Pongal 3 no-wartermark
Pongal 2026 Puja Time | Thai Pongal Pooja Muhurtham 2026.
Pongal is the biggest festival in Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated for 4 days. Pongal Puja time in 2026 or Pongal Pooja Muhurtham is given here according to the standard Tamil calendars and the Tamil astrology basics.
Makara Sankranti Surya Sankramana ==>> 3.07 PM, 14 January 2026.
Makara Sankramana Maha Punyakala Time (Makara Sankranti Tharpana Mahapunyakalam) ===>> 3.07 PM to 5.05 PM, 14 January 2026.
Pongal date is 14 January in 2026. The auspicious muhurtham for pongal preparation and pongal pooja is from 8.45 AM to 11.20 AM.
Tamil people consider Durmuhurtham, Rahukaalam, Gulika Kalam and Yamagandam hence the puja time is given excluding the above.
Pongal spans four days, each with distinct rituals rooted in agrarian and solar worship.
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Bhogi Pongal: Old belongings are burned in bonfires to symbolize discarding the past and welcoming new beginnings; homes are cleaned, and kolam (rangoli) designs are drawn.
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Thai Pongal (Surya Pongal): The core day involves cooking fresh pongal (sweet rice with milk and jaggery) in a new clay pot outdoors, offered to the Sun God as it boils over amid chants of “Pongalo Pongal!”
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Mattu Pongal: Cattle and farm animals are honored with baths, decorations, and feasts, recognizing their role in farming.
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Kaanum Pongal: Families reunite for outings, games, and feasts, strengthening social bonds.
Key Rituals
Central to Pongal are simple yet profound Vedic-inspired practices honoring nature, performed at dawn.
Fresh rice, jaggery, milk, sugarcane, turmeric, and bananas form offerings; a kolam with rice flour welcomes prosperity. Prayers face the rising sun, often with conch blowing and folk songs; in villages, plows are sanctified before harvest. Temples like those in Tamil Nadu see special pujas, with communities sharing communal pongal.
Cultural Significance
Pongal embodies Tamil identity as “Tamizhar Thirunal,” coinciding with Makar Sankranti, and celebrates the earth’s bounty post-monsoon harvest of rice, sugarcane, and spices. It marks the sun’s northward journey (Uttarayana), ushering positivity per Tamil lore: “Thai piranthal vazhi pirakkum” (with Thai’s arrival, fortunes open). For spiritual enthusiasts like you, it echoes Puranic themes of abundance and aligns with panchang transitions from Margazhi to Thai.