Plan your trip · Lepakshi

What's on in Lepakshi

Lepakshi's calendar follows its temple, and the big date is Maha Shivaratri. Most festivals follow the lunar calendar, so check each year's dates before you book.

Nothing dated is confirmed for Lepakshi 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 Lepakshi

Lepakshi 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.

Nationwide

Diwali

🗓️ October–November

The biggest holiday of the year — lamps, sweets, fireworks and a week of visiting family. Cities are lit up and markets stay open late.

Holi

🗓️ March

Coloured powder and water, thrown at anyone within reach, mostly through the morning.

Navratri and Dussehra

🗓️ September–October

Nine 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 year

The 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-January

The harvest turn, marked with kites in the west and north and four days of Pongal in Tamil Nadu.

Maha Shivaratri Brahmotsavam

This is the main event of the year at the Veerabhadra Temple. Maha Shivaratri falls in the lunar month of Phalguna, usually in February or March. The temple marks it with a Brahmotsavam lasting several days, with special pujas, processions of the deity and a rathotsavam, or chariot festival, when devotees pull the temple car through the village. Pilgrims come from across Rayalaseema and nearby Karnataka. The temple stays busy late into the night of Shivaratri itself. Expect queues, crowded halls and little room for photography.

Lepakshi Utsavam

The Andhra Pradesh government has held a cultural festival called the Lepakshi Utsavam, usually around February or March. It features classical dance, music and heritage programmes set against the temple. It is not always held every year, and the dates are announced only a few weeks ahead, so check news from the state tourism department before you plan around it.

Karthika month

Karthika, which usually falls in November, is sacred to Shiva across the Telugu country. Mondays in this month bring extra worship, and devotees light oil lamps in the evenings. It falls in the pleasant season, so it is a good time for a visit that includes the temple's evening atmosphere.

Ugadi and Sankranti

Ugadi, the Telugu new year in March or April, is a family festival. You will see it more in homes and sweet shops than at the temple, with bobbatlu and the bittersweet Ugadi pachadi. Sankranti in mid-January is the harvest festival, with rangoli outside houses and cattle decorated in the villages.

Planning around festivals

Festival days bring the most colour and the heaviest crowds.
Hotels are few, so book early if you want to stay near the temple for Shivaratri.
Dress traditionally if you plan to join the worship.
For quiet photos, come a few days before or after the festival.

See the best time to visit for the weather in each season.

Questions

Lepakshi — FAQ

When is the chariot festival at Lepakshi?

The chariot procession is part of the Maha Shivaratri Brahmotsavam, usually in February or March. The date follows the lunar calendar, so check it each year.

What is the Lepakshi Utsavam?

A cultural festival organised by the Andhra Pradesh government, with dance and music at the temple. It is usually around February or March, but not always held every year.

Is Lepakshi very crowded during Shivaratri?

Yes. Pilgrims fill the temple, especially on the night of Shivaratri itself. Go only if you want the festival; otherwise pick another week.

Which festival is best for a first visit to Lepakshi?

For atmosphere, Maha Shivaratri. For a calm visit with pleasant weather and some festival feeling, Karthika month in November is a gentler choice.