Plan your trip · Bhadrachalam
What's on in Bhadrachalam
Bhadrachalam's year is set by the Rama temple's calendar. Two festivals dwarf everything else and fill the town, and a river festival is due in 2027.
Nothing dated is confirmed for Bhadrachalam right now, so here is the year instead — the fixtures that come round annually, and what each one means for a visit.
The year in Bhadrachalam
Bhadrachalam packs most of its outdoor calendar into the cooler months; the pre-monsoon peak is hot enough that daytime processions are genuinely hard going. Broadly, Oct – Mar is when visiting is most comfortable here, and that is when the calendar is busiest — which also means accommodation is most expensive and books furthest ahead.
Most of these follow lunar calendars and move by weeks from year to year, so treat the windows below as the season rather than the date, and confirm the year’s dates before you book around one.
Across Telangana
Bathukamma
🗓️ September–OctoberNine days of women's songs around stacked flower arrangements, floated on a lake or tank on the last evening.
Planning: Evening gatherings at temples and lakesides; visitors are welcome to watch.
Sri Rama Navami Kalyanam
🗓️ March–AprilThe celestial wedding of Rama and Sita is performed at midday, with the state presenting silk robes and pearl rice.
Planning: The town's busiest day of the year — book rooms well ahead and expect long queues.
Nationwide
Diwali
🗓️ October–NovemberThe biggest holiday of the year — lamps, sweets, fireworks and a week of visiting family. Cities are lit up and markets stay open late.
Holi
🗓️ MarchColoured powder and water, thrown at anyone within reach, mostly through the morning.
Navratri and Dussehra
🗓️ September–OctoberNine nights of fasting, music and dance, ending with Dussehra. What it looks like changes completely by region — garba in Gujarat, pandals in Bengal, processions in the south.
Eid al-Fitr
🗓️ shifts ~11 days earlier each yearThe end of Ramadan. The old quarters of Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Bhopal are at their best in the evenings through the preceding month, when food streets run past midnight.
Makar Sankranti and Pongal
🗓️ mid-JanuaryThe harvest turn, marked with kites in the west and north and four days of Pongal in Tamil Nadu.
Sri Rama Navami: the celestial wedding
On Sri Rama Navami, in March or April, the temple celebrates the Sita Rama Kalyanam, the wedding of Rama and Sita. It takes place at midday at Mithila Stadium, the open-air venue beside the temple. Priests conduct the full wedding ritual. The state government sends silk robes and mutyala talambralu, rice mixed with pearls, traditionally presented by the Chief Minister. The next day brings the Maha Pattabhishekam, Rama's coronation. The 2026 kalyanam was held on 27 March. Ticketed seating sectors are sold in advance, and the rest of the crowd watches on screens around town.
Vaikuntha Ekadasi: Teppotsavam and the northern gate
For Mukkoti Ekadasi, in December or January, the temple holds ten days of celebrations. On the eve of Ekadasi, the deities are taken onto the Godavari on a swan-shaped float called the hamsa vahanam. They are rowed in rounds on the river while pilgrims watch from the ghats. This Teppotsavam has run since 1971. Before dawn the next day, devotees queue for the Uttara Dwara darshan, passing through the northern gate, which is opened only for this occasion.
Godavari Pushkaralu (2027)
The Godavari's 12-yearly river festival is expected in 2027, reportedly from late July to early August. For twelve days, pilgrims bathe at the ghats. Bhadrachalam will be one of Telangana's main venues. Confirm the dates and flood conditions nearer the time.
Other occasions
- Bhakta Ramadasu Jayanti: music programmes in memory of the temple's builder, with his kirtanas sung.
- Dussehra and Diwali: the temple is decorated, and queues grow.
- Sankranti (mid-January): a harvest festival in the surrounding villages.
- Tribal festivals of the Koya communities in the nearby forests follow their own calendar.
For visitors
For the two main festivals, book rooms weeks ahead, reach town a day early and expect road diversions. Carry water in the Rama Navami heat. Dates follow the Hindu lunar calendar, so confirm the year's dates with the temple.
Questions
Bhadrachalam — FAQ
When is Sri Rama Navami at Bhadrachalam?
It falls in March or April, on the ninth day of the Chaitra month. The 2026 kalyanam was on 27 March. Check the temple's announcement for each year's date.
How do I get tickets for the Sita Rama Kalyanam?
Seating sectors at Mithila Stadium are sold in advance, usually through the temple's official website and counters. The wider crowd watches on screens around town.
What is the Teppotsavam at Bhadrachalam?
It is the float festival on the eve of Vaikuntha Ekadasi. The deities are taken around the Godavari on a swan-shaped float while pilgrims watch from the ghats.
What is the Uttara Dwara darshan?
On Vaikuntha Ekadasi, devotees enter through the temple's northern gate, which opens only for this day. Queues start well before dawn.