Sheetala Ashtami dates (popular practice)
When Sheetala Ashtami, Basoda, falls in 2027, 2028 and 2029: the dark Aṣṭamī after Holī, by our stated rule for each city, with the Saptamī and Rajasthan days.
Tuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Delhi the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 17:11 to Tue 30 Mar, 19:40, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Delhi time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the ruleTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Jodhpur the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 17:11 to Tue 30 Mar, 19:40, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Jodhpur time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in IndoreTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Indore the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 17:11 to Tue 30 Mar, 19:40, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Indore time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in MumbaiTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Mumbai the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 17:11 to Tue 30 Mar, 19:40, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Mumbai time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in KolkataTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Kolkata the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 17:11 to Tue 30 Mar, 19:40, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Kolkata time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in ChennaiTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Chennai the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 17:11 to Tue 30 Mar, 19:40, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Chennai time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in BengaluruTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Bengaluru the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 17:11 to Tue 30 Mar, 19:40, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Bengaluru time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in HyderabadTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Hyderabad the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 17:11 to Tue 30 Mar, 19:40, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Hyderabad time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in AhmedabadTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Ahmedabad the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 17:11 to Tue 30 Mar, 19:40, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Ahmedabad time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in PuneTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Pune the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 17:11 to Tue 30 Mar, 19:40, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Pune time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in JaipurTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Jaipur the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 17:11 to Tue 30 Mar, 19:40, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Jaipur time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in LucknowTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Lucknow the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 17:11 to Tue 30 Mar, 19:40, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Lucknow time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in LondonTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 164 days. In London the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 12:41 to Tue 30 Mar, 15:10, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
London time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in New York CityTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 164 days. In New York City the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 07:41 to Tue 30 Mar, 10:10, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
New York City time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in TorontoTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 164 days. In Toronto the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 07:41 to Tue 30 Mar, 10:10, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Toronto time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in SydneyTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Sydney the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 22:41 to Wed 31 Mar, 01:10, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Sydney time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in DubaiTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Dubai the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 15:41 to Tue 30 Mar, 18:10, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Dubai time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the rule Next Sheetala Ashtami in SingaporeTuesday, 30 March 2027
Sheetala Ashtami is in 163 days. In Singapore the Aṣṭamī runs from Mon 29 Mar, 19:41 to Tue 30 Mar, 22:10, so it holds only Tuesday’s sunrise, and Sheetala Ashtami is kept on Tuesday.
Singapore time. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Sheetala Ashtami 2027: every city and the ruleSheetala Ashtami dates, 2027 to 2029
Each city’s own sunrise| Year | Delhi | Jaipur | Lucknow | London | New York City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheetala Ashtami 2027 | Tue 30 Mar | Tue 30 Mar | Tue 30 Mar | Tue 30 Mar | Tue 30 Mar |
| Sheetala Ashtami 2028 | Sat 18 Mar | Sat 18 Mar | Sat 18 Mar | Sat 18 Mar | Fri 17 Mar |
| Sheetala Ashtami 2029 | Wed 7 Mar | Wed 7 Mar | Wed 7 Mar | Wed 7 Mar | Wed 7 Mar |
Sheetala Ashtami, popularly Basoda, is the worship of the goddess Śītalā on the dark Aṣṭamī after Holī. Popular practice; no text read gives the day.
Our rule: Sheetala Ashtami is the day whose sunrise falls in the dark Aṣṭamī after Holī. When no sunrise falls in it, it is the day on which the Aṣṭamī falls; when two sunrises do, it is the first of them.
Popular practice: the food cooked the day before (Randha Pua) and eaten cold, the worship at dawn, and the fair at Seel ki Doongri near Chaksu.
Questions
By our stated rule; popular practice throughout, with the texts cited only for their own Śītalā vow.
When is Sheetala Ashtami?
In Delhi: Tuesday, 30 March 2027, Saturday, 18 March 2028 and Wednesday, 7 March 2029. Each city keeps its own day by its own sunrise.
Is Basoda the same day?
Yes. Basoda is a popular name for Sheetala Ashtami, and this page gives the same day under both names.
Why do some keep it on the Saptami?
Some regions and families keep the worship on the dark Saptamī, by the same sunrise rule. In 2027 in Delhi the Saptamī runs from Sun 28 Mar, 15:05 to Mon 29 Mar, 17:11, so the Saptamī day is Monday, 29 March. It is popular practice, and no text read gives either day.
Why does Rajasthan move the day?
In Rajasthan the worship moves off a Sunday, Tuesday or Saturday to the nearest earlier day that is none of these; popular practice. In 2027 the Aṣṭamī day in Jaipur is a Tuesday, so Rajasthan keeps Monday, 29 March.
Do the texts give this day?
No. The Nirṇaya-sindhu, the Dharmasindhu and the Vratarāja give no Śītalā day in the dark fortnight after Holī. Their Śītalā vow is the Śītalā-saptamī of Śrāvaṇa’s dark fortnight, a different day. Vratarāja f. 110
Why can the date differ by city?
The Aṣṭamī begins and ends at the same moment everywhere, but sunrise comes at a different hour in each city, so the sunrise that falls in it can change with the place. Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Lucknow and Indore keep the same day in every year from 2005 to 2035.
How the day is found
Read the methodology- Basis
- Popular practice; no text read gives the day. The rule is ours, stated in full.
- The day
- The dark Aṣṭamī after Holī: Phālguna kṛṣṇa in amānta reckoning, Caitra kṛṣṇa in pūrṇimānta. The day whose sunrise falls in it; when none does, the day on which it falls; when two do, the first.
- The Saptamī
- The day whose sunrise falls in the Saptamī, shown as the day kept in some regions and families.
- Rajasthan
- When the Aṣṭamī day is a Sunday, Tuesday or Saturday, the nearest earlier day that is none of these, shown as Rajasthan’s day.
- One ghaṭikā
- When moving either end of the Aṣṭamī by one ghaṭikā (24 minutes) would change the day, the other day is shown too. No year from 2027 to 2035 has such a case.
- Sunrise
- At the centre of the Sun’s disc, with refraction, for the chosen city. Every date is that city’s own.
Sunrise and sunset at the centre of the Sun’s disc, with refraction · Lahiri ayanamsa for month names · each city’s own time · Swiss Ephemeris · Method