Ganesh mantra
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah
Meaning: Om, gam: salutation to Ganapati, lord of the ganas.
When and how: At the start of the puja, 11 or 21 times.
Krishna paksha · Ashwin · amanta reckoning
When is Dhanteras 2026?
Fri, 6 Nov
Dhanteras 2026 is on Friday, 6 November. The Dhanteras puja muhurat in New Delhi is 6:02 PM to 7:58 PM.
2027: Wednesday, 27 October 2027
Dhanteras puja muhurat
6:02 PM – 7:58 PM
Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj · New Delhi
Diwali 2026, day by day
- Dhanteras Puja muhurat 6:02 PM to 7:58 PM
- Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) Abhyang snan 5:36 AM to 6:37 AM
- Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) Lakshmi Puja 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM
- Kali Puja
- Muhurat Trading Session hour not yet notified
- Govardhan Puja Morning puja 6:39 AM to 8:49 AM
- Bhai Dooj Tilak time 1:09 PM to 3:19 PM
Vrishabha lagna (a fixed sign) rising during pradosh kaal, while Trayodashi runs. Computed for each city from its own sunset and rising lagna: the window moves by more than half an hour between the east and the west of India, so read your own city's row.
| City | Dhanteras puja muhurat |
|---|---|
| New Delhi | 6:02–7:58 PM |
| Mumbai | 6:35–8:34 PM |
| Bengaluru | 6:26–8:20 PM |
| Kolkata | 5:28–7:26 PM |
| Chennai | 6:15–8:09 PM |
| Hyderabad | 6:16–8:13 PM |
| Pune | 6:32–8:31 PM |
| Ahmedabad | 6:30–8:29 PM |
| Jaipur | 6:11–8:07 PM |
| Lucknow | 5:50–7:47 PM |
| Patna | 5:36–7:33 PM |
| Indore | 6:18–8:16 PM |
| Bhopal | 6:11–8:09 PM |
| Chandigarh | 6:00–7:55 PM |
| Surat | 6:32–8:31 PM |
| Nagpur | 6:07–8:06 PM |
| Varanasi | 5:45–7:42 PM |
| Kanpur | 5:54–7:50 PM |
| Noida | 6:02–7:57 PM |
| Gurugram | 6:03–7:59 PM |
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Friday, 6 November 2026
| Timing | New Delhi | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Dhanteras puja muhurat | 6:02 PM to 7:58 PM | Vrishabha lagna (a fixed sign) rising during pradosh kaal, while Trayodashi runs. |
Dhanteras is not a Gregorian date. It is Krishna paksha tithi 13 of Ashwin in the amanta reckoning, and the Gregorian day it lands on moves by up to a month between years because twelve lunations fall about eleven days short of a solar year.
- Tithi
- Trayodashi, Krishna paksha
- Lunar month
- Ashwin (amanta)
- Tithi begins
- 6 Nov, 10:31 AM
- Tithi ends
- 7 Nov, 10:48 AM
- Decided at
- Pradosh (just after sunset)
- Pradosh in New Delhi
- 6 Nov, 6:44 PM
Pradosh in New Delhi falls at 6:44 PM on that day, and that is the instant the tithi has to be running at for the day to carry the observance. It is computed for this city rather than assumed, because it is what decides the date.
The two instants above are the astronomy and are not in dispute. The day is an interpretation of them: this observance is decided at pradosh, so it belongs to the day whose pradosh the tithi carries — not simply to the day the tithi begins.
Dhanteras, the first day of Diwali, is the Trayodashi of the dark fortnight of Kartika: the day families buy something new for the home, worship Dhanvantari, Kuber and Lakshmi, and light a lamp for Yama facing south. In New Delhi, Dhanteras falls on Friday, 6 November 2026; the puja muhurat is 6:02 PM to 7:58 PM, pradosh kaal with the fixed sign Vrishabha rising, and the Yam diya is lit in pradosh (5:32 PM to 6:51 PM). For shopping, the day's auspicious choghadiyas while Trayodashi runs are Amrit: 10:31 AM to 10:42 AM; Shubh: 12:04 PM to 1:26 PM; Chal: 4:10 PM to 5:32 PM; Labh: 8:48 PM to 10:26 PM; Shubh: 7 Nov, 12:04 AM to 1:43 AM; Amrit: 7 Nov, 1:43 AM to 3:21 AM; Chal: 7 Nov, 3:21 AM to 4:59 AM; Shubh: 7 Nov, 7:59 AM to 9:20 AM.
| Muhurat | Time in New Delhi | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Dhanteras puja muhurat | 6:02 PM to 7:58 PMPradosh kaal, inside the fixed Vrishabha lagna, while Trayodashi runs. | The evening window for the family puja of Lakshmi, Kuber and Dhanvantari: pradosh kaal while Vrishabha, a fixed sign, is rising and Trayodashi runs. It is the same reasoning as Diwali's Lakshmi Puja: a fixed lagna is chosen so that what is welcomed stays. |
| Yam Deepdaan | 5:32 PM to 6:51 PMThe evening sandhya on Dhanteras — three ghatis after sunset — when the lamp for Yama is lit facing south. | The lamp for Yama is lit at nightfall on Trayodashi, in pradosh kaal, and set outside the main door facing south. It is a prayer for the long life and well-being of the family, kept by most North Indian households on this evening. |
| Shopping choghadiya (gold, silver, utensils) |
| The Amrit, Shubh, Labh and Chal choghadiyas of the Dhanteras day while Trayodashi runs. Families time the purchase of a utensil, coin, jewellery, broom or vehicle to one of these, and keep clear of the day's Rahu Kaal, which the panchang lists. |
| Vrishabha Kaal (fixed lagna) | 6:02 PM to 7:58 PMVrishabha, a fixed (sthir) sign, rising in the evening. | The whole span while Vrishabha rises in the evening. Families who cannot finish the puja inside pradosh continue in the rest of it. |
| Pradosh Kaal | 5:32 PM to 8:09 PMFrom sunset for three night muhurtas (a fifth of the night). | The first three muhurtas of the night after sunset. The Yam diya and the evening puja both fall here; if the Vrishabha window is short, any part of pradosh while Trayodashi runs is the accepted choice. |
| Abhijit Muhurat | 11:42 AM to 12:26 PMThe 8th of the day's fifteen muhurtas, around local noon. | The muhurta around local noon, widely used for purchases and new beginnings when it falls inside Trayodashi. By convention it is not used on a Wednesday. |
| Auspicious choghadiya (night) |
| The night's Amrit, Shubh, Labh and Chal choghadiyas, for families who shop or worship at the shop after sunset, while Trayodashi still runs. |
| Sunset | 5:32 PMThe upper edge of the Sun leaving the horizon. | The day's lamps, the thirteen diyas and the Yam diya, are lit after sunset in New Delhi. |
Auspicious windows that day
| Window | Time in New Delhi | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Abhijit Muhurat | 11:42 AM to 12:26 PM | Auspicious |
| Amrit Kaal | 10:31 PM to 12:10 AM | Most Auspicious |
| Brahma Muhurat | 4:52 AM to 5:44 AM | Auspicious |
Windows usually worked around
These are the spans classical muhurta sets aside for beginnings. They are descriptions of a convention, not warnings: the observance is kept on its day regardless, and nothing here needs to be bought, corrected or remedied.
| Window | Time in New Delhi |
|---|---|
| Rahu Kaal | 10:42 AM to 12:04 PM |
| Yamaganda Kaal | 2:48 PM to 4:10 PM |
| Durmuhurta First | 8:47 AM to 9:31 AM |
| Durmuhurta Second | 12:26 PM to 1:10 PM |
| Varjyam | 12:36 PM to 2:15 PM |
Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Friday, 6 November 2026, from the sunrise, sunset and the positions of the Sun and Moon for this city. The Vedic day runs sunrise to sunrise, so a window whose clock time falls after midnight still belongs to the evening before; a time on another date carries that date.
Clean and decorate
Dhanteras opens Diwali, so finish cleaning the house and the entrance, put up a toran, make a rangoli and draw Lakshmi's footprints walking in.
Buy in an auspicious window
During Trayodashi, in an Amrit, Shubh, Labh or Chal choghadiya, buy something new for the home: a brass, copper or silver vessel, a silver or gold coin, a broom, whole coriander. Bring a new vessel home filled with water, rice, sugar or sweets, never empty.
Set up the altar at dusk
Bathe before sunset and set a chowki with a red or yellow cloth in the north or north-east of the room. Place Ganesh, Lakshmi, Kuber (an image, a yantra or the cash box) and a picture of Dhanvantari, with the day's purchases before them.
Light the lamps
Light a ghee lamp before the deities and keep thirteen clay diyas ready for the house, one for each tithi up to Trayodashi, as many families do.
Sankalp and Ganesh puja
Sprinkle Ganga jal on yourself and the samagri, take a sankalp for the Dhanteras puja, and worship Ganesh first with roli, rice, durva, flowers and a laddoo, chanting Om Gam Ganapataye Namah.
Dhanvantari puja
Offer Dhanvantari sandalwood paste, rice, yellow flowers and tulsi leaves, light incense and chant his mantra 11 or 108 times, praying for the health of everyone in the family.
Kuber and Lakshmi puja
Mark the new vessel, the coins and the cash box with roli and rice and place them before Kuber and Lakshmi. Offer kumkum, flowers, lotus seeds and whole coriander, and chant the Kuber mantra and Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah.
Naivedya
Offer sweets, kheer, fruits and coriander seeds with jaggery, if possible in the new vessel, with paan, supari and cloves, and water to sip.
Aarti
Sing the Lakshmi aarti, Om Jai Lakshmi Mata, with camphor or a ghee lamp, and offer flowers with folded hands.
Yam Deepdaan
In pradosh, fill a four-wicked (chaumukha) clay lamp with mustard or sesame oil, set it on a little wheat or rice outside the main door with its flame facing south, and say the Yam deepdaan verse once. It is a prayer to Yama for the long life of the family.
Lamps around the house
Place the thirteen diyas at the main door, the kitchen, the water source, the tulsi and the corners of the house.
Keep the purchases for Diwali
Share the prasad. Keep the coin and the new vessel with the altar: they are worshipped again in the Lakshmi puja on Diwali night.
- Ganesh, Lakshmi and Kuber idols or pictures A Kuber yantra, or the family's cash box, can stand for Kuber.
- A picture of Dhanvantari The physician of the gods, shown with the pot of amrit; a Vishnu image serves if you have none.
- Chowki and a red or yellow cloth The altar for the evening puja.
- The new vessel, coin or jewellery bought that day Brass, copper or silver is traditional; it is worshipped tonight and again on Diwali.
- Roli, haldi, chandan and akshat For tilak and for marking the vessel, the coins and the cash box.
- Mauli (kalava) The sacred thread for the wrist and the kalash.
- Flowers and garlands Marigold and lotus; yellow flowers for Dhanvantari.
- Tulsi leaves For Dhanvantari, a form of Vishnu; not for Ganesh.
- Thirteen clay diyas, oil and wicks The customary number for Trayodashi.
- A ghee lamp Before the deities during the puja.
- A four-wicked (chaumukha) clay lamp For Yam Deepdaan, with mustard or sesame oil; a large ordinary diya with four wicks works too.
- A handful of wheat or rice The Yam diya is set on it outside the door.
- Incense, dhoop and camphor For the worship and the aarti.
- Ganga jal Or clean water, for purification.
- Panchamrit Milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar, if you bathe a metal idol.
- Whole coriander seeds (dhaniya) Bought on the day, offered to Lakshmi and later sown in a pot.
- Jaggery With coriander seeds, a naivedya many Marathi homes offer on Dhantrayodashi.
- Kamal gatta (lotus seeds) Lakshmi's traditional offering.
- Sweets, kheer and fruits Any homemade sweet; seasonal fruit.
- Paan, supari, cloves and cardamom Offered at the end of the naivedya.
- Silver or ordinary coins Washed, worshipped and kept for the Diwali puja.
- A new broom Optional; many families buy one and worship it as a form of Lakshmi.
- Cowries or gomti chakra Optional folk offerings for the safe.
- Rangoli colours and a toran For the entrance.
- Thali, lota and small bowls For offerings and for achaman.
Dhanvantari mantra
ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय धन्वन्तरये अमृतकलशहस्ताय सर्वामयविनाशनाय त्रैलोक्यनाथाय श्रीमहाविष्णवे नमः ॥
Om namo bhagavate Vasudevaya Dhanvantaraye amritakalasha-hastaya sarvamaya-vinashanaya trailokyanathaya Shri Mahavishnave namah
Meaning: Om, salutation to the Lord Vasudeva as Dhanvantari, who holds the pot of amrit and removes every illness, lord of the three worlds, Shri Mahavishnu.
When and how: In the Dhanvantari puja, 11 or 108 times, as a prayer for the family's health. It is devotion, not a substitute for medical care.
Kuber mantra (Vedic)
ॐ राजाधिराजाय प्रसह्यसाहिने ।
नमो वयं वैश्रवणाय कुर्महे ।
स मे कामान्कामकामाय मह्यम् ।
कामेश्वरो वैश्रवणो ददातु ।
कुबेराय वैश्रवणाय ।
महाराजाय नमः ॥
Om rajadhirajaya prasahyasahine
Namo vayam Vaishravanaya kurmahe
Sa me kaman kamakamaya mahyam
Kameshvaro Vaishravano dadatu
Kuberaya Vaishravanaya
Maharajaya namah
Meaning: To the king of kings, who prevails by his own might, to Vaishravana we offer salutation. May he, the lord of desires, Vaishravana, grant my wishes to me who wish. To Kubera, Vaishravana, the great king, salutation.
When and how: From the Taittiriya Aranyaka, recited in the Mantrapushpam. Say it once before the cash box and the new purchases.
Kuber mantra (short)
ॐ यक्षाय कुबेराय वैश्रवणाय धनधान्याधिपतये धनधान्यसमृद्धिं मे देहि दापय स्वाहा ॥
Om yakshaya Kuberaya Vaishravanaya dhanadhanyadhipataye dhanadhanyasamriddhim me dehi dapaya svaha
Meaning: Om, to the yaksha Kubera, son of Vishravas, lord of wealth and grain: give me abundance of wealth and grain, have it given; svaha.
When and how: The popular Kuber mantra of the ritual digests, 11 or 108 times in the Kuber puja.
Mahalakshmi mantra
ॐ श्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः
Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah
Meaning: Om, shreem: salutation to Mahalakshmi. Shreem is Lakshmi's seed syllable.
When and how: 108 times in the Lakshmi part of the puja.
Yam Deepdaan verse
मृत्युना पाशदण्डाभ्यां कालेन श्यामया सह ।
त्रयोदश्यां दीपदानात् सूर्यजः प्रीयतां मम ॥
Mrityuna pashadandabhyam kalena shyamaya saha
Trayodashyam deepadanat suryajah priyatam mama
Meaning: By this gift of a lamp on Trayodashi, may the son of the Sun, Yama, with Death, his noose and his staff, with Kala and Shyama, be pleased with me.
When and how: Once, while setting the Yam diya outside the main door facing south in pradosh.
Aarti Lakshmi Aarti: Om Jai Lakshmi Mata the full text
ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता, मैया जय लक्ष्मी माता।
तुमको निशिदिन सेवत, हरि विष्णु विधाता॥
ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥
उमा, रमा, ब्रह्माणी, तुम ही जग-माता।
सूर्य-चन्द्रमा ध्यावत, नारद ऋषि गाता॥
ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥
दुर्गा रूप निरंजनी, सुख सम्पत्ति दाता।
जो कोई तुमको ध्यावत, ऋद्धि-सिद्धि धन पाता॥
ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥
तुम पाताल-निवासिनि, तुम ही शुभदाता।
कर्म-प्रभाव-प्रकाशिनी, भवनिधि की त्राता॥
ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥
जिस घर में तुम रहतीं, सब सद्गुण आता।
सब सम्भव हो जाता, मन नहीं घबराता॥
ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥
तुम बिन यज्ञ न होते, वस्त्र न कोई पाता।
खान-पान का वैभव, सब तुमसे आता॥
ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥
शुभ-गुण मन्दिर सुन्दर, क्षीरोदधि-जाता।
रत्न चतुर्दश तुम बिन, कोई नहीं पाता॥
ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥
महालक्ष्मीजी की आरती, जो कोई जन गाता।
उर आनन्द समाता, पाप उतर जाता॥
ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥
Om jai Lakshmi Mata, maiya jai Lakshmi Mata.
Tumko nishidin sevat, Hari Vishnu Vidhata.
Om jai Lakshmi Mata.
Uma, Rama, Brahmani, tum hi jag-mata.
Surya-Chandrama dhyavat, Narad rishi gata.
Om jai Lakshmi Mata.
Durga roop niranjani, sukh sampatti data.
Jo koi tumko dhyavat, riddhi-siddhi dhan pata.
Om jai Lakshmi Mata.
Tum patal-nivasini, tum hi shubhdata.
Karm-prabhav-prakashini, bhavnidhi ki trata.
Om jai Lakshmi Mata.
Jis ghar mein tum rahtin, sab sadgun aata.
Sab sambhav ho jata, man nahin ghabrata.
Om jai Lakshmi Mata.
Tum bin yagya na hote, vastra na koi pata.
Khan-paan ka vaibhav, sab tumse aata.
Om jai Lakshmi Mata.
Shubh-gun mandir sundar, kshirodadhi-jata.
Ratna chaturdash tum bin, koi nahin pata.
Om jai Lakshmi Mata.
Mahalakshmi ji ki aarti, jo koi jan gata.
Ur anand samata, paap utar jata.
Om jai Lakshmi Mata.
Text as it is commonly sung. The Gita Press Aarti Sangrah prints 'Har-Vishnu-Dhata' for 'Hari Vishnu Vidhata', 'jis ghar tum rahti, tahan sab sadgun aata' for 'jis ghar mein tum rahtin, sab sadgun aata', 'vastra na ho pata' for 'vastra na koi pata' and 'jo koi nar gata' for 'jo koi jan gata'. Printed text
The katha
A popular story tells of King Hima, whose son was foretold to die of a snakebite on the fourth night of his marriage. That night the young bride would not let her husband sleep. She heaped her gold and silver ornaments at the door of their room, lit lamps all around and told stories and sang through the night.
When Yama came in the form of a serpent, the blaze of the lamps and the glitter of the ornaments dazzled him. He settled on the heap and listened to her songs till dawn, then went away without taking the prince. Since then lamps are lit for Yama at nightfall on Trayodashi, and gold, silver and new vessels are brought into the house on this day.
The day is also remembered as the birth of Dhanvantari. In the churning of the ocean of milk he rose last of all, holding the pot of amrit; the Bhagavata Purana calls him a portion of Vishnu and the founder of Ayurveda. Popular tradition places his appearance on this Trayodashi, two days before Lakshmi is worshipped on Amavasya.
Why it is kept
Dhanteras joins dhan, wealth, with teras, the thirteenth tithi. It honours two kinds of wealth: health, through Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods, and prosperity, through Kuber, the keeper of the treasury, and Lakshmi. The new vessel or coin brought home is a token of plenty for the year, and it is worshipped again on Diwali night.
The evening lamp for Yama turns the day toward the family's long life, and it opens the five days of Diwali. Jains keep the same day as Dhanya Teras, remembering Mahavira entering his final meditation before his nirvana on Diwali.
Yam Deepdaan for the family
Light the four-wicked lamp facing south at nightfall and say the Yam deepdaan verse. Tradition keeps it as a prayer to Yama for the long life and well-being of the household.
Whole coriander
Buy whole coriander seeds, offer them to Lakshmi, keep a few in the safe and sow the rest in a pot after Diwali. Folk belief takes a healthy green sprout as a sign of a good year.
Respect the new broom
Tradition sees the broom as a form of Lakshmi that sweeps poverty out of the house. Worship the new one with a tilak of kumkum, keep it out of sight and never step over it.
A coin with Lakshmi
Wash the coin you buy, worship it with Lakshmi and Kuber and keep it in the safe through the year, after worshipping it again on Diwali.
Kuber at the safe
Say the Kuber mantra before the cash box or locker and keep a Kuber yantra or image there, as trading families traditionally do.
Thirteen lamps
Light thirteen diyas on Trayodashi and place them around the house, at the entrance, the kitchen, the water source and the tulsi; a lit, clean home is believed to welcome Lakshmi.
Give on Dhanvantari's day
Give food to someone in need or help with a sick person's care. On the physician-god's day, families take care of health as much as wealth.
Do
- Buy something new for the home within Trayodashi, in an auspicious choghadiya.
- Prefer brass, copper or silver vessels, a silver or gold coin, a broom or whole coriander.
- Bring a new vessel home filled with water, rice, sugar or sweets.
- Light the Yam diya outside the main door, facing south, at nightfall.
- Worship Dhanvantari for the family's health as well as Kuber and Lakshmi for its prosperity.
- Keep the coin and vessel for the Diwali Lakshmi puja.
- Clean the house and the entrance; make a rangoli and light the doorway.
- Buy within your means; a small token purchase keeps the custom.
Don't
- By custom, avoid buying iron, sharp objects such as knives and scissors, glass and black-coloured items on Dhanteras.
- Do not bring a new vessel home empty.
- Do not borrow or stretch your budget to shop; the custom asks for a token, not a burden.
- By folk custom, families avoid lending money on the day.
- Do not light the Yam diya inside the house or near anything that can catch fire.
- Do not offer tulsi to Ganesh, or skip Ganesh before Lakshmi and Kuber.
- Do not throw out the old broom on Dhanteras itself; retire it after the festival.
By region
- North India
- Utensils, coins and jewellery are bought during the day, the Lakshmi-Kuber puja is done in pradosh and the Yam diya is set at the door; markets stay open late into the night.
- Maharashtra
- Dhantrayodashi follows Vasu Baras. Dhanvantari is worshipped, many homes offer a naivedya of coriander seeds with jaggery, and the Yamadeepdaan lamp is lit at dusk.
- Gujarat
- Dhan Teras is kept with a Lakshmi puja and the worship of coins and ornaments; the trading year moves toward the chopda pujan of Diwali.
- South India
- Kept as Dhanatrayodashi, with a Lakshmi or Kubera puja at home; Ayurveda institutions and Dhanvantari temples hold a Dhanvantari puja.
- Jain community
- Dhanya Teras: Mahavira is remembered entering the final meditation that ended in his nirvana on Diwali.
Bhog, prasad and fasting food
- Coriander seeds with jaggery A Dhantrayodashi naivedya in many Marathi homes, shared as prasad.
- Kheer and sweets Any homemade sweet, offered if possible in the new vessel.
- Laddoo for Ganesh Besan or motichoor.
- Seasonal fruit Banana, apple, pomegranate or water chestnut.
- Paan with supari and cloves At the end of the naivedya.
Two years back, this year, and two ahead. Past years are kept rather than dropped so you can check the engine against a calendar you already have.
| Year | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Tuesday, 29 October 2024 | past |
| 2025 | Saturday, 18 October 2025 | past |
| 2026This year | Friday, 6 November 2026 | upcoming |
| 2027 | Wednesday, 27 October 2027 | upcoming |
| 2028 | Sunday, 15 October 2028 | upcoming |
Every row is computed for New Delhi from the same ephemeris, not looked up. Sunrise decides which day a tithi names, and sunrise differs across India by more than an hour, so a date computed for Delhi can be a day out elsewhere.
There is no single authority that settles a Hindu festival date, and the divergence is genuine rather than sloppy. Three causes account for almost all of it.
- A tithi rarely starts at sunrise. One that is running at the deciding moment on two days — or on none — is claimed by both days under different rules.
- Month reckoning. North India runs purnimanta, the south and west amanta. The same dark fortnight carries different month names in the two, so an observance defined as "krishna X of month Y" can land a full lunation apart.
- Which moment decides. Most vratas belong to the day whose sunrise carries the tithi, but not all: this one is decided at pradosh. Almanacs that apply the sunrise rule to everything move several festivals by a day.
So this page shows its working. If your pandit or your family almanac gives a different day, the instants above will usually show you exactly why — and that is more useful than a date asserted without one.
Common questions
When is Dhanteras?
Friday, 6 November 2026. It is Trayodashi of Krishna paksha in Ashwin, and that tithi runs from 6 Nov, 10:31 AM to 7 Nov, 10:48 AM.
How many days before Diwali is Dhanteras in 2026?
Two days. Dhanteras is Fri 6 Nov and Diwali's Lakshmi Puja is Sun 8 Nov. Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) falls on Sun 8 Nov too this year.
Why does another calendar give a different Dhanteras date?
Three honest reasons. The tithi can be running at the deciding moment on two days or on none. North India reckons the month purnimanta and the south and west amanta, which names the same krishna fortnight differently. And almanacs differ on which moment of the day decides an observance. The instants above are the astronomy; the day is an interpretation of them.
What is the Dhanteras muhurat in New Delhi?
In New Delhi, the Dhanteras puja muhurat on Friday, 6 November 2026 is 6:02 PM to 7:58 PM: pradosh kaal while the fixed sign Vrishabha is rising and Trayodashi runs. If you cannot start in it, any part of pradosh kaal (5:32 PM to 8:09 PM) while Trayodashi lasts is the accepted next choice. Light the Yam diya in the same evening window.
What should I buy on Dhanteras?
Traditional purchases are a brass, copper or silver vessel, a silver or gold coin or a piece of jewellery, a new broom and whole coriander seeds. Many families also buy a new item for the kitchen or the home, and some time a vehicle or gadget to the day. What matters is a token of plenty bought in an auspicious window, not the amount spent.
What should not be bought on Dhanteras?
By custom, families avoid iron and sharp objects such as knives and scissors, glass, plastic and black-coloured items, and never bring a vessel home empty. Steel divides opinion: tradition prefers brass, copper and silver, but many households buy steel today. These are beliefs, not scriptural rules; buy what your family needs within your means.
What is the best time to buy gold, silver or utensils on Dhanteras?
Buy while Trayodashi runs (10:31 AM to 10:48 AM (7 Nov)) and in an auspicious choghadiya of the day: in New Delhi these are Amrit: 10:31 AM to 10:42 AM; Shubh: 12:04 PM to 1:26 PM; Chal: 4:10 PM to 5:32 PM; Labh: 8:48 PM to 10:26 PM; Shubh: 7 Nov, 12:04 AM to 1:43 AM; Amrit: 7 Nov, 1:43 AM to 3:21 AM; Chal: 7 Nov, 3:21 AM to 4:59 AM; Shubh: 7 Nov, 7:59 AM to 9:20 AM. Abhijit muhurat (11:42 AM to 12:26 PM) around noon is also used, except on a Wednesday. Avoid the day's Rahu Kaal, which the panchang lists.
How is the Yam diya lit on Dhanteras?
In pradosh kaal (5:32 PM to 6:51 PM), fill a four-wicked clay lamp with mustard or sesame oil, set it on a little wheat or rice outside the main door with the flame facing south, Yama's direction, and say the Yam deepdaan verse once. Leave it there to burn out safely. It is a prayer for the long life of the family.
Is the Yam diya lit on Dhanteras or on Narak Chaturdashi?
Both customs exist. The Puranic rule most panchangs follow places Yam Deepdaan at nightfall on Kartika Krishna Trayodashi, which is Dhanteras, and that is the main North Indian practice. Many families also light a lamp for Yama on the evening of Narak Chaturdashi, the next day. Keeping it on Dhanteras is never wrong; follow your family custom for the second lamp.
How do I do Dhanteras puja at home?
Clean the house, buy something new in an auspicious window and set up Ganesh, Lakshmi, Kuber and Dhanvantari on a chowki at dusk. Worship Ganesh first, then Dhanvantari for health and Kuber and Lakshmi for prosperity with roli, rice, flowers, coins and sweets, sing the aarti, light the Yam diya facing south and place thirteen diyas around the house. The steps above follow this order.
What is the Dhanteras puja samagri list?
You need idols or pictures of Ganesh, Lakshmi, Kuber and Dhanvantari, a chowki with a cloth, roli, haldi, rice, mauli, flowers and tulsi, thirteen clay diyas with oil, a ghee lamp, a four-wicked lamp for Yama, incense, camphor, whole coriander, jaggery, sweets, fruits, paan and supari, coins and the day's new vessel. The full list above gives substitutes.
Who is Dhanvantari, and how is he worshipped on Dhanteras?
Dhanvantari is the physician of the gods, a form of Vishnu who rose from the churning of the ocean holding the pot of amrit, and the patron of Ayurveda. On Dhanteras evening offer him sandalwood paste, yellow flowers, tulsi and a lamp, and chant his mantra 11 or 108 times for the family's health; it is devotion alongside medical care, never in place of it.
Which gods are worshipped on Dhanteras?
Ganesh first, as in every puja; then Dhanvantari for health, Kuber, the keeper of wealth, and Lakshmi for prosperity; and Yama, to whom the south-facing lamp is offered at nightfall. In many homes the evening puja is a Lakshmi-Kuber puja, a smaller version of the Diwali one.
Which mantra should be chanted on Dhanteras?
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah for Ganesh, the Dhanvantari mantra for health, the Vedic Rajadhirajaya verse or Om Yakshaya Kuberaya for Kuber, Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah for Lakshmi, and the Yam deepdaan verse while setting out the lamp for Yama. All of them, with meaning, are in the mantra section.
Why is a broom bought on Dhanteras?
Folk tradition treats the broom as a form of Lakshmi, because it sweeps poverty and dirt out of the house. A new broom bought on Dhanteras is worshipped with a little kumkum, kept with respect, out of sight and never stepped over, and the old one is retired after the festival rather than thrown out on the day.
How many diyas should be lit on Dhanteras?
Many families light thirteen, one for each tithi up to Trayodashi, and place them at the entrance, the kitchen, the water source, the tulsi and the corners of the house. The Yam diya is separate: one four-wicked lamp outside the main door facing south. There is no scriptural count for the house lamps, so light as many as you can look after safely.
Should I buy according to my rashi on Dhanteras?
No classical text ties Dhanteras purchases to the moon sign. Lists that match metals or colours to each rashi are modern suggestions. The traditional choice is the same for everyone: a vessel, a coin, a broom or coriander, bought in an auspicious window. Your own chart's period matters more for big purchases than a festival list.
Why is whole coriander bought on Dhanteras?
Coriander (dhaniya) sounds like dhan, wealth, and its seed sprouts readily, so it became a folk symbol of growing plenty. Families buy whole seeds, offer them to Lakshmi, keep a few in the safe and sow the rest in a pot after Diwali; in Maharashtra many homes offer coriander seeds with jaggery as the day's naivedya.