About Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti
Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti is the birth anniversary of the Kerala saint and reformer who taught "one caste, one religion, one God for man". It falls on Chathayam star in the Malayalam month of Chingam, usually two days after Onam, and in 2027 that is Tuesday, 14 September 2027. Kerala keeps it as a public holiday, with processions from his birthplace at Chempazhanthy and his samadhi at Sivagiri.
His followers call him Gurudevan, and for many Malayali families his birthday is both a state holiday and a household occasion: a prayer in the evening, a procession through the town, a meal shared at the local branch hall.
Who was Sree Narayana Guru?
Narayana Guru was born at Vayalvaram house in Chempazhanthy, a village outside Thiruvananthapuram, to Madan Asan and Kuttiyamma. The family were Ezhavas with a line of ayurveda physicians. He studied Sanskrit, spent years as a wandering ascetic, and came back with a practical aim: to open temples, schools and prayer to people the caste order of Travancore kept out.
The act people still talk about came in 1888 at Aruvippuram, on the Neyyar river. He took a stone from the river and consecrated it as a Shiva idol, a right Brahmin priests then claimed for themselves. When the objection reached him, tradition says he replied that this was an Ezhava Shiva. The point was that God does not belong to one caste.
In 1903 the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP Yogam) was founded, with Dr P. Palpu doing much of the organising and the Guru as its first president. A year later he settled at Sivagiri, near Varkala, where he started a school open to children of every caste. Rabindranath Tagore visited him there in 1922, and Mahatma Gandhi on 12 March 1925, during the Vaikom Satyagraha. He died at Sivagiri on 20 September 1928.
His best-known line is a motto rather than a scripture verse, and the Sivagiri trust still uses it.
Oru jathi, oru matham, oru daivam manushyanu. One caste, one religion, one God for man.
The word jathi here is usually read in its older sense of "kind": human beings are one kind, whatever the birth group. He also wrote poetry. The ten-verse prayer Daiva Dasakam is widely sung at community prayers in Kerala, and Atmopadesa Satakam, his hundred verses of self-instruction, is studied as philosophy.
Why is it on Chathayam, and why does the date move?
The Jayanti follows the Malayalam calendar, not the Gregorian one. It falls on the day the moon is in Chathayam (Shatabhisha in Sanskrit) during Chingam, the first month of the Malayalam year, which runs from mid-August to mid-September. Since Thiruvonam is two stars before Chathayam, the Jayanti usually lands two days after Onam, which is why the state holiday list often prints it as "Fourth Onam / Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi".
A star comes round every 27 days or so, so some years Chingam has two Chathayam days, one near the start of the month and one after Onam. In 2027, for example, Chathayam falls on both 18 August and 14 September. Go by the Kerala government's holiday list, which normally comes out in October or November of the year before.
Sources also disagree on his birth year. Many biographies give 1856. Sivagiri and the Kerala press count from 1854, so 2026 was announced as the 172nd Jayanti. The day itself is not in dispute.
The other date his followers keep is the Mahasamadhi, a quieter day of prayer about a month later, in the Malayalam month of Kanni. In 2026 that fell on 21 September.
How Kerala marks the day
The two centres are his birthplace and his resting place. At Chempazhanthy Gurukulam, the day opens with flag hoisting, a conference in the morning, and a Thirujayanti procession in the afternoon. At Sivagiri there are speeches through the day and an evening procession with a decorated chariot carrying his image, panchavadyam drummers and ornate parasols. Aruvippuram serves a Chathayam-day feast at noon.
Across the state, local SNDP branches, called shakhas, take out evening processions with floats built on his teachings. Some hold group weddings or feed the poor on the day.
At Kumarakom, the Sree Narayana Jayanthi boat race is held on Chathayam on the Kottathodu stretch. It recalls his 1903 visit, when he arrived by boat to dedicate a temple idol and, seeing the crowd soaked by rain, asked that everyone be given sarkara payasam. Organisers still serve it. The race has been held since 1952.
- Chathayam
- The 24th lunar star, Shatabhisha in Sanskrit; the Guru's birth star
- Chingam
- First month of the Malayalam calendar, mid-August to mid-September
- Gurudevan
- The name most followers use for him, "the divine teacher"
- Daiva Dasakam
- His ten-verse prayer, sung at community prayers
- Shakha
- A local branch of the SNDP Yogam
- Mahasamadhi
- The day of his passing, kept in the month of Kanni
- Ashamsakal
- Malayalam for "greetings" or "wishes"
What to write on Guru Jayanti
The usual Malayalam greeting is "Sreenarayana Guru Jayanti ashamsakal". In English, "Warm greetings on Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti" is enough for a colleague. For family and friends, mention what they will actually be doing.
He spoke for all of Kerala, not for one community, and his message was about what people of different faiths share. That makes this an easy day to wish a Malayali colleague whatever your own background. Quote him accurately, keep caste and party politics out of the message, and don't confuse the Jayanti with the Mahasamadhi, when the mood is mournful rather than festive.
Guru Jayanti ashamsakal, Amma and Achan. I can still hear you singing the Daiva Dasakam at the lamp every evening. Wishing you a peaceful day.
Have a good Jayanti. Hope the shakha procession goes well and the rain holds off until the floats are back.
Warm greetings on Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti. One caste, one religion, one God for man: a century on, it still says the most important thing.
Guru Jayanti wishes from home. Hope someone at the association hall sang the Daiva Dasakam and served payasam after.
On Guru Jayanti, his advice still works: grow wise through education, strong through organisation, prosperous through effort. All the best this year.
Fourth Onam and Guru Jayanti on the same day. Wishing your family a full table and a quiet moment of prayer.
Ellavarkkum Sreenarayana Guru Jayanti ashamsakal. (Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti greetings to all.)
എല്ലാവർക്കും ശ്രീനാരായണ ഗുരു ജയന്തി ആശംസകൾ.
Kerala's own birthday, Kerala Piravi, comes on 1 November. For the state's other holidays, see the 2027 calendar.
How to wish someone on Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti
A good Guru Jayanti wish is warm but reverent. It is a birthday, and it falls in Onam week, so greetings are welcome, but the person being remembered is a guru many families pray to. Point to what he taught, education, unity across caste and religion, a simple life, or to what your reader is doing that day: a procession, the Daiva Dasakam at the evening prayer, a feast at the local shakha. Keep politics out of it.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Malayalam.
When is Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti in each year?
Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti is set by the Malayalam solar (Kollam era) calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 17 days later than in 2026.
- 2026
- 2027may vary by location
- 2028may vary by location
Frequently asked questions
When is Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti in 2027?
Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti 2027 falls on Tuesday, 14 September 2027. The exact date can vary by location and local calendar, so confirm with your community.
Why is Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti called the fourth Onam?
Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti falls on Chathayam star in Chingam, and Chathayam usually comes two days after Thiruvonam, the main day of Onam. Counting Uthradam as the first Onam, that makes it the fourth Onam, and Kerala's holiday list often names the two together.
What did Sree Narayana Guru mean by "one caste, one religion, one God for man"?
He meant that all human beings are one kind, whatever caste they were born into, and that every faith points to the same truth. The line is the motto of the Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham at Sivagiri, and his followers read it as a call to treat no one as lower by birth.
Was Sree Narayana Guru born in 1854 or 1856?
Sources differ. Many biographies give 1856, while Sivagiri and the Kerala press count from 1854, which is why 2026 was marked as his 172nd Jayanti. Either way, the birthday is kept on Chathayam star in Chingam.
What is the difference between Guru Jayanti and Guru Samadhi?
Guru Jayanti marks Sree Narayana Guru's birth and is kept with processions and feasts in Chingam. Guru Samadhi, or Mahasamadhi, marks his death at Sivagiri on 20 September 1928 and is kept a month later, in Kanni, as a quiet day of prayer, so festive greetings don't fit it.
How do you wish someone on Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti in Malayalam?
Say "Sreenarayana Guru Jayanti ashamsakal", written ശ്രീനാരായണ ഗുരു ജയന്തി ആശംസകൾ, which means Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti greetings. Adding "ellavarkkum" at the start makes it a greeting to everyone.
What happens at Sivagiri on Guru Jayanti?
Sivagiri, near Varkala, holds conferences through the day and an evening procession with a decorated chariot carrying the Guru's image, drummers and ornate parasols. His birthplace at Chempazhanthy holds its own flag hoisting, conference and procession.
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