Jyotiba Yatra and Kolhapur Ambabai 2027: Chaitra Yatra, Kirnotsav and Navratri

Kolhapur has two of the most visited temples in western Maharashtra: Shri Mahalaxmi, called Ambabai, in the city, and Jyotiba (Kedarnath) on Wadi Ratnagiri hill about 18 km away. The biggest event at Jyotiba is the Chaitra yatra on Chaitra Pournima, which in 2027 is on Tuesday, 20 April.

Jyotiba dates in 2027

The Chaitra yatra draws lakhs of devotees, many of them walking up the hill with tall decorated sasankathi poles and throwing gulal, so the hill turns pink. "Changbhala" is the cry of the day. Khete are the Sunday visits devotees make to Jyotiba during Magh, and the calendar marks their start on 21 February.

Kolhapur Ambabai (Mahalaxmi) 2027

During kirnotsav, the setting sun shines through the temple's western door and falls on the idol, first on the feet, then the waist and then the face over a few days. It happens twice a year, at the end of January and again around early November. The calendar marks the January start on 31 January 2027 in the evening.

In Navratri the goddess is dressed in a different alankar each day and taken out in a palkhi in the evening. The Ashtami jagar, when the temple stays open through the night, is on 7 October 2027.

Plan your visit

Hanuman Jayanti and the Tuljapur Bhavani yatra fall on the same day as the Jyotiba yatra, 20 April, so roads in the region are very busy. The Navratri dates are in Navratri and Dasara 2027, and Tuljapur's in Tuljapur Bhavani 2027. Many smaller jatras in Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara districts are listed in Jatra and yatra 2027.