Mandala Kalam
Also called Mandala Vratam, Sabarimala season
When
Tuesday, 17 November 2026 in 68 days
New Delhi ยท change location
See the complete panchang for that day โ
Why this date?
Begins on the first of the Malayalam month Vrischikam and runs forty-one days to Mandala Puja. The Sabarimala season it opens continues to Makaravilakku.
- Computed by the panchanga engine for your location
- Follows a written selection rule, not a copied list
- Governed by the whole day rather than a specific period
- The written guide has not yet been reviewed by a named scholar
Dates come from the calculation engine and are independent of the written guide. How we calculate โ
What In short
The forty-one-day Ayyappa vratam. Pilgrims wear black or blue, take the mala, keep celibacy and a vegetarian diet, go barefoot, and address one another as swami before the pilgrimage to Sabarimala.
- Deity: Ayyappa
Why The reason behind it
The forty-one days are the observance, not the journey โ the vratam is what qualifies the pilgrim, and the climb is its conclusion. The equality inside it is explicit: caste and status are set aside for the duration, and every pilgrim is addressed identically, which is among the reasons the shrine draws across communities.
Traditional basis
Bhutanatha Upakhyanam and the Ayyappa tradition โ The Ayyappa narrative and the prescribed vratam.
Sabarimala pilgrimage practice โ The forty-one-day mandala vratam, the irumudi and the eighteen steps.
How At home, step by step
- Take the mala from a guru swami on the first day of Vrischikam.
- Keep the forty-one days: vegetarian food, celibacy, no footwear, daily bathing and puja.
- Prepare the irumudi before the climb; the pilgrimage concludes the vratam.
Fasting and breaking the fast
A vegetarian diet and abstinence for the full forty-one days rather than a single day's fast. It is one of the longest household observances kept in the south.
Fasting guidance here describes traditional practice. It is not medical advice โ if you are pregnant, diabetic, on medication or unwell, ask a doctor about your own circumstances.
Personal In your region
- Kerala (Malayalam)
Sabarimala is the destination; the season structures the month across Kerala. - Tamil Nadu (Tamil)
Very widely kept; large numbers travel from Tamil Nadu. - Karnataka (Kannada)
Kept with the same vratam and pilgrimage.
For children
A forty-one day period when people wear black, walk barefoot, eat simply and call each other swami, before walking up to the temple at Sabarimala.
Common questions
- Does the season end at Mandala Puja?
- The forty-one days end there, and the shrine's season continues to Makaravilakku in mid-January. Many pilgrims keep the vratam for the first period and travel for either.
This guide has not yet been reviewed by a named scholar or practising priest. The dates and times on this page come from the calculation engine and are independent of it; the explanatory text is editorial and may not reflect your family's practice. Tell us if something is wrong.