September 2026 marks one of the more spiritually layered transitions in the Tamil calendar year. The month opens in Aavani and, around the midpoint, moves into Purattasi, the sacred month set aside for Lord Vishnu (Perumal) worship. Along the way, the month also carries one of the biggest festivals on the Tamil Nadu calendar, Vinayagar Chaturthi, plus two Ekadashi fasts, two Pradosham evenings, and the Amavasai and Pournami that anchor the lunar side of the calendar. This Tamil Calendar September 2026 guide lays out every important Vratham, festival, and auspicious date for the month, checked against the Panchangam, so you can plan poojas, fasts, and family functions with confidence — and it also sets up what’s coming next, since Purattasi flows straight into Navaratri in October.
What Makes a Tamil Calendar Trustworthy?
A good Tamil calendar is never just a list of dates with festival names attached. Behind every entry sits a proper Panchangam calculation involving five elements: Thithi (lunar day), Varam (weekday), Nakshatram (star), Yogam, and Karanam. Together, these tell a household whether a date suits a wedding, a house-warming, or simply a Vratham. Because Thithi timings are worked out from your local sunrise, they can genuinely shift by a day between cities, so it’s always worth checking the Rahu Kalam and Nalla Neram for your own location before fixing an important Muhurtham, rather than relying on the date alone.
Download the Tamil Calendar September 2026
If you would rather keep this information handy on your phone or printed out for the puja room, the Tamil Calendar September 2026 PDF is available to download for free from the link on this page, with no login or sign-up required. It carries the same festival, Vratham, and Muhurtham dates covered in this article, laid out in an easy, printable format, so you can check any date at a glance, even without an internet connection.
Solar Months, Lunar Days: How the Tamil Calendar Actually Works
One detail that sets the Tamil calendar apart from most other Hindu calendars is that its twelve months — Chithirai, Vaikasi, Aani, Aadi, Aavani, Purattasi, and so on — are solar, not lunar. Each month begins the moment the Sun enters a new zodiac sign (Rasi), a Sankranti event that can be calculated years in advance and doesn’t drift the way lunar months do. That’s why Purattasi reliably starts around the 17th or 18th of September every single year, give or take a day, while festivals like Ekadashi, Pradosham, Amavasai, and Pournami still follow the Moon’s Thithi and can land on a different date each year.
In practice, this means a Tamil calendar is really two systems layered on top of each other: a fixed solar framework for the month itself, and a shifting lunar rhythm underneath it for the day-to-day Vrathams. Knowing this helps explain why Vinayagar Chaturthi (a lunar Thithi) can fall anywhere from early to late September depending on the year, even though Purattasi (a solar month) starts around the same date almost every year.
September 2026 Tamil Calendar: Festivals and Vratham Dates at a Glance
| Date | Day | Festival / Vratham / Event |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | Friday | Sri Krishna Jayanthi (Gokulashtami) |
| Sep 7 | Monday | Ekadashi |
| Sep 8 | Tuesday | Pradosham |
| Sep 11 | Friday | Amavasai (New Moon) |
| Sep 14 | Monday | Vinayagar Chaturthi (Ganesh Chaturthi) |
| Sep 17 | Thursday | Kanya Sankranti, Shashti Vratham |
| Sep 18 | Friday | Purattasi Month Begins, Mahalakshmi Vratham |
| Sep 19 | Saturday | Radha Ashtami |
| Sep 22 | Tuesday | Ekadashi |
| Sep 24 | Thursday | Pradosham |
| Sep 26 | Saturday | Pournami (Full Moon) |
| Sep 29 | Tuesday | Sankatahara Chaturthi |
Major Festivals in September 2026
Sri Krishna Jayanthi — September 4 (Friday): Also known as Gokulashtami, this day marks the birth of Lord Krishna. It is observed with a fast that many families break at midnight, along with Uriyadi events and Krishna processions held in towns across Tamil Nadu.
Vinayagar Chaturthi — September 14 (Monday): The biggest festival of the month. Clay Vinayagar idols are installed at home and in community pandals, worshipped for anywhere from one to ten days depending on family and regional custom, and then immersed. Because this year’s Chaturthi falls on a Monday, some households also combine it with Somavara Vratham prayers to Lord Shiva on the same day.
Kanya Sankranti and the Start of Purattasi — September 17–18: The Sun’s entry into Kanni Rasi (Virgo) on September 17 is celebrated elsewhere in India as Vishwakarma Jayanti, and it also marks Shashti Vratham this year. By the Tamil solar calendar, Purattasi then begins the following day, September 18, which is also when many families start their 16-day Mahalakshmi Vratham.
Radha Ashtami — September 19 (Saturday): Observed eight days after Krishna Jayanthi, this day honours Radha’s devotion to Lord Krishna.
Ekadashi, Pradosham, Amavasai and Pournami in September 2026
- September 7 (Monday) — Ekadashi: A fasting day dedicated to Lord Vishnu, generally observed with fruits and milk-based food while avoiding rice and grains.
- September 8 (Tuesday) — Pradosham: Evening worship of Shiva and Parvati, best performed during the roughly ninety-minute Pradosh Kaal window around sunset.
- September 11 (Friday) — Amavasai: The new moon day, considered ideal for Pitru Tarpanam (offerings to ancestors). Many families visit a temple or a riverbank for this.
- September 22 (Tuesday) — Ekadashi: The month’s second Ekadashi, this time falling inside Purattasi, which many devotees consider extra meritorious given the month’s Vishnu-centred focus.
- September 24 (Thursday) — Pradosham: The second Pradosh Vratham of the month.
- September 26 (Saturday) — Pournami: The full moon. Since it lands on a Saturday within Purattasi, this is treated as a particularly auspicious day for Perumal worship.
- September 29 (Tuesday) — Sankatahara Chaturthi: The monthly Chaturthi dedicated to Lord Ganesha, observed for the removal of obstacles.
As with any fasting tradition, health comes first. Anyone managing a medical condition, who is pregnant, elderly, or on regular medication should treat these Vratham days flexibly — a fruit-and-milk fast is a widely accepted alternative to a strict one, and a doctor’s advice should always take priority over a Vrat.
Purattasi 2026: What the Month Means for Muhurtham Planning
Purattasi, running from September 18 to October 17 this year, is the sixth month of the Tamil solar calendar and is considered the single most important month for Vishnu and Perumal worship. On every Saturday through the month, devotees observe a partial fast and visit Perumal temples, since Saturday is regarded as especially favourable to Lord Vishnu within Purattasi.
Because the month is treated as primarily devotional rather than celebratory, most Tamil families avoid fixing new Muhurtham dates for weddings, house-warmings, or similar functions during Purattasi itself, choosing instead to use the month for temple visits, Vishnu Sahasranamam recitation, and charity. If a wedding or house-warming is already planned within this window, it is worth confirming with your family priest, since a small number of specific Muhurtham windows can still exist depending on the couple’s Nakshatra and horoscope.
How to Use the Tamil Calendar Beyond Festival Names
A Panchangam carries two columns that matter just as much as the festival name, and traditional households check both before starting anything important:
- Rahu Kalam — an inauspicious block of roughly ninety minutes that falls at a different time each day and is generally avoided for travel or starting something new.
- Nalla Neram — the day’s “good time” windows, used for everything from opening a shop to signing documents or beginning a journey.
If you’re using a printed or downloaded Tamil Calendar September 2026, look for these two columns beside each date rather than relying on the festival name alone. The festival name tells you what to observe; Rahu Kalam and Nalla Neram tell you the safest hours in which to act.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Vinayagar Chaturthi in September 2026? Vinayagar Chaturthi (Ganesh Chaturthi) 2026 falls on Monday, September 14.
When does Purattasi month start in 2026? Purattasi begins on September 18, 2026, and runs through October 17, 2026.
How many Ekadashi Vrathams fall in September 2026? Two — September 7 and September 22.
Is September 2026 a good month for weddings in Tamil Nadu? The first half of the month, up to September 17, still falls in Aavani and can carry Muhurtham dates depending on individual Nakshatra. Once Purattasi begins on September 18, most families pause new wedding Muhurtham until the month closes, and focus instead on Perumal worship.
When is Pournami (full moon) in September 2026? Pournami falls on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
Can I download the Tamil Calendar September 2026 PDF for free? Yes, the PDF is available to download free of charge from the link on this page, with no login required.
Why do Tamil calendar dates sometimes differ between websites? Thithi timings are calculated from your city’s sunrise and can genuinely shift by a day depending on location, and different Panchangam publishers occasionally follow slightly different Ayanamsa conventions. For anything important, such as a wedding Muhurtham, it is always worth confirming with a local priest or astrologer.
Why is the Tamil calendar different from the Hindu calendar used in North India? The Tamil calendar’s twelve months are solar, starting when the Sun enters a new zodiac sign, while most North Indian Hindu calendars use purely lunar months. This is why Tamil month changes, like the start of Purattasi, fall on a fairly fixed date each year, while festivals tied to lunar Thithis, such as Ekadashi or Vinayagar Chaturthi, shift year to year.
What comes after Purattasi in the Tamil calendar? Purattasi is followed by Aippasi, which begins on October 18, 2026. Navaratri actually starts a little earlier, on October 11, in the closing days of Purattasi, and runs into Aippasi for Vijayadashami on October 20.
Conclusion
The Tamil Calendar September 2026 covers a month that quietly changes character midway through: Krishna Jayanthi and Vinayagar Chaturthi anchor the first two weeks, and from September 18 onward, the entire rhythm of the month turns toward Purattasi and Perumal worship.