Guru Purnima is the full moon of the lunar month of Ashadha, kept in honour of the teacher. In Tamil Nadu it is first of all Vyasa Puja at the mathas: the Shankaracharya of Kanchi and the heads of the Vaishnava and Shaiva orders worship the line of teachers and begin the Chaturmasya retreat. Students of music and dance call on their gurus, and lakhs walk round the hill at Tiruvannamalai as they do at every full moon.
The story
The day belongs to Vyasa, who set the Vedas in order. Tamil tradition adds its own first teacher: Dakshinamurti, Shiva as a young man seated under a banyan tree facing south, teaching four aged sages in silence. His image is on the south wall of every Shiva temple in the state.
The saint Ramana Maharshi, who lived at the foot of Arunachala for more than fifty years, taught much the same way, and his ashram keeps the day.
எழுத்தறிவித்தவன் இறைவன் ஆவான்
He who taught you your letters is God
A Tamil saying
How it is kept
- Vyasa PujaPerformed by the heads of the mathas, who then stay in one place for the season.
- Guru dakshinaStudents bring fruit, flowers and a gift to their teachers.
- GirivalamThe fourteen-kilometre walk round Arunachala on the night of the full moon.
- Dakshinamurti worshipChickpea garlands and yellow cloth are offered, as on Thursdays.
Why this date
Guru Purnima is the full-moon tithi of Ashadha, on the day it is present at sunrise.
Guru Purnima in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wednesday | |
| 2027 | Sunday | |
| 2028 | Thursday | |
| 2029 | Wednesday | |
| 2030 | Monday | |
| 2031 | Friday |
More Tamil festivals
14 JulySayana Ekadasiசயன ஏகாதசி
13 AugustVaralakshmi Vratamவரலட்சுமி விரதம்
24 AugustGokulashtamiகோகுலாஷ்டமி
20 MayVaikasi Visakamவைகாசி விசாகம்
8 MayAkshaya Tritiyaஅட்சய திருதியை
4 SeptemberVinayagar Chaturthiவிநாயகர் சதுர்த்தி
Where to see Guru Purnima
In Tamil Nadu
- KanchipuramTamil NaduThe Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, where Vyasa Puja opens the Chaturmasya.
- TiruvannamalaiTamil NaduThe full-moon walk round the hill, and Sri Ramanasramam at its foot.
- AlangudiTamil NaduThe temple of Guru (Jupiter) among the Navagraha shrines, with Dakshinamurti as its chief deity.
Across India
- SringeriKarnatakaThe first of the four seats founded by Adi Shankara.
- ShirdiMaharashtraA three-day festival at Sai Baba's samadhi.
- SarnathUttar PradeshWhere the Buddha gave his first teaching on this full moon.