Tirumala

Festivals of Tirupati and Tirumala

Three festivals shape the year at Tirupati. Srivari Brahmotsavam fills Tirumala for nine days in late September or October, Padmavati's own Brahmotsavam follows at Tiruchanur between mid-November and mid-December, and in May Tirupati town holds the week-long Gangamma Jatara for its village goddess. Around them TTD, the temple trust, keeps a calendar of shorter festivals. The processions are in the streets and free to watch; rooms and darshan tickets are what sell out.

Karthika Brahmotsavam, Tiruchanur (Padmavathi Ammavari)

Padmavathi's own nine-day Brahmotsavam at Tiruchanur, 5 km from Tirupati: vahana processions twice a day, then Panchami Teertham, the holy bath in the temple tank.

📅 5 December 2026

Gangamma Jatara, Tirupati

A week in May when the town below Tirumala belongs to Gangamma: a new vesham (ritual disguise) in the streets each day, and at the end her clay face, shown before dawn, then broken up and shared out.

📅 11 May 2027

Srivari Brahmotsavam, Tirumala

For nine days each Kanya masam the processional Malayappa Swamy leaves the Tirumala temple twice a day on a different mount and circles the four Mada streets, and on the fifth evening the golden Garuda draws the largest crowd the hill sees all year.

📅 1 October 2027

Srivari Brahmotsavam: nine days on the Mada streets

The Brahmotsavam of Venkateswara at Tirumala is the main festival of the year: 12–20 October 2026. Each morning and evening the processional image, Malayappa Swamy, goes round the four Mada streets on a different vahana (mount).

Day 1: the Garuda flag is hoisted at the temple flagstaff, and at night the procession goes out on the Pedda Sesha Vahanam, the great serpent Adisesha.
Days 2–4: the small serpent and the swan, the lion and the pearl canopy, the wish-granting tree and the mount of all the kings of the earth.
Day 5: the Lord appears as Mohini in the morning, and at night comes the Garuda Vahanam, which TTD calls the greatest of the vahanas; TTD notes that a large number of pilgrims come that day.
Day 8: the Rathotsavam, the morning procession of the Lord and his consorts in the temple chariot.
Day 9: Chakrasnanam, the bath of the deities and the Sudarshana Chakra (Vishnu's discus) in the Swami Pushkarini tank. Devotees bathe with it, whatever their religion or caste, in TTD's words.

In a year with an extra lunar month there are two sets, the annual Salakatla Brahmotsavam and, about a month later, the Navaratri Brahmotsavam, in which a golden chariot replaces the big one on day 8.

How to see the Brahmotsavam

The processions happen outside the temple and cost nothing; darshan inside needs a token or ticket as on any other day. See darshan at Tirumala.

The streets are free — For the big nights TTD builds free galleries along the Mada streets and lets people in through named gates. Offers of paid gallery seats come from resellers, not TTD.
Pick an ordinary morning — The vahana mornings of days 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 bring the same kind of procession with much smaller crowds than Garuda night.
Book the day the quota opens — Rooms on the hill and the ₹300 Special Entry Darshan are released on the official portal, ttdevasthanams.ap.gov.in, roughly three months ahead, and the festival days go first. Staying in Tirupati and coming up for the processions is the usual fallback.
Watch for the schedule — TTD announces the dates on news.tirumala.org six to eight weeks ahead and publishes the vahana schedule about a week before.

Karthika Brahmotsavam at Tiruchanur

Padmavati, the consort of Venkateswara, has her own Brahmotsavam of nine or ten days at her temple in Tiruchanur, about 5 km from Tirupati: 5–14 December 2026. It is run by the same administration, TTD, with the same kind of processions.

The vahana processions circle the streets around the temple twice a day, roughly 08:00–10:00 and 19:00–21:00. On the last day, Panchami Teertham, the Sare (a saree, turmeric and kumkum sent from the Tirumala temple) arrives in procession, and around noon the Sudarshana Chakra is dipped in the temple tank as devotees bathe with it. That is the most crowded morning.

Dates appear on news.tirumala.org five to ten weeks ahead; a Tirupati room booked about a month ahead is enough.

Gangamma Jatara: the town's own goddess

Gangamma is the village goddess of Tirupati town: 11–19 May 2027 (expected). The centre is the Tataiahgunta Gangamma temple, about 2 km from the railway station.

The jatara opens with the Chatimpu (proclamation) on a Tuesday in early May. Each day devotees go through the streets in a new vesham, a prescribed ritual disguise. The main day comes a week later, and before dawn the next morning the Viswaroopa Darshanam closes the festival: the goddess's clay face is shown, then broken up and shared out.

The dates are announced in the press one to two weeks ahead and can move. The jatara falls in Tirumala's summer rush, so book a hotel about three weeks ahead and trains as soon as sales open.

Other festivals in the TTD calendar

These shorter festivals also change the day for visitors.

Vaikuntha Ekadasi (December or January)

The Vaikuntha Dwaram, the gate around the sanctum, is opened, in recent years for ten days from Vaikuntha Ekadasi; in Vaishnava belief darshan on any of the ten carries the same merit. Entry is by the tokens and tickets TTD announces, and TTD asks pilgrims to take rooms in Tirupati.

Rathasapthami (January or February)

Surya Jayanti, the birthday of the sun. Malayappa Swamy goes out in procession on seven vahanas from morning to evening, with Chakrasnanam in the temple tank. Several sevas and darshan quotas are usually suspended that day.

Teppotsavam, the float festival (around March)

Five days on a decorated float in the Swami Pushkarini, ending at the Phalguna full moon: first Rama, then Krishna, then Malayappa Swamy with his consorts for three, five and seven rounds of the tank.

Pavithrotsavam (around August)

Three days of purification in Sravana, when five-coloured silk threads are tied on the deities with processions round the Mada streets. A temple inscription dates it to 1463.

FAQ

What are the main festivals of Tirupati?

Srivari Brahmotsavam at Tirumala, the Karthika Brahmotsavam of Padmavati at Tiruchanur and the Gangamma Jatara in Tirupati town. TTD also marks Vaikuntha Ekadasi, Rathasapthami, Teppotsavam and Pavithrotsavam.

When is Brahmotsavam at Tirumala?

Nine days in late September or October: 12–20 October 2026. TTD confirms the dates on news.tirumala.org six to eight weeks ahead.

Do I need a ticket to watch Garuda Seva?

No. The vahana processions, Garuda Seva included, go round the Mada streets outside the temple and the galleries are free. Darshan inside the temple still needs a token or ticket from the official TTD portal.

What is the Gangamma Jatara?

A week-long festival in May for Gangamma, Tirupati's village goddess, at the Tataiahgunta temple. Devotees go through the streets in a different ritual disguise each day, and it closes before dawn with the Viswaroopa Darshanam.

When is Vaikuntha Ekadasi darshan at Tirumala?

In Dhanurmasa, in December or January. In recent years TTD has opened the Vaikuntha Dwaram for ten days from Vaikuntha Ekadasi, with entry by tokens and tickets it announces in advance.

Is it a good idea to visit Tirupati during Brahmotsavam?

Yes if you come for the processions, which are free. For a quick darshan it is a hard time: rooms on the hill and the ₹300 quota for festival days sell out first.

Sources (12)

Facts checked: 15 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.

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