Aadi Krithigai 2026 – Murugan's Star Day at the Six Hills
ஆடி கிருத்திகை
When is Aadi Krithigai in 2026?
Aadi Krithigai falls on Friday, 7 August 2026. It is observed on the Krittika (Karthigai) star day of the Tamil month of Aadi and is dedicated to Lord Murugan. Devotees fast, climb the hill temples at Palani and Thiruthani, carry kavadi and milk pots, and perform abhishekam and deepam to the deity.
Aadi Krithigai is a one-day Tamil festival for Lord Murugan, kept on the Krittika (Karthigai) star day that falls in the Tamil month of Aadi, roughly mid-July to mid-August. The Krittika nakshatra is counted as Murugan’s own birth star, so his temples fill with oil-lamp light, kavadi processions and milk-pot offerings. The celebration is grandest at his six hill shrines, the Arupadai Veedu, above all at Palani and Thiruthani. In 2026 it falls on Friday, 7 August.
Aadi Krithigai 2026-2028: Dates & Calendar
Aadi Krithigai next falls on 7 August 2026. The date shifts each year because it is tied to the Krittika star inside the Tamil solar month of Aadi, not to a fixed English date.
| Year | Date | Day | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7 August | Friday | Next occurrence |
| 2027 | 28 July | Wednesday | Krittika day of Aadi |
| 2028 | 14 August | Monday | Krittika day of Aadi |
Every Tamil month has one Krithigai day, but the Aadi Krithigai is treated as the most powerful of the year because Aadi is regarded as an auspicious, Devi-linked month and Krittika is Murugan’s star. Temples usually open early and run abhishekam and special poojas through the day into the evening deepam.
Why Aadi Krithigai Is Celebrated
Aadi Krithigai is celebrated because the Krittika star is held to be Lord Murugan’s own birth star, and its arrival in the sacred month of Aadi is seen as the moment his grace is closest at hand.
Krittika, Murugan's star
In Tamil tradition Murugan is called Kartikeya, the one raised by the Krittikas. Whenever the moon crosses the Krittika (Karthigai) nakshatra, the day is his; the Aadi one is singled out as the year’s most charged Krithigai.
The six Krittika mothers
One well-loved story tells that Shiva’s spark became six infants tended by the six Krittika maidens, the stars of the Pleiades. When Parvati embraced all six they merged into one child with six faces, Arumugam, the six-faced Murugan who rides a peacock and carries the vel.
Aadi as an auspicious month
Aadi opens the sun’s southward course (dakshinayana) and is kept in Tamil homes as a month of Devi worship and vows. Holding Murugan’s star day inside this month is felt to double its merit, which is why families plan fasts and hill pilgrimages around it.
A day for vows
Devotees make and repay vows on Aadi Krithigai, from a simple lamp and fast to a kavadi carried up the hill. The tone is one of gratitude and asking for health, learning and courage, the qualities Murugan represents.
Deities & Figures Worshipped
Aadi Krithigai is centred on Lord Murugan, the son of Shiva and Parvati, worshipped across Tamil Nadu as the warrior-god of the hills.
Murugan (Karthikeya)
Also called Subramanya, Skanda, Arumugam and Kartikeya, Murugan is shown with his spear (vel) and peacock mount. The vel stands for piercing spiritual knowledge that destroys ignorance, the same weapon with which he defeated the demon Surapadman.
The Krittikas
The six Krittika star-maidens who nursed the infant Murugan are remembered on this day, since the festival takes its name and timing from their star, Krittika (Karthigai).
The Arupadai Veedu
Worship focuses on Murugan’s six war-camps or abodes: Palani, Thiruchendur, Swamimalai, Thiruparankundram, Thiruthani and Pazhamudircholai. Aadi Krithigai draws its largest crowds to Palani and Thiruthani.
Key Rituals, Step by Step
The day moves from fasting and a clean start to a temple climb, offerings of milk and light, and the marking of vibhuti.
- Fast and prepare. Many devotees keep a partial or full fast from the previous night, bathe at dawn, wear clean clothes and vow to visit a Murugan temple.
- Set out with the offering. Pilgrims fill a paal-kudam (milk pot) or ready a kavadi, a decorated arch carried on the shoulders, sometimes after days of preparation and abstinence.
- The kavadi and milk-pot procession. Groups walk in procession to the temple, often barefoot, singing songs to Murugan; the carrying of the burden is itself the vow being repaid.
- Climb the hill. At Palani and Thiruthani devotees ascend the steps of the hill shrine on foot, the physical climb standing for effort offered to the god.
- Abhishekam. Priests bathe the deity with milk, panchamirtham, sandal and other substances; the milk carried by devotees is poured for this sacred bath.
- Archanai and deepam. Devotees offer archana in their family name, and lamps are lit through the evening, the deepam being a central act on Murugan’s star day.
- Receive vibhuti and prasad. Worshippers apply sacred ash (vibhuti) on the forehead and take home prasad such as panchamirtham before breaking the fast.
Special Foods of Aadi Krithigai
The food of the day is simple and offering-first: sweet pongal, the famous Palani panchamirtham, milk and fruit.
Sakkarai Pongal
Sweet pongal of rice, moong dal and jaggery, scented with cardamom, ghee-fried cashews and raisins, cooked at home and in temples as the day’s main naivedyam.
Panchamirtham
Palani’s panchamirtham is a thick, celebrated prasad of banana, jaggery, ghee, honey, dates and cardamom. It is offered on the abhishekam of the hill deity and taken home by pilgrims.
Milk and paal offerings
Milk carried in the paal-kudam is poured for the abhishekam and also shared as blessed prasad, tying the food of the day directly to the ritual.
Fruits and light snacks
Since many keep a fast until temple worship, the meal is often kept light with fruit, milk and pongal rather than a heavy feast.
Where It's Celebrated
Aadi Krithigai is a Tamil Nadu festival, kept most intensely at Murugan’s six abodes and carried abroad by the Tamil diaspora.
Palani
The Dhandayuthapani hill temple at Palani holds one of the grandest observances, with long queues for abhishekam, kavadi processions up the hill and distribution of its famous panchamirtham.
Thiruthani
The hill shrine at Thiruthani near Chennai sees huge crowds climbing its 365 steps, along with a temple-tank float festival (theppotsavam) associated with the day.
Other Arupadai Veedu
Swamimalai, Thiruchendur, Thiruparankundram and Pazhamudircholai each hold special poojas and abhishekam, drawing local pilgrims to Murugan’s six abodes.
Tamil diaspora
Murugan temples in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and among Tamils worldwide mark the day with kavadi, milk offerings and evening lamps, keeping the observance alive far from Tamil Nadu.
Aadi Krithigai Do's and Don'ts
A few simple practices help you keep the day with the right spirit and preparation.
Do
- Keep your fast or simple diet as vowed, and break it only after temple worship
- Bathe early, wear clean clothes and visit a Murugan temple if you can
- Offer milk, light a lamp and apply vibhuti on the forehead
- Carry kavadi or a milk pot only after honest preparation and abstinence
- Sing or listen to Murugan songs such as the Kanda Sashti Kavasam
Avoid
- Do not fabricate or guess muhurat times; follow your temple’s schedule
- Do not take on a heavy kavadi vow without preparing body and mind
- Avoid meat, alcohol and tamasic food if you are keeping the vow
- Do not push past your limits climbing the hill; rest and go steadily
- Do not treat the offerings casually; keep the milk and prasad clean and covered
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Aadi Krithigai in 2026?
Aadi Krithigai in 2026 falls on Friday, 7 August. It is set by the Krittika (Karthigai) star day within the Tamil month of Aadi and is dedicated to Lord Murugan.
When is Aadi Krithigai in 2027 and 2028?
Aadi Krithigai falls on Wednesday, 28 July 2027 and on Monday, 14 August 2028. The date shifts each year because it is tied to the moon’s position on the Krittika star inside the Tamil solar month of Aadi.
Why is Aadi Krithigai celebrated?
Aadi Krithigai is celebrated because Krittika (Karthigai) is regarded as Lord Murugan’s own birth star, and its fall in the sacred month of Aadi makes the day doubly auspicious for his worship. Devotees fast, offer milk and lamps, and climb his hill shrines to seek health, learning and courage.
Which god is worshipped on Aadi Krithigai?
Lord Murugan, also called Karthikeya, Subramanya, Skanda and Arumugam, is worshipped on Aadi Krithigai. He is the son of Shiva and Parvati, shown with the vel (spear) and peacock, and is the warrior-god of the Tamil hills.
What do devotees do on Aadi Krithigai?
On Aadi Krithigai devotees fast, bathe early and visit a Murugan temple, often carrying a kavadi or a paal-kudam (milk pot) in procession. At Palani and Thiruthani they climb the hill, join the abhishekam of the deity, light lamps and receive vibhuti and prasad.
Where is Aadi Krithigai celebrated?
Aadi Krithigai is celebrated across Tamil Nadu, most grandly at Murugan’s six abodes, the Arupadai Veedu, especially the hill temples of Palani and Thiruthani. Tamil communities in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and elsewhere also mark the day.
How is Aadi Krithigai different from Karthigai Deepam and Thaipusam?
Aadi Krithigai is the Krittika star day in the month of Aadi (July to August), while Karthigai Deepam is a separate lamp festival on the Krittika star in the month of Karthigai (November to December), and Thaipusam falls on the Pusam star in the month of Thai (January to February). All three honour Murugan but sit in different Tamil months and carry different rituals.
What is special about panchamirtham at Palani on Aadi Krithigai?
Palani’s panchamirtham is a thick prasad of banana, jaggery, ghee, honey, dates and cardamom, offered during the abhishekam of the Dhandayuthapani deity. On Aadi Krithigai large numbers of pilgrims take it home as a blessed offering after climbing the hill.
May Murugan’s vel guard your path this Aadi Krithigai. Aadi Krithigai Vazhthukkal.