Tamil Calendar 1981
The Tamil festival calendar. Tamil festivals and vrats month by month, with the date and tithi timing of each observance.
March 1981
Shaka Samvat 1902 (Raudra) · Shaka Samvat 1903 (Durmati)
Maasi – Panguni
Timings shown for New Delhi (IST) at sunrise - use the city box at the top to change it. Solar months begin by each tradition's own Sankranti rule (same-day, next-day, sunset or aparahna). Era years and lunar month names follow standard Vedic calculations and may differ slightly from regional almanacs around an Adhik Maas.
Tamil Calendar 1981 - festivals and vrats through the year
The Tamil Calendar lists 35 dates in 1981, opening with Skanda Shashthi on 11 January and closing with Dhanurmasam Begins on 16 December. Of these, 13 are vrats (fasting observances). August is the fullest month with 6 dates. The year runs through Shaka Samvat 1902 – 1903.
January 1981 Margazhi – Thai
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jan | Sun | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 14 Jan | Wed |
Thai Pongal The Tamil harvest thanksgiving on the Sun's entry into Makara. |
Shukla Navami |
| 15 Jan | Thu |
Mattu Pongal The third day of Pongal, when cattle are bathed, decorated and honoured for their role in farming. |
Shukla Dashami |
February 1981 Thai – Maasi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Feb | Mon | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 11 Feb | Wed |
Ratha Saptami Surya's chariot turns north — devotees bathe at dawn and worship the Sun god on Magha Shukla Saptami. |
Shukla Saptami |
| 19 Feb | Thu |
Masi Magam On the Magham star of the Tamil month Maasi, temple deities are taken in procession to the sea and rivers for a holy bath. |
Krishna Pratipada |
March 1981 Maasi – Panguni
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Mar | Wed |
Maha Shivaratri
The great night of Lord Shiva. |
Krishna Trayodashi |
| 11 Mar | Wed | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Shashthi |
| 20 Mar | Fri |
Panguni Uthiram The Uthiram star of Panguni, celebrating the celestial weddings of Murugan-Deivanai and Shiva-Parvati. |
Shukla Purnima |
April 1981 Panguni – Chithirai
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Apr | Thu | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 14 Apr | Tue |
Puthandu (Tamil New Year) The Tamil solar new year begins as the Sun enters Mesha; homes are decorated with kolam and the Maruvilakku. |
Shukla Ekadashi |
| 19 Apr | Sun |
Chithirai Thiruvizha Madurai's Chithirai festival peaks on the Chitra full moon of the Tamil month Chithirai with the celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar. |
Shukla Purnima |
May 1981 Chithirai – Vaikasi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 May | Fri | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 18 May | Mon |
Vaikasi Visakam The Visakam star of Vaikasi, celebrated as the birth star of Lord Murugan with special temple worship. |
Shukla Purnima |
June 1981 Vaikasi – Aani
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Jun | Sun | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Shashthi |
July 1981 Aani – Aadi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Jul | Mon | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 7 Jul | Tue |
Ani Thirumanjanam The grand sacred anointing of Lord Nataraja at Chidambaram on the Uttiram (Uttara Phalguni) star of the Tamil month Aani. |
Shukla Shashthi |
| 26 Jul | Sun |
Aadi Krithigai Lord Murugan is worshipped with lamps and abhishekam on the Krittika star of the Tamil month Aadi. |
Krishna Dashami |
| 31 Jul | Fri | Aadi Amavasai Vrat | Krishna Amavasya |
August 1981 Aadi – Aavani
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Aug | Sun |
Aadi Perukku On the 18th of Aadi, the swelling of the Cauvery and other rivers is celebrated with prayers to the waters. |
Shukla Dwitiya |
| 3 Aug | Mon |
Aadi Pooram The birth of Andal (Kodhai) on the Pooram star of Aadi, celebrated grandly at Srivilliputhur. |
Shukla Tritiya |
| 5 Aug | Wed | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 14 Aug | Fri | Varalakshmi Vratham Vrat | Shukla Chaturdashi |
| 15 Aug | Sat |
Avani Avittam (Upakarma) Brahmins renew the sacred thread (Yajur Upakarma) on Shravana Purnima. |
Shukla Purnima |
| 23 Aug | Sun |
Sri Krishna Jayanthi (Gokulashtami) The midnight birth of Lord Krishna. |
Krishna Ashtami |
September 1981 Aavani – Purattasi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep | Wed |
Vinayagar Chaturthi The birth of Lord Ganesha on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi. |
Shukla Chaturthi |
| 4 Sep | Fri | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Shashthi |
October 1981 Purattasi – Aippasi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Oct | Thu |
Ayudha Puja / Saraswati Puja
Tools, instruments and books are placed before Goddess Saraswati and worshipped on Vijayadashami. |
Shukla Dashami |
| 26 Oct | Mon |
Deepavali The festival of lights, kept with the Ganga snanam at dawn (Naraka Chaturdashi). |
Krishna Chaturdashi |
November 1981 Aippasi – Karthikai
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov | Mon | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 3 Nov | Tue |
Skanda Sashti (Soorasamharam) Six days of worship of Lord Murugan culminate in Soorasamharam — his victory over the demon Surapadman. |
Shukla Shashthi |
December 1981 Karthikai – Margazhi
| Date | Day | Festival / Vrat | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Dec | Wed | Skanda Shashthi Vrat | Shukla Panchami |
| 3 Dec | Thu |
Subramanya Shashti Lord Subramanya (Kartikeya) is worshipped at Kukke and beyond on Margashirsha Shukla Shashthi. |
Shukla Shashthi |
| 9 Dec | Wed |
Karthigai Deepam The Tamil festival of lights on the Krittika star of Karthigai — rows of agal vilakku are lit, and the Maha Deepam blazes atop Tiruvannamalai. |
Shukla Trayodashi |
| 16 Dec | Wed |
Dhanurmasam Begins The month of dawn Vishnu worship (Tiruppavai / Dhanurmasa) begins as the Sun enters Dhanu. |
Krishna Shashthi |
Months of the Tamil Calendar in 1981
The Tamil Calendar does not begin its year on 1 January, so each of its months straddles two Gregorian ones. These are the months that ran through 1981, covering Shaka Samvat 1902 – 1903. A month marked part is one the Gregorian year cuts short at its own start or end.
| Month | Begins | Ends | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margazhi part | 1 Jan 1981 | 13 Jan 1981 | 13 |
| Thai | 14 Jan 1981 | 12 Feb 1981 | 30 |
| Maasi | 13 Feb 1981 | 14 Mar 1981 | 30 |
| Panguni | 15 Mar 1981 | 13 Apr 1981 | 30 |
| Chithirai | 14 Apr 1981 | 14 May 1981 | 31 |
| Vaikasi | 15 May 1981 | 14 Jun 1981 | 31 |
| Aani | 15 Jun 1981 | 16 Jul 1981 | 32 |
| Aadi | 17 Jul 1981 | 16 Aug 1981 | 31 |
| Aavani | 17 Aug 1981 | 16 Sep 1981 | 31 |
| Purattasi | 17 Sep 1981 | 17 Oct 1981 | 31 |
| Aippasi | 18 Oct 1981 | 16 Nov 1981 | 30 |
| Karthikai | 17 Nov 1981 | 15 Dec 1981 | 29 |
| Margazhi part | 16 Dec 1981 | 31 Dec 1981 | 16 |
What happened in the sky in 1981
Beyond the dates the Tamil Calendar lists, 1981 brought 4 eclipses - 2 solar and 2 lunar - of which 1 was above the horizon somewhere in India. Thai Pongal fell on 14 January, 1 day earlier in the year than in 1980 - a lunar year runs about eleven days short of a solar one.
Eclipses of 1981
| Date (IST) | Eclipse | Tamil date | Seen from India |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jan 1:19 PM | Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) | Thai Purnima | Not visible |
| 5 Feb 3:38 AM | Annular solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) | Thai Shukla Pratipada | Not visible |
| 17 Jul 10:16 AM | Partial lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) | Aadi Purnima | Not visible |
| 31 Jul 9:15 AM | Total solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) 2 days before Aadi Perukku | Aadi Amavasya | Yes - Sutak observed |
Sutak Kaal was observed for 1 of these.
Guru and Shani in 1981
| Date | Graha | Sign change |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Oct 1:30 PM | Guru (Jupiter) | Kanya → Tula |
Jupiter takes about a year to cross a sign, Saturn about two and a half. Rahu entered Mithuna on 24 December 1981, carrying the eclipse axis with it.
Related Calculators
Frequently asked questions about the Tamil Calendar 1981
How many festivals and vrats does the Tamil Calendar list in 1981?
The Tamil Calendar lists 35 dates in 1981, of which 13 are vrats. The first is Skanda Shashthi on Sunday, 11 January 1981, and the last is Dhanurmasam Begins on Wednesday, 16 December 1981.
What are the main festival dates in the Tamil Calendar for 1981?
The first major observances of 1981 are:
- Thai Pongal - Wednesday, 14 January 1981
- Mattu Pongal - Thursday, 15 January 1981
- Ratha Saptami - Wednesday, 11 February 1981
- Masi Magam - Thursday, 19 February 1981
- Maha Shivaratri - Wednesday, 4 March 1981
- Panguni Uthiram - Friday, 20 March 1981
Which month of 1981 has the most observances in the Tamil Calendar?
August 1981 is the fullest month with 6 dates, including Aadi Perukku, Aadi Pooram, Skanda Shashthi, Varalakshmi Vratham, Avani Avittam (Upakarma), Sri Krishna Jayanthi (Gokulashtami).
Which traditional year does 1981 correspond to in the Tamil Calendar?
The Gregorian year 1981 spans Shaka Samvat 1902 – 1903. The traditional year does not begin on 1 January, so one Gregorian year usually covers the end of one era year and the start of the next.
Did 1981 have an Adhik Maas?
No. 1981 had twelve lunar months with no Adhik Maas, so its festival dates fall in their usual Gregorian window rather than being pushed later by an intercalary month.
Were there any eclipses in 1981?
1981 had 4 eclipses:
- 20 January 1981 - Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), not visible from India
- 5 February 1981 - Annular solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), not visible from India
- 17 July 1981 - Partial lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), not visible from India
- 31 July 1981 - Total solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed
Sutak Kaal is observed only for an eclipse actually visible where you are, so 1 of these was kept in India.
Did Guru or Shani change sign in 1981?
Yes - 1 sign change among the slow grahas in 1981:
- Guru (Jupiter) entered Tula on 27 October 1981
Jupiter takes about a year to cross one sign and Saturn about two and a half, so these transits colour the whole year rather than a single week.
How do I see the tithi and nakshatra for a specific date in 1981?
Use the month grid above: pick a month from the selector, then tap any day to open its full panchang - tithi with start and end times, nakshatra, yoga, karana, sunrise and sunset, and the inauspicious periods (Rahu Kalam, Yamaganda, Gulika Kalam). Set your city in the box at the top first, because these timings are sunrise-based and shift with location. The Tamil Calendar opens on the current month.
About the Tamil Calendar
The Tamil festival calendar. Tamil festivals and vrats month by month, with the date and tithi timing of each observance.
Each day lists its tithi and paksha, the nakshatra, the weekday (vaar) and any festivals or vrats. Tap any day to see the full panchang for that date - tithi start and end times, nakshatra, yoga, karana, sunrise and sunset, and the inauspicious periods (Rahu Kalam, Yamaganda, Gulika Kalam). Use the month and year selectors to browse any year in the archive or plan ahead into the coming years.
This calendar names the tithi and festivals for each day. For sunrise, Rahu Kalam and muhurat windows on a chosen date, open the Panchang. Other regional calendars are on the Calendars index. Fast stories live under Vrat Katha.
