The Tamil solar new year. Homes prepare a kani — an auspicious first sight of the year — visit temples, and traders open fresh account books.
तमिलनाडु
Puthandu shares its date with Vishu and the Punjabi Baisakhi, reflecting a pan-Indian solar new year even though each region built a distinct festival identity around the same astronomical moment.
Tamil households prepare mango-neem pachadi, a dish balancing all six tastes, echoing the pachadi tradition of Ugadi further north. Temple chariot processions mark the day in some towns.