Purattasi 2026: Start Date, Five Saturdays, Venkateswara Puja Vidhi & Fasting Rules

As Ganesh Utsav fills homes with the sound of aarti, Tamil families prepare for another deeply cherished season: Purattasi, the sacred month dedicated especially to Lord Vishnu and Sri Venkateswara. In 2026, Purattasi begins on Friday, 18 September, and its very first Saturday arrives the next day. That makes this the right moment to plan the vrat, gather simple puja samagri, and decide how your family will observe the five Purattasi Saturdays.

Purattasi is more than a page in the Tamil calendar. It is a month of restraint, gratitude and surrender—an invitation to simplify food, speech and daily habits while remembering the Lord who stands on the Tirumala hills as the refuge of devotees.

Purattasi 2026 Dates and Saturdays

These dates follow the Tamil calendar used in India. Devotees outside India should check their local temple calendar because the solar-month transition can be labelled a day earlier or later in another time zone.

Why Purattasi Is Sacred to Lord Venkateswara

Purattasi is the Tamil solar month during which Surya moves through Kanya rashi. Vaishnava households regard it as especially favourable for worship of Lord Vishnu, with particular devotion offered to Sri Venkateswara—also lovingly called Balaji, Srinivasa, Govinda and Perumal.

Tirumala tradition holds a special place in the heart of this month. The annual Brahmotsavam of Sri Venkateswara is associated with the Purattasi season, and temples dedicated to Perumal become centres of recitation, seva, annadanam and community prayer. Devotees who cannot travel to Tirupati bring the spirit of the seven hills home through a lamp, tulsi, Govinda nama and a simple sattvic meal.

The Saturday observance is popularly called Purattasi Sani or Tirumala Shanivara. Saturday is associated with Shani, yet the emphasis here is not fear. The devotee seeks Vishnu's protection, steadiness and grace, praying for the strength to meet karmic difficulties with dharma. Many families draw the white-and-red namam, chant “Govinda, Govinda,” and offer food before eating.

Purattasi Saturday Puja Vidhi at Home

1. Cleanse and prepare the altar

Wake early, bathe and clean the puja space. Sprinkle a little Gangajal around the altar. Place an image or murti of Sri Venkateswara, Vishnu, Lakshmi-Narayana or your family Perumal on a clean yellow or white cloth.

2. Take a simple sankalpa

Sit facing east or north. Hold water, akshat and a flower, then resolve to observe the Saturday with sattvic conduct, prayer and charity. Your sankalpa may be for devotion, peace in the family, relief from obstacles or simply gratitude for the Lord's protection.

3. Light the lamp and invoke the Lord

Light a lamp with pure desi ghee. Offer sandalwood, kumkum or namam, flowers and tulsi leaves where available. Tulsi is especially dear to Lord Vishnu; offer clean leaves respectfully without substituting an unrelated leaf.

4. Chant and recite

Chant Om Namo Narayanaya or Om Namo Venkateshaya 108 times. Families may also recite Vishnu Sahasranama, Venkateswara Suprabhatam, Govinda Namavali or a chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. If time is limited, eleven sincere repetitions are better than a hurried long ritual.

5. Offer naivedya and perform aarti

Offer fruit, milk, curd rice, sweet pongal, sundal or another onion-free and garlic-free vegetarian preparation according to family custom. Panchmeva also makes a convenient simple offering. Conclude with aarti using an aarti thali, then distribute the offering as prasad.

6. Add seva to the vrat

Purattasi worship becomes especially meaningful when accompanied by charity. Feed a person in need, support temple annadanam, offer grain, or quietly help someone without expecting recognition. Vishnu worship and compassionate conduct belong together.

Purattasi Fasting Rules

There is no single rule followed by every community. Family sampradaya and health should guide the observance. Common practices include:

• Avoiding meat, fish, eggs and alcohol throughout Purattasi.
• Keeping Saturdays strictly sattvic and avoiding onion and garlic.
• Fasting until the puja is complete, then eating one vegetarian meal.
• Taking fruit, milk and water during the day when a full fast is unsuitable.
• Avoiding anger, harsh speech, gambling and unnecessary indulgence.

Children, older adults, pregnant or nursing women, and people managing diabetes or another medical condition should not undertake severe fasting without appropriate medical guidance. A simple sattvic diet, prayer and seva are a complete and honourable observance.

Purattasi Puja Samagri Checklist

Temples Associated with Purattasi Worship

The foremost pilgrimage is the Sri Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala-Tirupati. Other major Vishnu temples—including Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, Varadaraja Perumal Temple at Kanchipuram, Parthasarathy Temple in Chennai and Oppiliappan Temple near Kumbakonam—also hold deep importance for Tamil Vaishnavas. Local Perumal temples across India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, the Gulf, Europe and North America often conduct special Saturday pujas during this month.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Purattasi begin in 2026?
Purattasi begins on Friday, 18 September 2026, in the India/Tamil calendar and ends on Saturday, 17 October 2026. Overseas temple calendars may vary by a day because of time zones.

How many Purattasi Saturdays are there in 2026?
There are five: 19 September, 26 September, 3 October, 10 October and 17 October.

Which deity is worshipped during Purattasi?
Lord Vishnu is the principal deity, especially in the form of Sri Venkateswara or Perumal. Goddess Lakshmi is also worshipped with Narayana.

Is fasting compulsory on every Purattasi Saturday?
No universal rule applies to all families. Many devotees fast until puja, take fruit or eat one sattvic meal. Health, age and family tradition should determine the form of observance.

Can I observe Purattasi if I do not have a Venkateswara idol?
Yes. A clean printed image of Venkateswara, Vishnu or Lakshmi-Narayana is sufficient. A lamp, tulsi, simple naivedya and sincere chanting are more important than elaborate arrangements.

What mantra can I chant on Purattasi Saturday?
“Om Namo Venkateshaya” and “Om Namo Narayanaya” are simple, widely used mantras. You may chant either 11 or 108 times according to your capacity.

A Month to Walk Lightly with Govinda

Purattasi does not demand display. It asks for steadiness: cleaner food, kinder speech, a lamp on Saturday and the Lord's name remembered through ordinary work. Whether you climb the Tirumala hills or worship from a small altar far from India, the call is the same—place your burdens at the feet of Srinivasa and walk forward with faith.

May the five Purattasi Saturdays of 2026 bring your family devotion, discipline and the shelter of Sri Venkateswara. Govinda! Govinda! 🙏