 27 March 2028 ²

Not every Kannada household uses the lunar date. Families in Karnataka who follow the Souramana, or solar, system celebrate Souramana Ugadi at Mesha Sankranti instead ³. The day also opens Vasanta Navratri, a nine-day spring festival ¹.

The Srisailam Mahotsavam runs on its own temple calendar around this date. In 2025 the five-day festival began on Thursday 27 March 2025 and ended with Poornahuti on 31 March 2025, with Ugadi itself on 30 March ⁷. The pattern of starting a few days before the new year is consistent: the 2017 festival also ran five days and ended with Poornahuti ⁴. Srisaila Devasthanam publishes the exact 2027 programme only in the weeks before the festival.

Each year has a name in the sixty-year cycle: 2026 was Parabhava Nama Samvatsaram, and the Panchangam read on Ugadi day sets out the predictions for the year it opens ¹⁶.

Tip: Plan around the night before Ugadi, not just the day itself. At Srisailam the ember walk happens that night, and in Karnataka the Hosatodaku feast follows the next morning.

No: Ugadi has no ticketed events. The Srisailam Mahotsavam processions, the Rathotsavam and the vahana sevas take place in and around the Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple, and anyone in the crowd can watch them. What costs money is temple darshan beyond the general queue, which Srisaila Devasthanam sells as paid quick-darshan and seva tickets on its official site; prices and availability change during festival weeks.

The free parts of the festival are the ones most visitors remember:

• The evening vahana seva, when the utsava idols ride Nandi, Kailasa or other vahanas around the temple ⁶

• The Grama Utsavam, with Kolatam, Chekkabhajana, Thappetachindu and Karnataka folk dance ⁶

• The Rathotsavam on Ugadi evening, with the chariot decorated in flowers ^{5 8}

• Darshan of Goddess Bhramaramba in a different alankaram each day ⁷

Away from Srisailam, Ugadi in Hyderabad is equally open. In 2024 Shilparamam in Madhapur and Uppal held an Ugadi Utsavam with Panchanga Sravanam, Kuchipudi dance and free Ugadi pachadi for all visitors ¹⁷. On Ugadi 2026 the Telangana government held its official celebration at Ravindra Bharati, where the Panchangam was read in the presence of the Chief Minister ¹⁶. Seats there go mainly to invited guests.

Offerings are the one place where pilgrims spend generously. Karnataka devotees bring tamarind, kumkum, a saree, a mangala sutram and flowers to Goddess Bhramaramba every year ⁴. On the first morning of the 2025 festival, Mainarulu and Ghanacharulu offered a mangala sutram and silk cloths to the goddess ⁷. Visitors are not expected to bring anything, but a small coconut or flowers from the stalls near the temple is a common gesture.

Tip: Treat the paid quick-darshan as optional during Ugadi week. The best sights at Srisailam, the chariot and the vahanas, happen outside the sanctum and cost nothing.

Srisailam lies 231 km by road from Hyderabad and about 217 km from Hyderabad's international airport, reached via Atchampet and Dornala ¹⁰. From Hyderabad the road follows NH 765 into the Amrabad Tiger Reserve, crossing 55 km of protected forest before the Krishna gorge ¹². The town sits at 16.0833°N 78.8667°E in Nandyal district, Andhra Pradesh ¹⁰.

The forest stretch between Mannanur and Domalapenta is normally closed to all traffic from 9 pm to 6 am to let tigers and other wildlife move freely ^{11 12}. Festival weeks are the exception. For Ugadi 2024 the road stayed open 24 hours from 6 to 10 April 2024 ¹¹. The same notice set these rules inside the reserve ¹¹:

• Vehicles keep to a 30 km/h speed limit ¹¹

• No stopping on the forest road ¹¹

• Foot pilgrims stay on the road and do not cut through the forest ¹¹

• Drinking water and rest points are set up for walkers ¹¹

The road is busy. About 7,100 vehicles a day used it in late 2025, rising to about 9,400 during festivals ¹². A long-planned elevated corridor would lift traffic above the reserve, but it was still at the planning stage in December 2025 ¹².

Other ways in:

• Train: Markapur Road is the nearest railway station, 83.1 km away ¹⁰

• Air: Kurnool airport is about 180 km away; Hyderabad is the usual entry point ¹⁰

• Bus: APSRTC buses run from Markapur, Atmakur and Dornala ¹⁰

For Ugadi 2024 APSRTC added 200 special services in the Kurnool region, 115 of them to Srisailam from Kurnool, Adoni, Yemmiganur and Raichur ¹³. Raichur sits in Karnataka, which shows where much of the festival traffic comes from.

The slowest travellers on the road are the walkers. Kannada devotees walk hundreds of kilometres to Srisailam, some on stilts and some carrying a Shivalinga in a palanquin, passing through Kurnool on the way ⁹.

Tip: Leave Hyderabad by early afternoon. Reaching Mannanur well before 9 pm leaves room for festival queues at the checkpost, even in a year when the night ban is lifted.

The Srisailam Ugadi Mahotsavam follows a set ritual order over five days, from Yagasala Pravesam on the first morning to Poornahuti on the last ^{4 7}. Rudra Homam runs at Mallikarjuna Swamy's yagashala and Chandi Homam at Goddess Bhramaramba Devi's, with Kumkumarchana and Navavarana Archana for the goddess ⁶, while public events occur in the evenings.

How the 2025 festival unfolded ^{6 7 8}:

1. Day 1: Yagasala Pravesam, Ganapati puja and Siva Sankalpam; Bhramaramba in Mahalakshmi alankaram ⁷

2. Day 3 evening: Prabhotsavam and Nandi Vahana Seva, with the prabha decorated in 11 types of flowers ⁶

3. Day 3 night: Veerachara Vinyasam and Agnigunda Pravesham by Kannada devotees at the Shiva Deeksha camps ⁶

4. Ugadi day: the goddess in Rajarajeshwari alankaram, then the Rathotsavam in the evening ⁸

5. Final day: Poornahuti ⁷

The night before Ugadi is the one most outsiders have never heard of. Ghanacharis, a group of Kannada devotees, walk across blowing embers in the Agnigunda Pravesam and pierce their forehead, tongue, cheeks, chin and hands with sharp weapons, a rite called Veerachara Vinyasalu ⁴. It is intense to watch and not suitable for young children.

The chariot follows on Ugadi evening. Rathanga Puja, Rathanga Homam and Rathanga Bali come first, then the deities are seated on the chariot and pulled through the town while folk artists perform in the Gramotsavam ⁸. Karnataka devotees make up a large share of the crowd on the ropes ⁵.

Look out for the Nandikavallu, called Kambi in Kannada: tall poles carrying Nandi images that pilgrims shoulder all the way from Karnataka and worship every day of the journey ⁴. In 2025 the Nandyal police deployed 2,400 personnel for the festival, which gives a sense of the crowd ⁷.

Tip: Evening pujas started at 5.30 pm in 2025 ⁶. Find a spot on the procession street before then; once the vahana leaves the temple, the crowd closes in behind it.

Ugadi falls in the hottest stretch of the Deccan year, just before the monsoon. In Hyderabad, long-term averages put the April daily high at 37.6 °C and the low at 24.1 °C, with 27.2 mm of rain in the month ¹⁹. In March the averages are 35.2 °C and 20.3 °C, with 12.3 mm of rain ¹⁹. Ugadi 2027 is expected on 7 April 2027, so plan for the April figures ¹.

Bengaluru is milder but wetter in April. Its averages are a high of 34.1 °C, a low of 22.1 °C and 61.7 mm of rain over 4.0 rainy days ¹⁸. In March the city averages 33.4 °C, 20.2 °C and 1.1 rainy days ¹⁸. An evening thunderstorm on Ugadi is possible in Bengaluru, rarely a reason to cancel.

At Srisailam the heat shapes the day. The temple town sits above the Krishna gorge in the Nallamala hills, but afternoons in early April are still hard on anyone standing in an open queue. The busiest moments are the evening vahana seva and the Rathotsavam on Ugadi evening, when the temperature has dropped ^{6 8}.

What to pack for Srisailam:

• Light cotton clothes that cover shoulders and knees for the temple

• A refillable water bottle

• Slip-on sandals, since footwear comes off at the temple

• A cap or umbrella for midday queues

• A small towel for a dip at Patala Ganga, where early arrivals bathe before darshan

Crowd timing matters more than weather. The night before Ugadi, for the ember walk, and Ugadi evening, for the chariot, are the peaks ^{4 8}. The first days of the Mahotsavam are quieter, with fewer people in town.

Tip: Do your temple darshan in the early morning, then rest through the afternoon. The festival's main events all happen after sunset.

Hyderabad is the practical base for Ugadi in the Telugu states: the airport, the best range of hotels, and a 231 km road run to Srisailam ¹⁰. It also has its own Ugadi to see. On Ugadi 2026 crowds gathered for Panchangam readings at Birla Mandir and at the Shilparamam amphitheatre, while the state held its official event at Ravindra Bharati ¹⁶.

Areas that work for an Ugadi stay:

• Madhapur and HITEC City: close to Shilparamam, though far from the Srisailam road ¹⁷

• Banjara Hills and Lakdikapul: central, near Birla Mandir and Ravindra Bharati ¹⁶

• Shamshabad and the airport area: the south side of the city, closest to the Srisailam highway

• Srisailam town itself: for the night before Ugadi and the Rathotsavam

Rooms in Srisailam are the bottleneck. Temple guest houses and private lodges fill early during the Mahotsavam, when lakhs of pilgrims arrive in a few days ⁵. Many walking pilgrims sleep in camps and on open ground, which is not an option for most visitors. Book Srisailam rooms as soon as the festival schedule is announced, and choose flexible cancellation in case the dates shift.

Hyderabad itself is easier. Ugadi is a family festival there, not a tourist peak, and many residents leave the city for their home towns. Ugadi 2027 is expected on a Wednesday, so mid-week hotel rates apply ¹.

For Karnataka travellers, the equivalent base is Bengaluru, with Srisailam reached via Kurnool. Bengaluru's own Ugadi is a market and kitchen affair rather than a public event.

Tip: If you only have one night, sleep in Srisailam on the eve of Ugadi. The ember walk is that night, and you wake up already on the plateau for the Rathotsavam.

Mobile coverage on the way to Srisailam is weakest on the 55 km stretch through the Amrabad Tiger Reserve, where the road runs through forest with few settlements ¹². Inside Srisailam town the problem changes: lakhs of phones in a small temple town during the Mahotsavam overload local towers ⁵. Plan for both.

There is no public Wi-Fi along the processions worth relying on. A local data connection does the jobs that matter at Ugadi in Srisailam:

• Checking the Mannanur checkpost status and any festival relaxation notice ¹¹

• Following the day's alankaram and vahana schedule ⁷

• Sharing live location before the Rathotsavam starts ⁸

• Translating Telugu and Kannada queue notices

• Calling 112, India's single emergency number for police, fire and ambulance ²⁰

Data use is modest. You mostly load maps, send photos and check notices; filming the chariot and the ember walk uses the most, so upload videos once you are back on Wi-Fi. Download offline maps of the route from Hyderabad to Srisailam before leaving, because they keep working inside the reserve when the signal drops.

Ugadi 2027 at Srisailam is expected around Wednesday 7 April 2027, and the last fully connected stretch on the Hyderabad road is before Mannanur ^{1 12}. Install an India eSIM before you fly into Hyderabad or Bengaluru, so it connects on arrival and you can set up maps, translation and messaging at the hotel rather than at the forest gate.

Paying is the other connected task. Phone payments are common at stalls near the temple, but they need a working network at the busiest moment.

Tip: Carry cash for flowers, coconuts and food near the temple. Digital payments are the first thing to fail when the Rathotsavam crowd fills the street.

The first thing eaten on Ugadi is pachadi, a mix built to hold six tastes: neem buds or flowers for bitterness, jaggery for sweetness, green chilli or black pepper for heat, salt, tamarind for sourness and raw mango for astringency ³. It stands for accepting every kind of experience the new year brings ³. The Karnataka version is bevu-bella, a paste of jaggery, neem buds, tamarind juice and raw mango ^{1 3}.

The day begins before dawn with a sesame oil massage and a head bath, then prayers ¹. After that the regional menus split:

• Andhra Pradesh and Telangana: pulihora, bobbatlu, burelu and raw mango dishes ³

• Karnataka: holige or obbattu, mango pickles, sihi-kahi and bevu-bella ³

Markets fill the day before. On the eve of Ugadi 2026, KR Market, Malleswaram, Yeshwanthpur, Madiwala, Vijayanagar and Jayanagar in Bengaluru were packed, with neem at Rs 20 a bunch and mango leaves at Rs 30 ¹⁴. Jasmine and kanakambara reached Rs 1,000 per kg ¹⁴. A walk through KR Market that evening is the best way to see Ugadi in Bengaluru.

In Hyderabad, pachadi is shared well beyond the home. On Ugadi 2026 it was handed out at public celebrations as well as among families ¹⁶. Shilparamam distributed it to all visitors at its 2024 Ugadi Utsavam ¹⁷.

The next day changes the menu completely in the Old Mysore region. Hosatodaku, the day after Ugadi, is a meat feast called baadoota, and Bengaluru wakes early for it. On 20 March 2026 a meat shop in Byatarayanapura opened at 4 am and sold mutton at Rs 900 per kg ¹⁵. Vegetarian travellers should know that the day after Ugadi in Bengaluru smells very different from Ugadi itself.

Tip: Accept a spoonful of pachadi when it is offered, bitter neem and all. Refusing it is a bigger faux pas than pulling a face.