Ganesh mantra
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah
Meaning: Om, gam: salutation to Ganapati, lord of the ganas. Gam is Ganesha's seed syllable.
When and how: At the start of the puja, 11 or 21 times while offering durva and a laddoo to Ganesh.
Krishna paksha · Ashwin · amanta reckoning
When is Diwali 2026?
Sun, 8 Nov
Diwali 2026 is on Sunday, 8 November. The Lakshmi Puja muhurat in New Delhi is 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM.
2027: Friday, 29 October 2027
Lakshmi Puja muhurat
5:54 PM – 7:50 PM
Also called Deepavali, Lakshmi Puja. Those are the same observance and the same date, so they share this page rather than competing with it from a second URL.
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 Amavasya 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 | Lakshmi Puja muhurat |
|---|---|
| New Delhi | 5:54–7:50 PM |
| Mumbai | 6:27–8:27 PM |
| Bengaluru | 6:18–8:20 PM |
| Kolkata | 5:20–7:19 PM |
| Chennai | 6:07–8:09 PM |
| Hyderabad | 6:08–8:08 PM |
| Pune | 6:24–8:25 PM |
| Ahmedabad | 6:22–8:21 PM |
| Jaipur | 6:03–8:00 PM |
| Lucknow | 5:43–7:39 PM |
| Patna | 5:28–7:25 PM |
| Indore | 6:10–8:08 PM |
| Bhopal | 6:03–8:01 PM |
| Chandigarh | 5:52–7:47 PM |
| Surat | 6:24–8:23 PM |
| Nagpur | 5:59–7:58 PM |
| Varanasi | 5:37–7:34 PM |
| Kanpur | 5:46–7:42 PM |
| Noida | 5:54–7:49 PM |
| Gurugram | 5:55–7:51 PM |
Ask Swarn
Is this muhurat good for my chart? Ask Swarn free
Sunday, 8 November 2026
| Timing | New Delhi | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Lakshmi Puja muhurat | 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM | Vrishabha lagna (a fixed sign) rising during pradosh kaal, while Amavasya runs. |
Diwali is not a Gregorian date. It is Krishna paksha tithi 15 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
- Amavasya, Krishna paksha
- Lunar month
- Ashwin (amanta)
- Tithi begins
- 8 Nov, 11:29 AM
- Tithi ends
- 9 Nov, 12:32 PM
- Decided at
- Pradosh (just after sunset)
- Pradosh in New Delhi
- 8 Nov, 6:43 PM
Pradosh in New Delhi falls at 6:43 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.
Diwali is the night of the Kartika new moon (Amavasya), when homes are lit with lamps and families worship Lakshmi together with Ganesh for a year of well-being. In New Delhi, Diwali falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026, and the Lakshmi Puja muhurat for homes is 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM: the evening pradosh kaal while the fixed sign Vrishabha is rising. Shops and offices often worship earlier, in the afternoon Kumbha lagna (1:27 PM to 2:54 PM), and a midnight sadhana keeps to Simha lagna (9 Nov, 12:25 AM to 2:42 AM).
| Muhurat | Time in New Delhi | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Lakshmi Puja muhurat (for homes) | 5:54 PM to 7:50 PMPradosh kaal, inside the fixed Vrishabha lagna, while Amavasya runs. | The main window for the family puja: pradosh kaal, the first part of the night after sunset, while Vrishabha (Taurus) is rising and Amavasya runs. Vrishabha is a sthir (fixed) sign, and tradition prefers a fixed lagna so that Lakshmi, once welcomed, stays. Start the Ganesh puja a little before it opens, so that the Lakshmi puja itself falls inside it. |
| Pradosh Kaal | 5:31 PM to 8:08 PMFrom sunset for three night muhurtas (a fifth of the night). | The first three muhurtas of the night after sunset, roughly two and a half hours: the time Diwali lamps are lit and the puja is done. If the Vrishabha window is short or you miss it, any part of pradosh while Amavasya runs is the accepted next choice. In a year when the Vrishabha window falls outside Amavasya, the puja is done in pradosh kaal while Amavasya still runs. |
| Vrishabha Kaal (fixed lagna) | 5:54 PM to 7:50 PMVrishabha, a fixed (sthir) sign, rising in the evening. | The whole span while Vrishabha rises in the evening. Part of it can run past pradosh, so families who begin late, and traders who worship after closing the shop, use the rest of it. |
| Kumbha Lagna (shops and offices) | 1:27 PM to 2:54 PMKumbha, a fixed sign, rising in the afternoon — the sthir lagna for a shop or office puja. | The fixed sign rising in the afternoon of Diwali. Shops, offices and factories that do their Lakshmi puja at the workplace before going home choose it, as do people who cannot be at home in the evening. |
| Diwali choghadiya |
| The Amrit, Shubh, Labh and Chal choghadiyas from Diwali afternoon to the next dawn. Gujarati and Marwari trading families traditionally pick a Labh or Amrit choghadiya for chopda (account book) pujan, and many households use a choghadiya when the lagna windows do not suit them. |
| Mahanishita Kaal | 11:38 PM to 12:31 AM (9 Nov)Nishita kaal on the Amavasya night. | The middle of the Amavasya night. It belongs to mantra sadhana, to Lakshmi and Kali worship in the tantric tradition and to Kali Puja in Bengal. The household Lakshmi puja is an evening puja and does not need to wait for it. |
| Simha (Singh) Lagna | 9 Nov, 12:25 AM to 2:42 AMSimha, a fixed sign, rising around midnight — for the mahanishita puja. | The fixed sign that rises around and after midnight. Those who worship Lakshmi at midnight, keep a night-long jagran or practise a mantra sadhana choose it, because Simha is sthir like Vrishabha. |
| Sunset | 5:31 PMThe upper edge of the Sun leaving the horizon. | Lamps are lit at dusk. The pradosh and Lakshmi Puja windows are both counted from 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 | 10:02 PM to 11:44 PM | Most Auspicious |
| Brahma Muhurat | 4:53 AM to 5:45 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 | 4:09 PM to 5:31 PM |
| Yamaganda Kaal | 12:04 PM to 1:26 PM |
| Durmuhurta First | 4:04 PM to 4:47 PM |
| Varjyam | 11:50 AM to 1:32 PM |
Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Sunday, 8 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.
Prepare the house during the day
Finish cleaning the house, above all the puja corner and the main door. Tie a toran of mango or ashoka leaves and marigolds over the door, make a rangoli at the entrance and draw Lakshmi's small footprints walking into the house. Bathe and put on clean or new clothes before sunset.
Set up the altar
Place a low wooden chowki in the north-east or north of the room, so that you face east or north while you worship, and cover it with a red cloth. Seat Lakshmi on a lotus in the middle and Ganesh on her right, which is your left as you face her. At one corner, on a small heap of rice, place a kalash of water with mango leaves and a coconut tied with mauli. Keep Kuber, the new account books, a pen and the cash box beside them.
Light the lamps
As the muhurat begins, light a large ghee lamp before Lakshmi to burn through the night (the akhand diya), and an oil lamp beside it. Light incense.
Purify and take the sankalp
Sip water three times (achaman) and sprinkle Ganga jal on yourself, the seat and the samagri. Hold water, rice, a flower and a coin in your right hand, say your name, gotra and place and that you are doing the Mahalakshmi puja on Kartika Amavasya, then let the water fall to the ground.
Worship Ganesh first
Invoke Ganesh with Om Gam Ganapataye Namah. Offer water, a tilak of roli, rice, durva grass, flowers, a sacred thread (janeu) and a laddoo or modak. Do not offer tulsi leaves to Ganesh.
Worship the kalash
Offer roli, rice and flowers to the kalash, invoking Varuna in its water. Families who make nine small heaps of rice for the Navagraha worship them briefly here.
Invoke and bathe Lakshmi
With folded hands invite Lakshmi to the altar and offer her a seat and water for her feet, hands and mouth. Bathe a metal idol in water, then panchamrit, then clean water, and wipe it dry; for a clay idol or a picture, sprinkle water with a flower.
Clothes, adornment and flowers
Offer a red chunari or cloth, sandalwood paste, kumkum, sindoor, rice, perfume and the items of adornment (bangles, bindi). Offer lotuses, red roses and marigolds, and a garland.
Worship the household's wealth, Kuber and Saraswati
Place coins, jewellery, a few notes, the cash box and the new account books before Lakshmi and worship them with roli and rice. Draw a swastika on the first page of the books and write Shubh and Labh on either side. Chant the Kuber mantra before the cash box, and worship the pen and inkpot as Saraswati.
Incense, lamp and food
Show incense and the lamp. Offer kheel-batashe, sweets, kheer, fruits of the season (sugarcane, water chestnut, pomegranate) and paan with supari, cloves and cardamom, then water to sip.
Mantra and recitation
Chant Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah on a mala of 108, or the Lakshmi Gayatri. If you know them, recite the Shri Suktam or the Kanakadhara Stotram, and read the Lakshmi katha.
Deepdaan: lamps through the house
Worship a plate of diyas with roli and rice, then place them around the house: the main door, every room, the kitchen, the water tap or well, the tulsi and the balcony or roof. The akhand diya stays before Lakshmi.
Aarti and the prayer for pardon
Sing the Ganesh aarti and then Om Jai Lakshmi Mata with camphor or a ghee lamp, ringing the bell or blowing the conch. Offer flowers with folded hands, turn round clockwise three times where you stand, and ask pardon for any mistake made in the puja.
Prasad and the night
Share the prasad and touch the feet of the elders. Leave the altar as it is overnight with the main lamp burning safely, and clear it the next morning after a short prayer.
- Lakshmi and Ganesh idols or a picture New clay idols are traditional each year; Lakshmi seated on a lotus is preferred for the home. A framed picture works as well.
- Wooden chowki and a red cloth The altar. A yellow cloth is the common alternative.
- Kalash with mango leaves and a coconut Copper, brass or clay pot filled with water, five mango leaves, and a coconut tied with mauli on top.
- Roli or kumkum, haldi and chandan For tilak and for marking the kalash, the books and the coins.
- Akshat (whole rice) Unbroken rice, washed and dried; a pinch of haldi or kumkum may be mixed in.
- Mauli (kalava) The red and yellow sacred thread for the kalash, the coconut and your wrist.
- Lotus and other flowers The lotus is Lakshmi's flower; red roses and marigold garlands are the usual alternatives. Durva grass for Ganesh.
- Clay diyas, ghee and oil, cotton wicks One large lamp for the akhand diya (ghee), and 11, 21 or more small diyas (mustard or sesame oil) for the house.
- Camphor, an aarti plate and a bell For the aarti; a ghee lamp with five wicks is the alternative to camphor.
- Incense sticks and dhoop Any you use daily.
- Panchamrit Milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar, for bathing a metal idol; it is then shared as prasad.
- Ganga jal For purification; clean water with a drop of Ganga jal, or plain clean water, will do.
- Kheel-batashe Puffed rice and sugar drops, the classic Diwali prasad of North India.
- Sweets and kheer Laddoo or modak for Ganesh, kheer and barfi for Lakshmi; homemade is best.
- Seasonal fruits Sugarcane, water chestnut (singhara), pomegranate, banana or apple.
- Paan, supari, cloves and cardamom Offered at the end of the food offering.
- Coins, notes and jewellery Silver or ordinary coins are worshipped before Lakshmi; one is kept in the safe afterwards.
- Kamal gatta (lotus seeds) and whole coriander Traditional Lakshmi offerings; a kamal gatta mala is used for her mantra.
- Whole turmeric and dhaniya Signs of plenty, offered and then kept with the household grain or in the safe.
- Red chunari and items of adornment Bangles, sindoor, bindi and mehendi offered to Lakshmi as a married goddess.
- Janeu (sacred thread) Offered to Ganesh.
- Perfume (itra) A few drops on a flower or a cotton swab.
- New account books, pen and inkpot For the bahi-khata or chopda pujan; students may place their books for Saraswati.
- Kuber image or Shri Yantra Optional; many trading families worship Kuber beside Lakshmi.
- Rangoli colours, flower petals and a toran For the entrance; rice flour or chalk powder works as well as coloured powder.
- Conch (shankh) Optional, blown at the aarti.
- Cowries or gomti chakra Optional folk offerings, often kept in a small red cloth bundle in the safe.
- Plates, bowls, a lota and a spoon A brass or steel thali for the offerings and a small lota of water for achaman.
- A bucket of water or sand Safety, with many lamps burning and crackers outside.
Mahalakshmi mantra
ॐ श्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः
Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah
Meaning: Om, shreem: salutation to Mahalakshmi. Shreem is Lakshmi's seed syllable; shri itself means radiance and good fortune.
When and how: 108 times, on a kamal gatta or crystal mala, inside the Lakshmi Puja muhurat.
Lakshmi Gayatri
ॐ महालक्ष्म्यै च विद्महे विष्णुपत्न्यै च धीमहि ।
तन्नो लक्ष्मीः प्रचोदयात् ॥
Om Mahalakshmyai cha vidmahe Vishnupatnyai cha dhimahi
Tanno Lakshmih prachodayat
Meaning: May we know Mahalakshmi; may we meditate on the consort of Vishnu. May Lakshmi inspire us.
When and how: 11, 21 or 108 times after the offerings; also on Fridays through the year.
Shri Suktam, first verse
ॐ हिरण्यवर्णां हरिणीं सुवर्णरजतस्रजाम् ।
चन्द्रां हिरण्मयीं लक्ष्मीं जातवेदो म आवह ॥
Om hiranyavarnam harinim suvarnarajatasrajam
Chandram hiranmayim Lakshmim jatavedo ma avaha
Meaning: O Jatavedas (Agni), bring to me Lakshmi: golden in colour, graceful as a doe, wearing garlands of gold and silver, radiant as the moon, shining like gold.
When and how: The opening of the Shri Suktam, the hymn to Lakshmi among the supplementary (khila) hymns of the Rigveda. Recite the whole suktam once in the muhurat if you can; otherwise this verse, offering a lotus or a flower.
Mahalakshmi Ashtakam, first verse
नमस्तेऽस्तु महामाये श्रीपीठे सुरपूजिते ।
शङ्खचक्रगदाहस्ते महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Namaste'stu mahamaye shripithe surapujite
Shankha-chakra-gada-haste Mahalakshmi namo'stu te
Meaning: Salutation to you, great Maya, seated on the throne of Shri and worshipped by the gods; you who hold the conch, discus and mace, Mahalakshmi, salutation to you.
When and how: The first verse of the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam, traditionally ascribed to Indra in the Padma Purana. Say it with folded hands at the flower offering, or recite all eight verses.
Kuber mantra
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. A request framed as an offering.
When and how: In the Lakshmi-Kuber part of the puja, before the cash box and the account books, 11 or 108 times. A traditional mantra of the ritual digests, not of the Vedas.
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
When the gods and the asuras churned the ocean of milk for amrit, with Mount Mandara as the churning rod and the serpent Vasuki as the rope, treasure after treasure rose from the waters. Among them came Lakshmi, seated on a lotus and holding lotuses, so radiant that the gods and sages broke into praise. The Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana tell how she looked over all who stood there and chose Vishnu, placing her garland around his neck, and has stayed at his side ever since.
Popular tradition ties this churning to the Diwali days: Dhanvantari rose with the pot of amrit on Dhanteras, and Lakshmi is welcomed into every home on the moonless night that follows. That is why the house is cleaned, the doorway lit and her footprints drawn walking in, for a goddess is invited, not summoned.
The story every child hears is Rama's homecoming. After fourteen years of exile and the defeat of Ravana, Rama returned to Ayodhya with Sita and Lakshmana, and the people lit rows of lamps to welcome them through the dark night. Deepavali means exactly that: a row of lamps.
Why it is kept
Diwali falls on the Amavasya of Kartika (Ashwin in the amanta calendar of the south and west), a moonless night, and answers it with light. Lakshmi stands for prosperity, well-being and grace; she is worshipped with Ganesh, so that what comes, comes with wisdom and without obstacles, with Kuber, the keeper of wealth, and with Saraswati in the books and pens of the house. Tradition calls Lakshmi chanchala, restless, which is why the puja is timed to a fixed (sthir) lagna: a prayer that she stays.
It is the third and central day of a five-day festival, from Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj, and for many trading families the start of a new financial year, when new account books are worshipped. Jains keep the same night as the nirvana of Mahavira at Pavapuri, Sikhs as Bandi Chhor Divas, the return of Guru Hargobind to Amritsar, and Bengal as Kali Puja.
An akhand diya through the night
Light a large ghee lamp before Lakshmi at the start of the muhurat and keep it burning till morning. It is believed a steady flame keeps the welcome open; set it on a metal plate, away from curtains, and check it before you sleep.
A lamp at every threshold
Place a lamp at the main door, at each room, in the kitchen, at the water tap or well and beside the tulsi. Tradition holds that Lakshmi visits homes that are clean and lit and passes by dark, cluttered ones.
Lotus and kamal gatta
Offer a lotus, or lotus seeds (kamal gatta), and chant her mantra on a kamal gatta mala; the lotus is Lakshmi's seat in every image of her.
Shri Suktam or Kanakadhara Stotram
Recite the Shri Suktam, or Adi Shankaracharya's Kanakadhara Stotram, in the muhurat; if you cannot read Sanskrit, listen to it with attention. Families keep it as a prayer of gratitude.
Keep a worshipped coin
Worship the coins, the cash box and the new account books with Lakshmi, and keep one of the worshipped coins in the safe or your wallet through the year, as many families do.
The dhan potli
Some families tie a small red cloth bundle with a coin, a whole turmeric, a few cowries or gomti chakras, rice and a clove, worship it with Lakshmi and keep it in the safe. It is a folk custom, kept for its meaning.
Give before you receive
Give sweets, clothes or food to the people who work for you and to those in need before the evening puja. Tradition holds that Lakshmi stays where wealth moves with generosity.
Harmony at home
Speak gently and honour the women and elders of the house on this day; in tradition Lakshmi is said to live where there is respect and peace.
Do
- Finish cleaning the house before the evening, especially the puja corner and the entrance; clear out broken things.
- Worship within the muhurat while Amavasya runs, Ganesh first and then Lakshmi.
- Light lamps at the main door, in every room, the kitchen, the water source and beside the tulsi.
- Make a rangoli at the entrance and draw Lakshmi's footprints walking in.
- Wear clean or new clothes; bright colours such as red, yellow and pink are traditional.
- Worship the account books, the cash box and the pens of the house with Lakshmi.
- Share prasad and sweets with neighbours, staff and those in need.
- Keep the akhand diya on a metal plate, away from curtains, with water or sand nearby.
- Light crackers only where and when local rules allow, away from lamps, children and animals.
Don't
- Do not begin the Lakshmi puja after Amavasya has ended.
- Do not keep broken idols, torn pictures or chipped lamps on the altar.
- Do not offer tulsi leaves to Ganesh.
- Do not sweep the house or throw out rubbish after the evening puja; by custom it waits till morning.
- Do not leave the puja corner or the entrance dark on Diwali night.
- Do not gamble or drink in the name of the festival.
- Do not quarrel or speak harshly at home on Lakshmi's night.
- Do not leave lamps or the akhand diya unattended near cloth or paper.
By region
- North India
- Lakshmi-Ganesh puja in the evening muhurat, kheel-batashe and rows of diyas. In Ayodhya the Deepotsav lights the ghats of the Sarayu to remember Rama's return.
- Gujarat and Marwari traders
- Chopda (Sharda) pujan of the new account books on Diwali, in a Labh or Amrit choghadiya; the Gujarati new year follows the next morning, and shops reopen on Labh Pancham.
- Maharashtra
- Lakshmi Pujan on the Amavasya, when a new broom is also worshipped as a form of Lakshmi. The festival runs from Vasu Baras to Bhaubeej, with homemade faral and the clay forts children build.
- West Bengal, Assam and Odisha
- The Amavasya night is Kali Puja, worshipped at midnight; in Bengali homes the main Lakshmi Puja of the year is Kojagari, on Sharad Purnima. In Odisha, families burn jute stalks (kaunria kathi) on Diwali evening to light the way for their ancestors.
- South India
- Deepavali is celebrated mainly at dawn on Naraka Chaturdashi, with an oil bath, new clothes and sweets; many families also keep a Lakshmi or Kubera-Lakshmi puja on the Amavasya.
- Jain and Sikh communities
- Jains mark Mahavira's nirvana with lamps and prayer, and their new year begins the next day; Sikhs keep Bandi Chhor Divas, when the Golden Temple is lit.
- Nepal
- Tihar's Laxmi Puja falls on the same Amavasya, with lamps, rangoli and the Deusi-Bhailo songs.
Bhog, prasad and fasting food
- Kheel-batashe Puffed rice and sugar drops, the signature Lakshmi prasad of North India, shared with everyone after the puja.
- Kheer Rice cooked in milk and sugar; white offerings are traditional for Lakshmi.
- Laddoo or modak Ganesh's favourites: besan, motichoor or coconut laddoos.
- Seasonal fruit Sugarcane, water chestnut, pomegranate, banana and custard apple.
- Paan A betel leaf with supari, clove and cardamom, offered at the end of the meal offering.
- Suran (elephant foot yam) In parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar a dish of suran is cooked on Diwali by custom.
- Faral (Maharashtra) Chakli, karanji, shankarpali, chivda and besan laddoo, made at home in the week before.
- Gujarati nasto Mathiya, chorafali, ghughra and mohanthal, shared with visitors through the festival.
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 | Friday, 1 November 2024 | past |
| 2025 | Tuesday, 21 October 2025 | past |
| 2026This year | Sunday, 8 November 2026 | upcoming |
| 2027 | Friday, 29 October 2027 | upcoming |
| 2028 | Tuesday, 17 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.
In 2026, for New Delhi: Some calendars print the Simha lagna two or three minutes later: their lagna tables carry a single sidereal time through the night, and drift by the small hours. The times here follow the rising sign itself.
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 Diwali?
Sunday, 8 November 2026. It is Amavasya of Krishna paksha in Ashwin, and that tithi runs from 8 Nov, 11:29 AM to 9 Nov, 12:32 PM.
What are the five days of Diwali 2026?
Dhanteras, Fri 6 Nov; Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali), Sun 8 Nov; Diwali (Lakshmi Puja), Sun 8 Nov; Govardhan Puja, Tue 10 Nov; Bhai Dooj, Wed 11 Nov. Two of them can share a day, as Choti Diwali and Lakshmi Puja do this year: each is decided by its own tithi at its own moment, computed for New Delhi.
Why does another calendar give a different Diwali 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 Diwali muhurat in New Delhi?
In New Delhi, the Lakshmi Puja muhurat on Sunday, 8 November 2026 is 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM. It is the part of pradosh kaal, the evening after sunset, in which the fixed sign Vrishabha is rising while Amavasya runs. If you cannot start in it, any part of pradosh kaal (5:31 PM to 8:08 PM) while Amavasya lasts is the accepted next choice. The times change from city to city, so choose your own city on this page.
Which Diwali muhurat should I use: home, shop or midnight?
Homes use the evening Lakshmi Puja muhurat (5:54 PM to 7:50 PM), pradosh kaal with Vrishabha lagna. Shops, offices and factories that worship at the workplace use the afternoon Kumbha lagna (1:27 PM to 2:54 PM) or a Labh, Amrit or Shubh choghadiya (Amrit: 11:28 AM to 12:04 PM; Shubh: 1:26 PM to 2:48 PM; Shubh: 5:31 PM to 7:09 PM; Amrit: 7:09 PM to 8:48 PM; Chal: 8:48 PM to 10:26 PM; Labh: 9 Nov, 1:43 AM to 3:21 AM; Shubh: 9 Nov, 5:00 AM to 6:38 AM). A night of mantra sadhana keeps to Mahanishita (11:38 PM to 12:31 AM (9 Nov)) and Simha lagna (9 Nov, 12:25 AM to 2:42 AM). Kumbha, Vrishabha and Simha are fixed signs, which tradition prefers so that Lakshmi stays.
What is the Diwali puja time for shops, offices and business?
Most traders worship at the shop or office before going home. The traditional choices are Kumbha lagna in the afternoon (1:27 PM to 2:54 PM), a fixed sign, and the auspicious choghadiyas of the afternoon and evening (Amrit: 11:28 AM to 12:04 PM; Shubh: 1:26 PM to 2:48 PM; Shubh: 5:31 PM to 7:09 PM; Amrit: 7:09 PM to 8:48 PM; Chal: 8:48 PM to 10:26 PM; Labh: 9 Nov, 1:43 AM to 3:21 AM; Shubh: 9 Nov, 5:00 AM to 6:38 AM); Gujarati and Marwari families pick a Labh or Amrit choghadiya for chopda pujan. A business that stays open late can worship in the evening Vrishabha kaal (5:54 PM to 7:50 PM) instead.
When is Singh (Simha) lagna on Diwali night, and who uses it?
On Diwali night in New Delhi, the Simha lagna window is 9 Nov, 12:25 AM to 2:42 AM, around and after midnight. Simha is a fixed sign, so those who worship Lakshmi at midnight, keep a night-long jagran or practise a mantra sadhana choose it, often together with Mahanishita (11:38 PM to 12:31 AM (9 Nov)). A family doing the usual evening puja does not need to wait for it.
How do I do Lakshmi puja at home on Diwali without a pandit?
A family can do the whole puja itself. Clean and decorate the house, set up Lakshmi and Ganesh on a red cloth before the muhurat, take a sankalp, worship Ganesh first and then Lakshmi with water, kumkum, rice, flowers, sweets and lamps, chant her mantra, place lamps around the house and end with the aarti. The step-by-step vidhi above follows that order; sincerity matters more than a perfect ritual.
What is the complete Diwali puja samagri list?
The essentials are Lakshmi and Ganesh idols or a picture, a chowki with a red cloth, a kalash with mango leaves and a coconut, roli, haldi, rice, mauli, flowers (lotus and marigold), diyas with ghee and oil, camphor, incense, kheel-batashe, sweets, fruits, paan and supari, coins and the account books. The full list above gives a substitute for anything you cannot find.
Which mantra should be chanted in the Diwali Lakshmi puja?
Begin with Om Gam Ganapataye Namah for Ganesh. For Lakshmi, chant Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah 108 times on a mala, or the Lakshmi Gayatri; if you can, recite the Shri Suktam, whose first verse invites Lakshmi into the home. The Kuber mantra is said before the cash box and the account books. All of them, with their meaning, are in the mantra section.
In which direction should Lakshmi and Ganesh be placed, and which way should I face?
Set up the altar in the north-east (ishan) corner or the north of the room, so that you face east or north while you worship. Lakshmi sits in the middle on a lotus with Ganesh on her right, which is your left as you face her, as the familiar Diwali image shows them. Kuber, the account books and the cash box go beside them; the north is Kuber's own direction.
What rangoli should be made for Lakshmi puja, and how many diyas should be lit?
Make the rangoli at the main entrance: a lotus, a swastika, diyas or a simple round design, in rice flour, coloured powder or flower petals, with Lakshmi's small footprints walking into the house. Bengal draws alpona and Odisha jhoti in rice paste. There is no fixed number of diyas; families light 11, 21 or more, always one at the main door, one in each room, the kitchen and the water source, and the akhand diya before Lakshmi.
Why is Lakshmi worshipped on Diwali night?
Diwali falls on the Kartika new moon, and tradition holds that Lakshmi visits homes that are clean, lit and welcoming on that dark night. She is worshipped with Ganesh so that prosperity comes with wisdom and without obstacles, and with Kuber, the keeper of wealth. For traders the night also opens the new financial year, when the account books are worshipped.
Is the Bengali Lakshmi Puja the same as the Diwali Lakshmi Puja?
No. Bengali and Assamese homes hold their main Lakshmi Puja, Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, on Sharad Purnima, the full moon about two weeks before Diwali, and parts of Odisha keep Gaja Lakshmi Puja the same night. On the Diwali Amavasya itself, Bengal worships Kali at midnight in Kali Puja. The Diwali Lakshmi-Ganesh puja described here is the North and West Indian custom.
What is chopda pujan, and what is written in the new account books?
Chopda pujan, also called Sharda pujan, is the worship of new account books by Gujarati, Marwari and other trading families on Diwali, usually in a Labh or Amrit choghadiya (Amrit: 11:28 AM to 12:04 PM; Shubh: 1:26 PM to 2:48 PM; Shubh: 5:31 PM to 7:09 PM; Amrit: 7:09 PM to 8:48 PM; Chal: 8:48 PM to 10:26 PM; Labh: 9 Nov, 1:43 AM to 3:21 AM; Shubh: 9 Nov, 5:00 AM to 6:38 AM) or a fixed lagna. On the first page a swastika is drawn in kumkum, Shubh and Labh are written on either side and Shri Ganeshaya Namah at the top.
What is offered as bhog and prasad in the Diwali puja?
Kheel-batashe, puffed rice with sugar drops, is the classic Diwali prasad of North India, offered with kheer, laddoos or other sweets, fruits of the season such as sugarcane, water chestnut and pomegranate, and paan with supari, cloves and cardamom. Ganesh is given a laddoo or modak. Food made at home in a clean kitchen is valued above anything elaborate.
What should we do on each of the five days of Diwali?
Dhanteras: buy a new utensil, a coin or a broom, worship Dhanvantari and Kuber and light the Yam diya facing south at dusk. Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali): an oil bath before sunrise and a lamp for Yama in the evening. Diwali: the Lakshmi-Ganesh puja in the evening muhurat and lamps everywhere. Govardhan Puja: a Govardhan figure and the Annakut for Krishna, and the Gujarati new year. Bhai Dooj: sisters apply tilak to their brothers in the afternoon.
Why are doors kept open on Diwali night, and is it wrong to sleep or sweep?
It is believed that Lakshmi goes from house to house on the Amavasya night and enters where the home is clean, lit and open, so families keep the main door or a window open, with a lamp at the threshold, during the evening puja. Many keep the night awake with the lamp, bhajans or her mantra, but sleeping is not forbidden. By custom the house is swept before the puja and not after it until morning. Close the house safely for the night.
When should the Diwali puja chowki be removed?
Leave the altar and the main lamp as they are through the night. The next morning, after bathing, offer a short prayer and the aarti, then clear it: the new Lakshmi and Ganesh go to your home shrine, the worshipped coins and jewellery go back to the safe, and the kheel-batashe is shared as prasad. Some families keep the setup until Bhai Dooj; follow your family's custom.
Do Diwali upay bring money?
No remedy comes with a guarantee of money. The upay in this guide, from a lamp at every door to the Shri Suktam, are traditional acts of gratitude, cleanliness and generosity that families have kept for generations. Prosperity still comes from work, saving and sound advice; keep the customs for what they mean.