Panchangam 16 December 2026, Wednesday: Dhanu Sankranti and the Start of Dhanurmasam, Tithi, Nakshatra and First Tiruppavai Dawn

Quick answer: Wednesday 16 December 2026 is Dhanu Sankranti, the day the Sun enters Dhanu rashi (Sagittarius) and Dhanurmasam begins. Drik Panchang for Hyderabad gives Shukla Saptami until 10:45 PM IST and Shatabhisha nakshatra until 2:02 PM. From tomorrow's dawn onwards, temples and homes in the South sing Andal's Tiruppavai, one verse a day, until Makara Sankranti.

Few months are tied so closely to a time of day. Dhanurmasam is the month of brahma muhurta: the cold, dark hour before sunrise when lamps are lit, courtyards are washed and drawn with rangoli, and Vishnu is woken with song. If you want to begin the month well, set an alarm, light one lamp tomorrow before sunrise, and read the first pasuram. Today itself, being a Wednesday, is also a good day to begin with a prayer to Ganesha, the remover of obstacles.

Today's Panchang (Hyderabad)

Source: Drik Panchang day panchang for Hyderabad, Telangana (IST). Tithi and nakshatra end times are the same instant everywhere in India; sunrise, sunset and moonrise shift by a few minutes from city to city.

What Dhanu Sankranti and Dhanurmasam mean

A Sankranti is the Sun's entry into a new rashi. Twelve happen each year; Makara Sankranti in January is the best known. Dhanu Sankranti opens the solar month that Tamil calendars call Margazhi and Telugu and Kannada families call Dhanurmasam. In the Bhagavad Gita (chapter 10), Krishna says that among months he is Margashirsha, and the season around this time has long been treated as especially sacred to Vishnu.

Several traditions meet in this month:

• Tiruppavai: the thirty verses composed by Andal, the only woman among the twelve Alvars of Tamil Vaishnavism. In them, young girls of Gokulam rise at dawn in Margazhi to wake Krishna and seek his grace. Reciting one pasuram each morning is the central practice of the month in Sri Vaishnava homes.
• At Tirumala: during Dhanurmasam the Tiruppavai is recited at the early-morning service in place of the Suprabhatam, a long-standing temple tradition. See why Tiruppavai is sung at Tirumala in Dhanurmasam.
• Telugu homes: women draw muggulu (rangoli) before dawn, often decorated with gobbemmalu, small cow-dung mounds topped with pumpkin flowers, through the month leading to Sankranti. Customs vary by village and family.
• North India: the Sun's stay in Dhanu is called Kharmas, and many families postpone weddings and other samskaras until Makar Sankranti. This is a regional observance, not a universal rule.

For dates, the daily pasuram schedule and the full month calendar, read our Dhanurmasam 2026 dates and Tiruppavai schedule. For a family routine, see Dhanurmasam daily rituals for families, kids and NRIs.

Puja vidhi for the first day

• Wake before sunrise (6:39 AM in Hyderabad today) and bathe. Even a few minutes earlier than usual is a good start.
• Clean the entrance and draw a small rangoli or kolam. A few lines of rice flour are enough.
• Light a lamp before Vishnu, Krishna or Venkateswara. Offer a Tulasi leaf if you have a plant; it is optional.
• Offer arghya (water) to the rising Sun, as is customary on any Sankranti.
• Recite or listen to the first Tiruppavai pasuram, "Margazhi thingal". If you do not read Tamil, read a translation; the meaning matters more than perfect pronunciation.
• Offer simple naivedyam. Pongal (rice and moong dal, savoury or sweet) is the traditional Dhanurmasam prasadam in many temples.

No materials? Stand facing the dawn sky, fold your hands and chant the mantra below. That is a complete Dhanurmasam prayer.

Mantra for the day

Om Namo Narayanaya

Meaning: "Salutations to Narayana." This eight-syllable mantra (ashtakshari) is central to Sri Vaishnava worship and sits naturally beside the Tiruppavai. Chant it 108 times with a mala, or simply as many times as feels sincere. Its purpose is remembrance of the Lord, not a promise of any particular outcome.

What you can do today

• Choose a fixed dawn time for the whole month and write it on the calendar.
• Keep a printed or digital copy of the Tiruppavai near your puja space.
• Offer water to the Sun at sunrise to honour the Sankranti.
• Pray briefly to Ganesha, since it is Wednesday and the start of a month-long practice.
• Donate warm clothes or a blanket; Dhanurmasam falls in the coldest weeks for much of India.
• Mark Sunday 20 December, Vaikuntha (Mukkoti) Ekadashi, on your calendar.
• If you follow the Kharmas custom, check with your priest before fixing any ceremony in the coming weeks.

For families and children

Andal was a young girl when she composed the Tiruppavai, so this is a wonderful month to involve children. Let them draw the rangoli, light the lamp with you, or learn one line of the day's pasuram. A small chart with thirty boxes, one ticked each morning, turns the month into a gentle family project. Keep lamps safely away from loose clothing on cold mornings.

Hindus abroad: Wed 16 Dec at local sunrise

Outside India, go by your local sunrise, not Indian clock times. The table gives local sunrise and sunset and the tithi and nakshatra at local sunrise, computed with HinduTone's panchang calculator, validated against Drik Panchang; festival dates abroad can differ by a day — follow your temple's panchang.

Abroad, the Sankranti moment and the start of Margazhi in temple calendars may fall on 15 or 16 December depending on the time zone; follow your temple. Country guides: USA, UK, Canada, Australia and Singapore.

Frequently asked questions

When does Dhanurmasam 2026 begin?

Dhanurmasam begins with Dhanu Sankranti on Wednesday 16 December 2026, as listed by Drik Panchang for Hyderabad. It is a solar month and lasts until Makara Sankranti in mid-January 2027. For the full schedule, see our Dhanurmasam 2026 dates guide.

What time is Dhanu Sankranti on 16 December 2026?

Our Hyderabad panchang entry lists the festival but not the exact moment the Sun enters Dhanu, so we have not printed one. Please check a local panchang for the Sankranti moment and the punya kala window in your city.

When do we start reciting the Tiruppavai?

In most Sri Vaishnava homes and temples, the first pasuram is recited on the first dawn of Dhanurmasam (Margazhi), with one pasuram each day so that all thirty are completed within the month. Follow your temple's schedule if it differs by a day.

Why is Dhanurmasam considered inauspicious for weddings?

In many North Indian traditions, the period when the Sun is in Dhanu is called Kharmas, and families avoid weddings and housewarmings during it. In South India the month is devoted to early-morning worship of Vishnu. Both customs are regional; consult your family priest before fixing dates.

Can I keep Dhanurmasam if I live abroad?

Yes. Rise before your local sunrise, light a lamp, and recite or listen to the day's Tiruppavai pasuram. Many temples in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and Singapore hold Margazhi dawn programmes; check your temple's calendar.

A closing thought

Andal's verses begin with an invitation: wake up, the month has come, let us go together. Dhanurmasam is less about any single ritual than about showing up at dawn, day after day, for thirty days. Begin small and let the habit carry you to Makara Sankranti.

Previous day: Panchang Tuesday 15 December 2026. Next day: Panchang Thursday 17 December 2026. Whole month: December 2026 Hindu festivals, dates and rituals.

Editor's note

Editor's note (9 October 2026): Panchang timings and festival observances can vary by location, regional calendar and family tradition. This guide follows Drik Panchang for Hyderabad (IST). Please verify local puja timings with a trusted panchang or priest.

Related guides

• Dhanurmasam 2026 dates and Tiruppavai schedule
• Tiruppavai: all 30 pasurams with Telugu meanings
• Vaikuntha Ekadashi 2026 (Mukkoti Ekadashi) in India
• NRI guide: celebrating Dhanurmasam abroad
• Tirumala Tirupati calendar December 2026