Festival · 2027

Rang Panchami 2027 — Saturday, 27 March 2027

Rang Panchami is the day of colours that comes five days after Holi, celebrated with especially high spirits in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and the Malwa region around Indore.

In 2026

Sunday, 8 March 2026

Tithi: Krishna Panchami: 7 Mar, 7:17 PM – 8 Mar, 9:11 PM
Lunar month: Chaitra (purnimanta) / Phalguna (amanta)
Sunrise / sunset: 6:38 AM / 6:25 PM

Rule: Phalguna Krishna Panchami at sunrise (amanta; Chaitra Krishna purnimanta), five days after Holi.

In 2027

Saturday, 27 March 2027

Tithi: Krishna Panchami: 26 Mar, 12:43 PM – 27 Mar, 1:33 PM
Lunar month: Chaitra (purnimanta) / Phalguna (amanta)
Sunrise / sunset: 6:17 AM / 6:36 PM

Rule: Phalguna Krishna Panchami at sunrise (amanta; Chaitra Krishna purnimanta), five days after Holi.

Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar

What is Rang Panchami?

Rang Panchami falls on the Panchami, the fifth tithi, of the dark fortnight that begins after the Phalguna full Moon. Holika Dahan is lit on that full Moon, colours are played the next day, and five days later comes Rang Panchami, which in many places is the day the Holi season closes. Its name simply means the Panchami of colours.

In much of Maharashtra the bonfire on the full Moon, called Holi or Shimga, is the main event, and the day after is Dhulivandan, when dust or ash was traditionally applied. It is on Rang Panchami that many towns and villages there bring out the full range of colours, water and gulal. In the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, and above all in Indore, the day is bigger than Holi itself, and the city’s Ger, a great procession of people, music, water tankers and clouds of coloured powder through the old markets, has become one of the best-known Holi spectacles in India.

There is no single scriptural story attached to Rang Panchami. Tradition explains it in simple devotional terms: the colours thrown into the air on this day are said to invite the gods to join the celebration, and in some temples the deities are offered gulal and play Holi with the devotees. It is also, like Holi, a social festival in which neighbours, friends and strangers mix freely, old quarrels are meant to be set aside and the end of winter is felt in the warmth of the afternoon.

Because it comes a few days after Holi, Rang Panchami gives a second chance to those who could not play on the main day, and for many families it is the real day of celebration. In Braj, the long Holi season also continues through this week, and some temples there mark the Panchami with colours and songs before the festivities draw to a close.

How it is observed

Playing with dry gulal and coloured water with family, friends and neighbours.
Joining or watching the Ger procession in Indore and similar processions in other towns of Malwa.
Offering gulal to the family deity or at a temple before playing.
Singing and dancing to Holi songs, with dhol and other drums.
Sharing festive food: puran poli in Maharashtra, and gujiya, thandai and savouries in many homes.
Choosing gentle, skin-safe colours and taking care of children, the elderly and animals in the crowds.

How the date is fixed

Rang Panchami is the Panchami of the dark fortnight after the Phalguna full Moon. North Indian (purnimanta) calendars begin a new month at the full Moon and so call it Chaitra Krishna Panchami; amanta calendars, used in Maharashtra and much of the south and west, call the same tithi Phalguna Krishna Panchami. Our calendar keeps it on the day the Panchami holds at sunrise. If the Panchami touches no sunrise at all, the day it begins is taken. The date and the span of the tithi above are worked out this way for your place.

Where practice differs

Rang Panchami is at its biggest in Madhya Pradesh, especially Indore, Ujjain and the rest of Malwa, and in Maharashtra, where in many places it is the main day for colours after the Shimga bonfire. It is also played in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh, and in some of the Braj temples. In most of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and the east, the colours are played the day after Holika Dahan and the Panchami passes quietly. The difference in month names, Chaitra in the north and Phalguna in amanta regions, does not change the day itself.

Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.

Questions people ask

How many days after Holi is Rang Panchami?

Five days after the Phalguna full Moon, on the Panchami of the dark fortnight. Counting from the day colours are played in the north, it is usually four days later; the tithi can make the gap a day longer or shorter.

Why is Rang Panchami bigger than Holi in Indore?

In Malwa the tradition of playing colours on the Panchami is old and strong, and Indore’s Ger procession has made the day the city’s main Holi celebration. The full Moon there is kept mostly for the bonfire.

Is Rang Panchami in Chaitra or Phalguna?

Both names are used. Purnimanta calendars of the north call it Chaitra Krishna Panchami, and amanta calendars, including those of Maharashtra, call it Phalguna Krishna Panchami. It is the same day.

Is there a puja on Rang Panchami?

It is mainly a day of play, but many families first offer a little gulal to their deity or at a temple before joining the colours, and some temples celebrate with the deities.