Why is Vishu sometimes on a different day from Baisakhi and Puthandu?

They mark the same astronomical event — the Sun entering Mesha — but traditions differ on which civil day owns a sankranti that falls mid-day or at night. That is a difference of convention, not of astronomy, and it is why these can separate in some years.

Vishu

Also called Vishu Kani, Medam Onnu

When

Wednesday, 14 April 2027 in 216 days

New Delhi · change location

Sunrise6:01 AM

Sunset6:42 PM

Ashtami until 3:24 PM
at sunrise. This observance is governed by sankranti-instant, not by the sunrise tithi — which is why the tithi named here is often not the one the festival is named for.

Punarvasu until 10:52 AM

12:21 PM – 1:56 PM

See the complete panchang for that day →

Governed by sankranti-instant

Why this date?

The Malayalam solar new year — Medam 1, the first day of the month that begins with the Sun's entry into Mesha. Traditions differ on which CIVIL day a sankranti belongs to. Some take the day the ingress instant falls in; others take the first day whose sunrise finds the Sun already in the new sign; the Tamil and Malayalam conventions add their own cutoffs. That is why the solar new years of different regions can land on different days in the same year even though they mark one astronomical event.

Computed by the panchanga engine for your location
Follows a written selection rule, not a copied list
The governing period is stated, and the rule is applied to it
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 →

Dates in the coming years

Published to 2030. Later years appear as the dataset is extended and validated.

This is not commonly observed in North India, the region you've set. It is kept in Kerala (Malayalam), Tulu Nadu (Tulu). We show it rather than hide it — a calendar that only shows you your own region tells you less about the country you live in, not more.

What In short

The Kerala new year, and the day of the Vishukkani — the first sight. An arrangement of golden konna blossoms, rice, a mirror, coins, fruit and a Krishna image is set out the night before, and the household is led to it with eyes closed on waking.

Deity: Vishnu as Krishna

Why The reason behind it

What you see first sets what follows. The kani is not a decoration but an instruction: the year's first sight is arranged deliberately, and the family is walked to it before they can look at anything else. The konna's yellow is the day's colour for the same reason Krishna's is.

Traditional basis

Kerala household tradition of the Vishukkani — The arrangement and the eyes-closed leading are carried by domestic practice rather than by a fixed textual prescription.

Malayalam solar calendar convention — Establishes Medam 1 as the year's beginning and its reckoning from the Mesha sankranti.

How At home, step by step

Arrange the kani the night before — konna flowers, raw rice, a mirror, a lamp, coins, fruit, a Krishna image.
Wake the household before dawn and lead them to it with eyes closed.
Give Vishukkaineettam — coins given by the elders to the young.
Eat the Vishu sadya, and set off the day's fireworks where that is kept.

What you'll need

Kanikonna (golden shower) blossoms
Raw rice, a mirror and a nilavilakku
Coins for the kaineettam
Fruit, particularly jackfruit and mango
A Krishna image

Fasting and breaking the fast

Not a fasting day; the sadya is the point.

Fasting guidance here describes traditional practice. It is not medical advice — if you are pregnant, diabetic, on medication or unwell, ask a doctor about your own circumstances.

Personal In your region

Kerala (Malayalam)
The kani, the kaineettam and the sadya are near-universal; the konna's flowering is watched for in the weeks before.
Tulu Nadu (Tulu)
Bisu Parba is kept on the same solar reckoning with its own customs.

For children

The new year in Kerala. Grown-ups set out yellow flowers, rice, a mirror and coins the night before, and you are led to it in the morning with your eyes shut, so it is the very first thing you see all year.

Common questions

Why is Vishu sometimes on a different day from Baisakhi and Puthandu?: They mark the same astronomical event — the Sun entering Mesha — but traditions differ on which civil day owns a sankranti that falls mid-day or at night. That is a difference of convention, not of astronomy, and it is why these can separate in some years.

Not the same day

These fall nearby or share the tithi, and are often confused with this observance. They are separate, and this site dates them separately.

Baisakhi
Tamil New Year / Puthandu
Bisu Parba (Tulu New Year)

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.