Tamil Calendar

Tamil Calendar 2000

The Tamil festival calendar. Tamil festivals and vrats month by month, with the date and tithi timing of each observance.

March 2000

Shaka Samvat 1921 (Pramathi) · Shaka Samvat 1922 (Vikrama)

Maasi – Panguni

Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat

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 2000 - festivals and vrats through the year

The Tamil Calendar lists 35 dates in 2000, opening with Skanda Shashthi on 12 January and closing with Skanda Shashthi on 31 December. Of these, 13 are vrats (fasting observances). August is the fullest month with 5 dates. The year runs through Shaka Samvat 1921 – 1922.

January 2000 Margazhi – Thai

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
12 Jan Wed Skanda Shashthi Vrat Shukla Panchami
15 Jan Sat Thai Pongal

The Tamil harvest thanksgiving on the Sun's entry into Makara.

Shukla Navami
16 Jan Sun Mattu Pongal

The third day of Pongal, when cattle are bathed, decorated and honoured for their role in farming.

Shukla Dashami
21 Jan Fri Thaipusam

Devotees of Lord Murugan carry kavadi in penance and thanksgiving on the Pusam star of Thai.

Shukla Purnima

February 2000 Thai – Maasi

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
11 Feb Fri Skanda Shashthi Vrat Shukla Shashthi
12 Feb Sat Ratha Saptami

Surya's chariot turns north — devotees bathe at dawn and worship the Sun god on Magha Shukla Saptami.

Shukla Saptami
20 Feb Sun 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 2000 Maasi – Panguni

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
4 Mar Sat Maha Shivaratri

The great night of Lord Shiva.

Krishna Trayodashi
11 Mar Sat Skanda Shashthi Vrat Shukla Shashthi
20 Mar Mon Panguni Uthiram

The Uthiram star of Panguni, celebrating the celestial weddings of Murugan-Deivanai and Shiva-Parvati.

Shukla Purnima

April 2000 Panguni – Chithirai

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
9 Apr Sun Skanda Shashthi Vrat Shukla Panchami
13 Apr Thu Puthandu (Tamil New Year)

The Tamil solar new year begins as the Sun enters Mesha; homes are decorated with kolam and the Maruvilakku.

Shukla Dashami
18 Apr Tue 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 2000 Chithirai – Vaikasi

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
8 May Mon Skanda Shashthi Vrat Shukla Panchami
18 May Thu Vaikasi Visakam

The Visakam star of Vaikasi, celebrated as the birth star of Lord Murugan with special temple worship.

Shukla Purnima

June 2000 Vaikasi – Aani

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
7 Jun Wed Skanda Shashthi Vrat Shukla Shashthi

July 2000 Aani – Aadi

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
6 Jul Thu Skanda Shashthi Vrat Shukla Panchami
7 Jul Fri 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 Wed Aadi Krithigai

Lord Murugan is worshipped with lamps and abhishekam on the Krittika star of the Tamil month Aadi.

Krishna Dashami
31 Jul Mon Aadi Amavasai Vrat Krishna Amavasya

August 2000 Aadi – Aavani

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
2 Aug Wed Aadi Perukku

On the 18th of Aadi, the swelling of the Cauvery and other rivers is celebrated with prayers to the waters.

Shukla Tritiya
4 Aug Fri Skanda Shashthi Vrat Shukla Panchami
11 Aug Fri Varalakshmi Vratham Vrat Shukla Dwadashi
15 Aug Tue Avani Avittam (Upakarma)

Brahmins renew the sacred thread (Yajur Upakarma) on Shravana Purnima.

Shukla Purnima
23 Aug Wed Sri Krishna Jayanthi (Gokulashtami)

The midnight birth of Lord Krishna.

Krishna Ashtami

September 2000 Aavani – Purattasi

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
1 Sep Fri Vinayagar Chaturthi

The birth of Lord Ganesha on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi.

Shukla Tritiya
3 Sep Sun Skanda Shashthi Vrat Shukla Panchami

October 2000 Purattasi – Aippasi

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
7 Oct Sat Ayudha Puja / Saraswati Puja

Tools, instruments and books are placed before Goddess Saraswati and worshipped on Vijayadashami.

Shukla Navami
26 Oct Thu Deepavali

The festival of lights, kept with the Ganga snanam at dawn (Naraka Chaturdashi).

Krishna Chaturdashi

November 2000 Aippasi – Karthikai

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
2 Nov Thu Skanda Sashti (Soorasamharam)

Six days of worship of Lord Murugan culminate in Soorasamharam — his victory over the demon Surapadman.

Shukla Shashthi

December 2000 Karthikai – Margazhi

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
1 Dec Fri Skanda Shashthi Vrat Shukla Panchami
2 Dec Sat Subramanya Shashti

Lord Subramanya (Kartikeya) is worshipped at Kukke and beyond on Margashirsha Shukla Shashthi.

Shukla Shashthi
9 Dec Sat 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 Sat Dhanurmasam Begins

The month of dawn Vishnu worship (Tiruppavai / Dhanurmasa) begins as the Sun enters Dhanu.

Krishna Shashthi
31 Dec Sun Skanda Shashthi Vrat Shukla Panchami

Months of the Tamil Calendar in 2000

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 2000, covering Shaka Samvat 1921 – 1922. 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 2000 14 Jan 2000 14
Thai 15 Jan 2000 13 Feb 2000 30
Maasi 14 Feb 2000 14 Mar 2000 30
Panguni 15 Mar 2000 13 Apr 2000 30
Chithirai 14 Apr 2000 14 May 2000 31
Vaikasi 15 May 2000 14 Jun 2000 31
Aani 15 Jun 2000 16 Jul 2000 32
Aadi 17 Jul 2000 16 Aug 2000 31
Aavani 17 Aug 2000 16 Sep 2000 31
Purattasi 17 Sep 2000 16 Oct 2000 30
Aippasi 17 Oct 2000 15 Nov 2000 30
Karthikai 16 Nov 2000 15 Dec 2000 30
Margazhi part 16 Dec 2000 31 Dec 2000 16

What happened in the sky in 2000

Beyond the dates the Tamil Calendar lists, 2000 brought 6 eclipses - 4 solar and 2 lunar - of which 1 was above the horizon somewhere in India. Thai Pongal fell on 15 January, 1 day later in the year than in 1999 - a lunar year runs about eleven days short of a solar one.

Eclipses of 2000

Date (IST) Eclipse Tamil date Seen from India
21 Jan 10:13 AM Total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) on Thaipusam Thai Purnima Not visible
5 Feb 6:19 PM Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) Thai Amavasya Not visible
2 Jul 1:02 AM Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) Aani Shukla Pratipada Not visible
16 Jul 7:25 PM Total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) Aani Purnima Yes - Sutak observed
31 Jul 7:43 AM Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) 2 days before Aadi Perukku Aadi Amavasya Not visible
25 Dec 11:04 PM Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) Margazhi Amavasya Not visible

Sutak Kaal was observed for 1 of these.

Guru and Shani in 2000

Date Graha Sign change
2 Jun 7:10 PM Guru (Jupiter) Mesha → Vrishabha
7 Jun 1:00 AM Shani (Saturn) Mesha → Vrishabha

Jupiter takes about a year to cross a sign, Saturn about two and a half. Rahu entered Mithuna on 30 July 2000, carrying the eclipse axis with it.

Frequently asked questions about the Tamil Calendar 2000

How many festivals and vrats does the Tamil Calendar list in 2000?

The Tamil Calendar lists 35 dates in 2000, of which 13 are vrats. The first is Skanda Shashthi on Wednesday, 12 January 2000, and the last is Skanda Shashthi on Sunday, 31 December 2000.

What are the main festival dates in the Tamil Calendar for 2000?

The first major observances of 2000 are:

  • Thai Pongal - Saturday, 15 January 2000
  • Mattu Pongal - Sunday, 16 January 2000
  • Thaipusam - Friday, 21 January 2000
  • Ratha Saptami - Saturday, 12 February 2000
  • Masi Magam - Sunday, 20 February 2000
  • Maha Shivaratri - Saturday, 4 March 2000
Which month of 2000 has the most observances in the Tamil Calendar?

August 2000 is the fullest month with 5 dates, including Aadi Perukku, Skanda Shashthi, Varalakshmi Vratham, Avani Avittam (Upakarma), Sri Krishna Jayanthi (Gokulashtami).

Which traditional year does 2000 correspond to in the Tamil Calendar?

The Gregorian year 2000 spans Shaka Samvat 1921 – 1922. 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 2000 have an Adhik Maas?

No. 2000 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 2000?

2000 had 6 eclipses:

  • 21 January 2000 - Total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), not visible from India
  • 5 February 2000 - Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), not visible from India
  • 2 July 2000 - Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), not visible from India
  • 16 July 2000 - Total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed
  • 31 July 2000 - Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), not visible from India
  • 25 December 2000 - Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), not visible from India

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 2000?

Yes - 2 sign changes among the slow grahas in 2000:

  • Guru (Jupiter) entered Vrishabha on 2 June 2000
  • Shani (Saturn) entered Vrishabha on 7 June 2000

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 2000?

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.

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