About Gudi Padwa
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- 🙏 Deity: Lord Brahma, Lord Rama
- 📅 Gudi Padwa 2026 date:
- ⏳ Duration: 1 day
- 🌙 Lunar month: Chaitra
- 🗺️ Celebrated in: Maharashtra, Goa, Konkan belt
Gudi Padwa is one of the most joyous festivals of Maharashtra, celebrated as the traditional New Year on the first day of the Hindu month of Chaitra. The name derives from two words: "Gudi" meaning a decorated bamboo pole and "Padwa" meaning the first day of the lunar fortnight. On this day, every Maharashtrian household erects a Gudi — a bright yellow or orange silk cloth tied to a bamboo pole, adorned with neem leaves, mango leaves, a garland of flowers, and a shining brass or silver pot placed upside down on top. This Gudi is then displayed prominently outside the home or from a window as a symbol of victory and prosperity.
The festival coincides with the beginning of spring and the harvest season. According to legend, Lord Brahma created the universe on this day, making it a cosmic new beginning. Another popular belief is that Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana on this day, and people celebrated by raising victory flags — echoed in today's Gudi tradition. It is also believed that the Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj raised this flag after his victories, giving it a patriotic significance in Maharashtra.
Families wake up before sunrise, clean and decorate their homes with rangoli, oil themselves before a ritualistic bath, wear new clothes, and worship the Gudi with offerings of flowers, neem leaves, and sugar. Traditional sweets like puran poli, shrikhand, and soonth panak are prepared. The day is considered highly auspicious for new beginnings — purchasing vehicles, jewellery, property, or starting new ventures. Gudi Padwa is celebrated on the same day as Ugadi in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Bihu in Assam, and Vishu in Kerala, reflecting the pan-Indian significance of this spring new year.
Significance of Gudi Padwa
Gudi Padwa holds immense spiritual, cultural, and cosmic significance in the Maharashtrian tradition:
Deities worshipped on Gudi Padwa
Follow the links to explore each deity’s mantras, stories, and temples on Temples.bio.
Lord Vishnu
Lord Vishnu as Satyanarayan is worshipped on this day
The Preserver of the Universe — the all-pervading Supreme Being who descends to Earth in divine avatars whenever righteousness declines and evil rises.
View deity →
Lord Rama
Rama's victorious return to Ayodhya is commemorated on Gudi Padwa
The Ideal Man, Perfect King, and Seventh Avatar of Vishnu — whose life is the eternal standard of righteousness, duty, and devotion to dharma.
View deity →Gudi Padwa is primarily associated with Lord Brahma, the Creator, as the festival commemorates his act of creation on this very day. Brahma is worshipped as the source of time, cosmic order, and new beginnings. In some traditions, the Gudi itself represents Brahmadhwaj — the flag of Brahma.
Lord Vishnu and his avatar Lord Rama are also central to Gudi Padwa celebrations. The festival marks Rama's victorious return to Ayodhya, and in many households prayers are offered to Rama and Sita. The Gudi is also interpreted as a symbol of Rama's victory banner raised by the people of Ayodhya.
Satyanarayan Puja — a worship of Lord Vishnu as Satyanarayan — is commonly performed on this day, seeking blessings for the new year. In some Maharashtrian communities, Goddess Shakti is also honoured as the divine feminine energy that sustains creation. The brass pot atop the Gudi is associated with Brahma's Kamandalu (sacred water pot), and the silk cloth represents royal authority blessed by the gods.
How to celebrate Gudi Padwa 2026
1. Wake up before sunrise and clean the home thoroughly.
2. Apply sesame oil to the body and take a ritualistic bath (abhyanga snan).
3. Wear new traditional clothes — women in sarees, men in dhotis or new attire.
4. Prepare the Gudi: Take a long bamboo pole and tie a bright silk cloth (yellow or orange) at the top.
5. Attach a garland of flowers, neem leaves, mango leaves, and a sugar crystal (misri) garland to the silk.
6. Place a clean brass or silver pot (tamba/tambya) upside down on top of the bamboo.
7. Erect the Gudi outside the main entrance, on the terrace, or from a window — it must be visible from outside.
8. Perform puja to the Gudi with incense, a lit lamp (diya), flowers, and akshat (unbroken rice grains).
9. Chant prayers and offer neem leaves with jaggery as prasad — eat this first thing in the morning for health.
10. Prepare traditional dishes: puran poli, shrikhand with puri, aamras, and soonth panak.
11. Visit the temple and seek blessings for the new year.
12. In the evening, bring the Gudi down before sunset with reverence and store the pot safely.
13. Share sweets with neighbours and exchange new year greetings.
Rituals & regional traditions
Spiritual benefits
Mantras & sacred chants
Om Brahmaaya Namaha (ॐ ब्रह्माय नमः) — Salutation to Lord Brahma, the Creator; chanted while erecting the Gudi to invoke cosmic blessings for the new year.
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaaya (ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय) — The twelve-syllable mantra of Lord Vishnu/Rama; recited during Satyanarayan puja and temple visits to seek protection and grace throughout the year.
Sharva Mangala Maangalye Shive Sarvartha Saadhike, Sharanye Tryambake Gauri Narayani Namostute (सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके। शरण्ये त्र्यम्बके गौरि नारायणि नमोऽस्तुते।) — A universal prayer for auspiciousness and well-being, traditionally recited at the start of any new beginning.
Gudi Padwa 2026 — FAQs
Gudi Padwa 2026 falls on Thursday, March 19, 2026. It is celebrated on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, the first day of the Hindu month of Chaitra.
Gudi Padwa marks the Maharashtrian New Year. It commemorates Lord Brahma's creation of the universe, Lord Rama's victorious return to Ayodhya, and Chhatrapati Shivaji's military victories. The Gudi erected outside homes symbolises victory, prosperity, and divine blessing.
A Gudi is made by tying bright silk cloth, a garland of flowers, neem leaves, and an inverted brass pot on top of a bamboo pole. It is erected outside homes at sunrise to invite divine blessings, ward off evil, and celebrate the new year.
Traditional foods include puran poli (sweet flatbread with chana dal and jaggery), shrikhand with puri, aamras, and varan bhaat. A small amount of neem mixed with jaggery and tamarind is eaten first as health prasad.
Yes, Gudi Padwa and Ugadi fall on the same day — Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. Gudi Padwa is the Maharashtrian and Konkani celebration, while Ugadi is celebrated in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana with similar traditions.
The Gudi itself is worshipped with incense, diyas, flowers, and akshat. Many families also perform Satyanarayan Puja. The day begins with oil bath, neem prasad, and temple visits.
Yes, Gudi Padwa is considered one of the most auspicious muhurat days of the year for buying gold, jewellery, vehicles, and property, and for starting new businesses or ventures.
Gudi Padwa puja vidhi: Sunrise snan, neem-gudacha prasad, Gudi erection with silk-tamba-neem-phule, dhoopbatti-divyanchi puja, mantra paath, puran poli prasad, devalyala bheti, ani sandhyakaali Gudi utravava.
