About Valmiki Jayanti
Valmiki Jayanti marks the birth of Maharishi Valmiki, the Adi Kavi or first poet, to whom tradition gives the Ramayana. It falls on Ashwin Purnima, the full moon after Navratri, and in 2026 that is Monday, 26 October 2026. The Valmiki community calls it Pargat Diwas and marks it with processions, temple prayers and readings.
Valmiki is two people in the Ramayana at once. He is its author, by tradition the man who composed its 24,000 verses in seven books. And he is a character inside it: the sage on the bank of the Tamasa who gives Sita shelter when she is sent away from Ayodhya, in whose ashram her twin sons Lava and Kusha are born, and who teaches the boys to sing the story of their own father. Valmiki Jayanti, on the full moon of Ashwin, honours both.
The first verse
The Ramayana opens with a story about how poetry began. Valmiki goes to bathe in the Tamasa and watches a pair of krauncha birds, cranes, together on a branch. A hunter shoots the male. The female's cry so moves Valmiki that a curse comes out of him in a perfect metrical line, and he realises, as the text tells it, that his grief, shoka, has become verse, shloka. The god Brahma then asks him to tell the story of Rama in that same metre.
Ma nishada pratishtham tvam agamah shashvatih samah. (Hunter, may you find no rest for endless years.)
That couplet is counted as the first shloka in Sanskrit poetry, and it is why Valmiki is called the Adi Kavi, the first poet. Scholars date the Ramayana's composition across several centuries and treat its first and last books as later layers; within the tradition, the whole of it is Valmiki's.
Two accounts of who he was
Most Indians grew up with one story about Valmiki's early life. In it he is a highway robber, often named Ratnakar, who is stopped by sages, realises that his family will not share the burden of his sins, and sits in meditation so long that an anthill, a valmika, grows over him. The name comes from that anthill. Versions of the story appear in later texts such as the Skanda Purana, not in the Ramayana itself.
Many in the Valmiki community, also written Balmiki, reject that story. For them Valmiki is a guru and an ancestor, and calling him a dacoit is an insult to the community that bears his name. In Punjab, community members have filed police complaints against a television anchor, an actor and an author for calling Valmiki a dacoit. The Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the case against the author in 2019, holding that criminal law should not punish people for unpopular views. So the courts treat it as a question of free expression, and the community treats it as one of dignity.
You do not need to settle that argument to wish someone well. The safe and respectful course is simple: in a greeting, leave the robber story out.
Who keeps the day, and how
| Who | What the day is called | How it is marked |
|---|---|---|
| The Valmiki (Balmiki) community in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal, Uttar Pradesh and the UK | Pargat Diwas | Shobha Yatras through the streets with tableaux and music, prayers at Valmiki mandirs, which are open to everyone, and community meals |
| Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal, near Amritsar | Pargat Diwas | Large gatherings at the temple complex long known as Ram Tirath, held by tradition to be Valmiki's ashram where Lava and Kusha were born |
| Karnataka | Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti | A state holiday, with official functions and celebrations by the Valmiki Nayaka community |
| Andhra Pradesh and Telangana | Valmiki Jayanti | Marked by Boya and Valmiki communities and in temples of Rama |
| Hindu homes and temples across India | Valmiki Jayanti | Readings and recitations from the Ramayana, and puja to Rama, Sita and Valmiki |
The Amritsar complex was renamed after Valmiki in 2016 following a campaign by the community, and an eight-foot gold-plated image of the sage was installed there that December. Nepal's Chitwan district has another Valmiki Ashram, near Triveni Dham, which many pilgrims also take to be the original.
Valmiki Jayanti is a holiday in states such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Chandigarh, and Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have closed schools and offices for it in recent years. The list changes, so check your state's notification for the year.
Why it can fall the day after Sharad Purnima
Valmiki Jayanti, Sharad Purnima and Kojagari Lakshmi Puja all sit on the full moon of Ashwin. Sharad Purnima needs the full moon at night, for the kheer left out in the moonlight. Valmiki Jayanti follows the full moon at sunrise. When the Purnima begins in the afternoon and ends the next morning, panchangs put Sharad Purnima on the first day and Valmiki Jayanti on the second. Some calendars also list Meerabai Jayanti on the same day.
What to write
Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti ki hardik shubhkamnayein. Unki likhi Ramayan hamein sach aur karuna ka raasta dikhati rahe. (Warm wishes on Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti. May the Ramayana he wrote keep showing us the path of truth and compassion.)
Bhagwan Valmiki ji ke Pargat Diwas ki aap sabhi ko lakh-lakh badhaiyan. (Heartfelt greetings to all of you on the Pargat Diwas of Bhagwan Valmiki ji.)
Bhagwan Valmiki ji de Pargat Diwas diyan lakh-lakh vadhaiyan. (Many greetings on the Pargat Diwas of Bhagwan Valmiki ji.)
Maharshi Valmiki Jayantiya shubhashayagalu. Adikavi Valmikiya aashirvada nimma kutumbada mele irali. (Greetings on Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti. May the blessing of the first poet Valmiki be on your family.)
Valmiki Jayanti subhakankshalu. Aadi kavi Valmiki maharshi aasissulu meeku eppudu undali. (Valmiki Jayanti greetings. May the blessings of the first poet, the sage Valmiki, always be with you.)
Happy Valmiki Jayanti. The first poem in Sanskrit came from grief at a bird's death. May your work always start from that kind of feeling.
Wishing you a peaceful Valmiki Jayanti. Enjoy the holiday, and the Ramayana reading if your family has one.
Do
- Use "Bhagwan Valmiki ji" or "Maharishi Valmiki" when writing to members of the Valmiki community.
- Say "Pargat Diwas" if that is what the person you are writing to calls the day.
- If you join a Shobha Yatra, follow the organisers, and cover your head if you are asked to at the temple.
Avoid
- Don't use the "dacoit who became a sage" story in a wish, a card or a school poster.
- Don't use caste names or slurs in any message about the day, even as history.
- Don't treat the day as only a footnote to Sharad Purnima; for many families it is the main festival of the month.
How to wish someone on Valmiki Jayanti
A Valmiki Jayanti wish honours the poet and what he wrote. Quote the Ramayana, mention Sita's refuge at his ashram, or wish the reader the courage of his first verse. For the Valmiki (Balmiki) community, Pargat Diwas is the day of their own guru: send Pargat Diwas or Valmiki Jayanti greetings, and leave out the robber-turned-sage story, which many in the community find insulting.
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, Hindi + Punjabi or Kannada.
When is Valmiki Jayanti in 2026 and 2027?
Valmiki Jayanti is set by the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 11 days earlier than in 2026.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When is Valmiki Jayanti in 2026?
Valmiki Jayanti 2026 falls on Monday, 26 October 2026.
Why is Valmiki called the Adi Kavi?
Adi Kavi means the first poet. In the Ramayana, Valmiki's grief at a hunter killing one of a pair of cranes turns into a perfectly metred couplet, which the tradition counts as the first shloka in Sanskrit poetry. He then composed the Ramayana in that metre.
Was Valmiki a dacoit before he became a sage?
The robber story, often naming him Ratnakar, comes from later texts such as the Skanda Purana and is not in the Ramayana. Many in the Valmiki community reject it as insulting, and some have taken legal action over it, so it is best left out of greetings and school material.
What is Pargat Diwas?
Pargat Diwas, meaning the day of appearance, is what the Valmiki (Balmiki) community calls Valmiki Jayanti. It is the community's main festival, marked with Shobha Yatra processions, prayers at Valmiki mandirs and shared meals, especially in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.
Where is Valmiki's ashram believed to be?
Several places claim it. The best known in India is Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal at Ram Tirath near Amritsar, held by tradition to be where Sita gave birth to Lava and Kusha. Valmiki Ashram in Nepal's Chitwan district is another.
Is Valmiki Jayanti the same day as Sharad Purnima?
They share the full moon of Ashwin but are not always on the same date. Sharad Purnima needs the full moon at night, while Valmiki Jayanti follows the full moon at sunrise, so when the Purnima spans two days, Valmiki Jayanti falls on the second.
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