Ugadi 2027 – The Telugu & Kannada New Year
उगादि
When is Ugadi in 2027?
Ugadi in 2027 falls on Wednesday, 7 April. It marks the Telugu and Kannada New Year, the first day of the lunar month of Chaitra, celebrated across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. The day begins with an oil bath at dawn and the tasting of Ugadi Pachadi, a dish that blends six flavours to represent the mix life brings in the year ahead.
Ugadi, also spelt Yugadi, is the New Year for Telugu- and Kannada-speaking people, observed on the first day of Chaitra in the Hindu lunar calendar. The name joins the Sanskrit words yuga (age) and adi (beginning), so it literally means the start of a new age. Families in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka mark it with an oil bath, fresh clothes, mango-leaf decorations and the year’s first taste of Ugadi Pachadi. The same lunar day is kept as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra.
Ugadi 2026-2028: Dates & Calendar
The next Ugadi falls on Wednesday, 7 April 2027. Because it follows the Hindu lunar calendar and lands on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, the Gregorian date shifts each year, usually between late March and mid-April.
| Year | Date | Day | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 19 March | Thursday | Chaitra Shukla Pratipada |
| 2027 | 7 April | Wednesday | Next occurrence |
| 2028 | 27 March | Monday | Chaitra Shukla Pratipada |
Why Ugadi Is Celebrated
Ugadi is celebrated as the Telugu and Kannada New Year and, in tradition, as the day Lord Brahma began the work of creation. It carries a simple life lesson: the year, like life, will hold every flavour at once.
The turn of the year
As the first day of Chaitra, Ugadi opens a fresh cycle of the lunar calendar. It is treated as an auspicious start for new ventures, purchases and beginnings, which is why many families launch new work or move into new homes around this day.
The day of creation
By tradition, this is the tithi on which Brahma set the universe in motion and time itself began. That belief gives the day its weight – not just a change of date, but the symbolic start of a new age.
Six tastes, one lesson
The heart of Ugadi is the pachadi, which brings sweet, sour, salty, bitter, tangy and spicy together in one bite. Eating it first thing is a quiet reminder to accept the whole mix of joy and difficulty the coming year will bring.
Deities & Figures Worshipped
Ugadi honours Lord Brahma, the creator, whose act of creation the day commemorates, alongside Lord Vishnu as the preserver of the new cycle.
Brahma
Brahma is remembered as the deity who began creation on this tithi. His association with fresh beginnings makes him central to the day’s meaning, even though temples dedicated solely to him are rare.
Vishnu
Many families visit Vishnu temples on Ugadi to seek blessings for a smooth and prosperous year. As the sustainer of the world, he is invoked to protect the new cycle that Ugadi opens.
Key Rituals, Step by Step
Ugadi runs from before sunrise to the temple visit and family meal. The order below reflects how most households in the Telugu states and Karnataka keep the day.
- Oil bath at dawn. Everyone rises early for a ritual bath with sesame oil, seen as purifying and marking a clean start to the year.
- Decorate the home. Doorways are strung with fresh mango-leaf torans and the threshold is drawn with rangoli, called muggu in Telugu.
- Wear new clothes. Family members put on new outfits, a small sign of renewal that fits the New Year theme.
- Prepare Ugadi Pachadi. The six-taste dish is made and offered to the deity before anyone eats it.
- Taste the pachadi first. The pachadi is eaten as the first food of the day, taking in all six flavours together.
- Visit the temple. Families go to the temple to offer prayers, most often at Vishnu or local shrines, for a good year ahead.
- Panchanga Sravanam. The new year’s almanac is read aloud, usually at the temple or in the community, forecasting the year and its influences.
- Share the festive meal. The day closes with a family meal of sweets and specials like holige, pulihora and bobbatlu.
Special Foods of Ugadi
Ugadi cooking centres on the symbolic pachadi and moves on to festive sweets and tangy rice dishes shared across the region.
Ugadi Pachadi
The signature dish and the emotional core of the day. It combines neem flowers for bitterness, jaggery for sweetness, raw mango for tang, tamarind for sourness, salt, and green chilli for heat – six tastes standing for the year’s mix of experiences.
Bevu-Bella
The Kannada counterpart of the pachadi, a simple mix of neem (bevu) and jaggery (bella) eaten together so the bitter and the sweet arrive in the same mouthful.
Pulihora
Tangy tamarind rice, tempered with mustard, curry leaves and peanuts. A staple offering and everyday festive food in the Telugu states.
Holige / Obbattu
A sweet flatbread stuffed with a jaggery and lentil or coconut filling, cooked on a griddle and served warm with ghee.
Bobbatlu
The Telugu version of the sweet stuffed flatbread, made with chana dal and jaggery, a much-loved Ugadi treat.
Regional Names & Variations
The same lunar tithi opens the New Year across several states, each with its own name and customs.
Andhra Pradesh & Telangana
Known as Ugadi and centred on the pachadi, muggu rangoli and the Panchanga Sravanam, with pulihora and bobbatlu on the festive table.
Karnataka
Also called Yugadi, marked by the bevu-bella ritual of neem and jaggery and by holige as the festive sweet.
Maharashtra & Konkan
The same day is celebrated as Gudi Padwa, when a decorated gudi (a bright cloth and pot on a pole) is raised outside the home.
Ugadi Do’s and Don’ts
A few simple customs help keep the spirit of the day.
Do
- Rise early for the oil bath before sunrise
- Eat the Ugadi Pachadi as the first food of the day
- Decorate the doorway with fresh mango leaves and rangoli
- Attend or listen to the Panchanga Sravanam reading
- Begin new plans or purchases on this auspicious day
Avoid
- Do not skip the bitter neem in the pachadi – it is essential to the symbolism
- Avoid quarrels and harsh words on a day meant for fresh starts
- Do not treat it as an ordinary working day if you can observe it
- Avoid non-vegetarian food if your family keeps the day satvik
- Do not leave the home undecorated for the New Year welcome
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Ugadi in 2027?
Ugadi in 2027 falls on Wednesday, 7 April. It is the Telugu and Kannada New Year, marking the first day of the lunar month of Chaitra and, by tradition, the day Brahma began creation.
When is Ugadi in 2026 and 2028?
Ugadi was on Thursday, 19 March 2026, and will next fall on Monday, 27 March 2028. The date shifts each year because it follows the Hindu lunar calendar, always landing on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada.
Why is Ugadi celebrated?
Ugadi is celebrated as the New Year for Telugu- and Kannada-speaking communities and, in tradition, as the day Lord Brahma began creating the universe. The name means the beginning of a new age, from the Sanskrit yuga and adi.
What is Ugadi Pachadi and what does it mean?
Ugadi Pachadi is a dish that blends six tastes – neem flowers for bitterness, jaggery for sweetness, raw mango for tang, tamarind for sourness, salt, and green chilli for heat. Eaten first thing on Ugadi, it symbolises that the new year, like life, holds all flavours together.
Which god is worshipped on Ugadi?
Lord Brahma, the creator, is honoured on Ugadi because tradition holds this as the day he began creation. Many families also visit Vishnu temples to seek blessings for a prosperous year ahead.
Is Ugadi the same as Gudi Padwa?
Yes, Ugadi and Gudi Padwa fall on the same lunar day – the first day of Chaitra. Ugadi is the name used in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, while the same day is celebrated as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra.
What is Panchanga Sravanam?
Panchanga Sravanam is the public reading of the new year’s almanac on Ugadi. A learned person reads out the Panchanga to forecast the influences of the coming year, covering the seasons, harvests and general outlook.
Which regions celebrate Ugadi?
Ugadi is celebrated mainly in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It is called Yugadi in Karnataka and marked with bevu-bella there, while the same day is kept as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra.
However the year unfolds, may it carry more sweetness than bitterness. Ugadi Subhakankshalu – happy Ugadi to you and your family.