Ganesh mantra
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah
Meaning: Om, gam: salutation to Ganapati, lord of the ganas; gam is his seed syllable, explained in the Ganapati Atharvashirsha.
When and how: At the start of each Thursday's puja, 11 times.
Indha page innum Tanglish-la ezhudhala, adhanaala English-la irukku.
A period · Margashirsha Shukla 1 to Margashirsha Krishna 15 · amanta reckoning
When is Margashirsha Guruvar 2026?
Wed, 9 Dec – Thu, 7 Jan
Margashirsha Guruvar 2026 runs from Wednesday, 9 December to Thursday, 7 January — 30 days. Its 5 Thursdays are 10, 17, 24 and 31 December and 7 January.
2027: Monday, 29 November to Monday, 27 December 2027
Also called Margashirsha Guruvar Vrat. Those are the same observance and the same date, so they share this page rather than competing with it from a second URL.
Each Thursday whose sunrise falls in Margashirsha, from Wednesday, 9 December 2026 to Thursday, 7 January 2027. The month and its ends are computed from the Moon and the Sun, so the number of Thursdays is an answer, not a constant — four in some years, five in others.
| Thursday | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thursday, 10 December 2026 | upcoming |
| 2 | Thursday, 17 December 2026 | upcoming |
| 3 | Thursday, 24 December 2026 | upcoming |
| 4 | Thursday, 31 December 2026 | upcoming |
| 5 | Thursday, 7 January 2027 | upcoming |
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Wednesday, 9 December 2026 to Thursday, 7 January 2027
Margashirsha Guruvar is a period, not a day. It opens on Shukla paksha tithi 1 of Margashirsha and closes on Margashirsha Amavasya, Krishna paksha tithi 15 of Margashirsha, in the amanta reckoning. Both ends are computed each year, so the Gregorian dates move by up to a month between years, and so can the number of days between them.
- First day
- Wednesday, 9 December 2026
- Last day
- Thursday, 7 January 2027
- Length
- 30 days
- Opens on
- Pratipada, Shukla paksha, Margashirsha (amanta)
- Closes on
- Margashirsha Amavasya
- Opening day decided at
- Sunrise
The first and last days are each computed from the Moon and the Sun for New Delhi, so the length of the period is an answer rather than a constant: a tithi that is skipped or repeated inside it moves the last day without changing what the period is.
In Maharashtra and the Marathi-speaking homes beyond it, every Thursday (Guruvar) of the month of Margashirsha is kept as a Mahalakshmi vrat: a kalash is set up as the goddess, the Mahalakshmi vrat katha is read and a fast is kept until the evening puja.
- The month here is the amanta Margashirsha, from the day after Kartika Amavasya to Margashirsha Amavasya, as the Marathi calendar counts it — four Thursdays in some years and five in others.
- The udyapan that closes the vrat is usually done on the last Thursday, with the women of the neighbourhood invited for haldi-kunku.
- A Thursday belongs to the month when its sunrise does, so a month that ends on a Thursday still counts that Thursday.
Margashirsha Guruvar is the Mahalakshmi vrat of Maharashtra, kept on every Thursday of the month of Margashirsha: a ghat is set up for the goddess, the vrat katha is read, the day is fasted, and the last Thursday ends in an udyapan with married women invited for haldi-kumkum. In New Delhi the month opens on Wednesday, 9 December 2026, and the vrat runs on each Thursday until the month's Amavasya; this page lists the Thursdays.
| Muhurat | Time in New Delhi | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Margashirsha opens: Shukla Pratipada begins and ends | 6:21 AM to 8:46 AM (10 Dec)When Pratipada, the festival's tithi, begins and ends. | In the amanta calendar Maharashtra follows, the month of Margashirsha begins with this Pratipada, the day after Kartika Amavasya, and the vrat is kept on every Thursday from then to the month's own Amavasya. The times are for New Delhi. |
| Sunrise (the month's first day) | 7:01 AMThe upper edge of the Sun on the horizon, with refraction. | Sunrise on the day the month opens. The vrat's morning puja is done after bathing at sunrise on each Thursday; the Thursdays' own sunrise times differ from this by only a few minutes, and the daily panchang gives each one. |
| Sunset (the month's first day) | 5:24 PMThe upper edge of the Sun leaving the horizon. | Sunset on the day the month opens. The evening aarti and naivedya on each Thursday are offered at dusk, after which those who fast eat; each Thursday's sunset is within a few minutes of this. |
| Pradosh Kaal (the month's first day) | 5:24 PM to 8:08 PMFrom sunset for three night muhurtas (a fifth of the night). | The evening window after sunset on the day the month opens, a guide to the time of the Thursday evening aarti; on each Thursday the window falls at nearly the same hour. |
Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Wednesday, 9 December 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
On Wednesday evening or early on Thursday, clean the house and the puja place, and draw a rangoli at the door and before the altar, with Lakshmi's small footprints walking in.
Bathe and take the sankalp
Bathe in the morning and, on the first Thursday, take the sankalp for the whole month's vrat with water, rice and a flower in your right hand; on later Thursdays, renew it briefly.
Set up the ghat
Place a chaurang or pat with a red cloth, a small heap of rice or wheat on it, and on that a kalash of water with a coin, a supari, durva and haldi-kumkum in it, five mango or betel leaves at its mouth and a coconut on top.
Adorn the goddess
Place the Mahalakshmi mukhavata, the goddess's face, on the kalash, or set her picture beside it, and dress her with a sari or blouse piece, a garland and ornaments as your family does. A Shri Yantra may be placed before her.
Worship Ganesh, then Mahalakshmi
Light a ghee lamp and incense, worship Ganesh with Om Gam Ganapataye Namah, then offer Mahalakshmi haldi-kumkum, akshata, flowers, a garland and fruit, chanting Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah.
Read the vrat katha
Read the Mahalakshmi vrat katha aloud from the vrat book while the family listens, then perform the aarti.
The fast
Many women keep the day's fast with fruit and fasting foods, or eat nothing until the evening, and break it after the evening aarti and naivedya; follow your family's custom and your health.
Evening aarti and naivedya
At dusk light the lamp again, offer a sweet naivedya such as sheera or kheer with fruit, sing the aarti and share the prasad.
After the Thursday
Many families perform a short uttar puja on Friday morning and clear the ghat respectfully, setting it up afresh the next Thursday; others keep their own family's custom.
Udyapan on the last Thursday
On the last Thursday of the month, after the puja, invite five or more married women for haldi-kumkum, offer them a meal or sweets and give each a vaan, a small gift such as a coconut, fruit, a blouse piece and a copy of the vrat book.
- Chaurang or pat and a red cloth The seat of the ghat.
- Rice or wheat A small heap under the kalash.
- Kalash Copper, brass or steel, filled with clean water.
- A coin, a supari and durva Placed in the kalash water.
- Five mango or betel leaves At the mouth of the kalash.
- A coconut On top of the kalash.
- Mahalakshmi mukhavata or picture The goddess's face for the kalash, sold in Maharashtra's markets in this month; a framed picture is just as good.
- Sari or blouse piece, garland and ornaments To dress the goddess.
- Haldi-kumkum and akshata For the puja and for the suvasinis at the udyapan.
- Flowers Lotus, red flowers or marigold.
- Ghee lamp, incense and camphor For the morning and evening aarti.
- Fruit Bananas or seasonal fruit for the puja and the naivedya.
- Naivedya A sweet such as sheera or kheer, made at home.
- Mahalakshmi vrat book (pothi) The katha and aarti in Marathi or Hindi; also given in the udyapan vaan.
- Rangoli colours For the door and the altar.
- Shri Yantra Optional.
- Vaan for the udyapan Coconuts, fruit, blouse pieces and copies of the vrat book for the invited women.
Mahalakshmi mantra
ॐ श्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः
Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah
Meaning: Om, shreem: salutation to Mahalakshmi; shreem is her seed syllable.
When and how: 108 times on each Thursday of the month, after the offerings.
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 or 21 times before the katha.
Mahalakshmi Ashtakam, the 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 opening of the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam, traditionally ascribed to Indra in the Padma Purana; recite the eight verses on each Thursday if you can.
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
The vrat katha read on these Thursdays, from the Marathi vrat book, tells of King Bhadrashrava of Saurashtra and his queen Suratchandrika. On a Thursday of Margashirsha, Mahalakshmi came to the palace in the form of an old woman; the queen, proud of her wealth and busy with her finery, mocked her and turned her away from the door.
On her way out the old woman met the young princess Shyambala, who greeted her with respect and asked who she was. Mahalakshmi taught her the Thursday vrat of Margashirsha: the ghat, the puja, the katha and the fast. Shyambala kept it faithfully every Thursday, and in time she was married into a good household, which flourished.
With Lakshmi gone from the palace, the king's fortunes fell away. When the humbled queen learnt the vrat from her daughter and kept it with devotion, Lakshmi's grace returned to the house. The story's lesson is the vrat's own: Lakshmi stays in the home where every guest, however poor, is received with respect.
Why it is kept
In the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says that among months he is Margashirsha, and the month is counted among the holiest of the year. In Maharashtra its Thursdays belong to Mahalakshmi, worshipped in a ghat at home for the well-being, harmony and plenty of the household.
The vrat is kept above all by married women, often with their families, and binds a community of women together through the udyapan's haldi-kumkum and vaan. Its katha teaches humility and hospitality, and the month's Thursdays bring the same quiet discipline each week: a clean house, a lamp, the katha and a shared meal.
A lamp for Lakshmi every Thursday
Light a ghee lamp before the ghat in the morning and at dusk on each Thursday of the month; tradition holds that Lakshmi stays where the lamp is kept faithfully.
The katha, read aloud
Read the vrat katha aloud with the family listening, every Thursday; the vrat is considered incomplete without it.
Haldi-kumkum and vaan
Honour married women of the neighbourhood with haldi-kumkum and a vaan at the udyapan; giving the vrat book is believed to carry the vrat's blessing onward.
Welcome every guest
Following the katha's lesson, receive whoever comes to the door with respect and offer water or food, especially on the Thursdays.
The Mahalakshmi mantra
Chant Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah 108 times on each Thursday; families keep it as a prayer of gratitude for the home's plenty.
Give grain
Give rice, wheat or a meal to someone in need on a Thursday of the month, sharing what Lakshmi has given.
Do
- Keep the vrat on every Thursday of the month, from the first to the last.
- Clean the house, draw a rangoli and light a lamp before the ghat.
- Read the vrat katha aloud each Thursday.
- Hold the udyapan on the last Thursday, honouring married women with haldi-kumkum and vaan.
- Keep Thursday meals vegetarian and simple.
- Welcome guests and elders with respect.
Don't
- Do not skip the katha on a Thursday you keep the vrat.
- Do not turn away or speak harshly to anyone who comes to the door.
- Do not quarrel at home on the vrat days.
- Do not eat meat or drink alcohol on the Thursdays of the month.
- Do not compete over the cost of the vaan; a coconut and the vrat book are enough.
- Do not fast in a way that harms your health; a simple meal after the puja also keeps the vrat.
By region
- Maharashtra
- The heart of the vrat: the ghat with the goddess's mukhavata, the Marathi katha and aarti, Thursday fasts and the udyapan's haldi-kumkum; markets sell the mukhavata, saris for the goddess and the vrat book through the month.
- Goa and Karnataka
- Some Marathi- and Konkani-speaking families here also keep the Thursdays of Margashirsha for Lakshmi.
- Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
- The Thursdays of Margasira are kept for Lakshmi with a puja and katha, the vrat known in Telugu homes as the Margasira Lakshmivara vratam.
- Odisha
- Manabasa Gurubar: on the Thursdays of Margasira, women worship Lakshmi in a mana, a measure of new paddy, draw jhoti in rice paste and read Balaram Das's Lakshmi Purana, the story of Lakshmi's visit to a humble devotee's home.
Bhog, prasad and fasting food
- Sheera A sweet of semolina, ghee and sugar, a common Thursday naivedya.
- Kheer Rice cooked in milk, offered as naivedya.
- Fruit Bananas and seasonal fruit for the puja and the fast.
- Fasting foods Sabudana khichdi, bhagar (vari rice) or fruit for those who keep the day's upvas, as their family's custom allows.
- The udyapan meal A festive vegetarian meal for the invited women on the last Thursday.
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 | Monday, 2 December to Monday, 30 December 2024 | past |
| 2025 | Friday, 21 November to Friday, 19 December 2025 | past |
| 2026This year | Wednesday, 9 December 2026 to Thursday, 7 January 2027 | upcoming |
| 2027 | Monday, 29 November to Monday, 27 December 2027 | upcoming |
| 2028 | Friday, 17 November to Saturday, 16 December 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 sunrise. 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 Margashirsha Guruvar?
In New Delhi, the month of Margashirsha opens on Wednesday, 9 December 2026, and the vrat is kept on every Thursday from then until the month's Amavasya, in the amanta calendar Maharashtra follows. This page lists the year's Thursdays for your city; the last of them is the udyapan Thursday.
Why does another calendar give a different Margashirsha Guruvar 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.
Which Thursdays are Margashirsha Guruvar in 2026?
5: 10, 17, 24 and 31 December and 7 January. They are the Thursdays whose sunrise falls in Margashirsha — from Wednesday, 9 December 2026 to Thursday, 7 January 2027 in the amanta reckoning — computed for New Delhi. The udyapan, which closes the vrat, is usually kept on the last Thursday.
How many Thursdays are there in Margashirsha?
Four or five, depending on the year: a lunar month is about twenty-nine and a half days long, so it holds four Thursdays in some years and five in others. The vrat is kept on all of them, and the udyapan is done on the last.
What is the Margashirsha Guruvar vrat katha?
It is the Mahalakshmi vrat katha of the Marathi vrat book: Mahalakshmi came to King Bhadrashrava's palace as an old woman and was insulted by the proud queen, but was welcomed by the princess Shyambala, who learnt and kept the Thursday vrat and prospered. When the queen kept it humbly too, Lakshmi's grace returned. It is read aloud every Thursday; the outline is above.
How is the Margashirsha Guruvar puja done?
Clean the house, draw a rangoli, and set up the ghat: a kalash of water with a coin, supari and durva on a heap of rice, five leaves and a coconut, with the goddess's mukhavata or picture. Worship Ganesh, then Mahalakshmi with haldi-kumkum, flowers and fruit, read the katha, perform the aarti, and offer the naivedya again at dusk.
What samagri is needed for Margashirsha Guruvar?
A chaurang with a red cloth, rice, a kalash, a coin, supari, durva, five mango or betel leaves, a coconut, the Mahalakshmi mukhavata or picture, a sari or blouse piece, haldi-kumkum, akshata, flowers, a ghee lamp, incense, fruit, the naivedya and the vrat book. The full list is above.
How is the udyapan done?
On the last Thursday of the month, after the usual puja and katha, invite five or more married women, offer them haldi-kumkum, a meal or sweets and a vaan: a coconut, fruit, a blouse piece and a copy of the vrat book. Many families also give food or grain to someone in need that day.
Which aarti is sung on Margashirsha Guruvar?
Om Jai Lakshmi Mata is sung across India, and Maharashtrian families also sing their Marathi Mahalakshmi aarti from the vrat book. The full text of Om Jai Lakshmi Mata is given above.
What is the time for the Thursday puja?
There is no single muhurat. The puja is done in the morning after bathing, the katha with it, and the aarti and naivedya again at dusk. Families who watch the panchang avoid the day's Rahu kaal, which on a Thursday falls in the early afternoon; the daily panchang gives each Thursday's times for your city.
What can be eaten in the Margashirsha Guruvar fast?
Customs differ. Many women eat nothing, or only fruit and fasting foods such as sabudana and bhagar, until the evening aarti and naivedya, and then eat a simple vegetarian meal; others eat once after the morning puja. Follow your family's custom and do not fast in a way that harms your health.
Why is Margashirsha Guruvar celebrated?
To worship Mahalakshmi on the Thursdays of Margashirsha, the month Krishna calls his own in the Gita, for the well-being and harmony of the household. The katha's lesson, that Lakshmi stays where guests are received with respect, is kept alive by the vrat and the udyapan's haldi-kumkum among women.
Which is the last Margashirsha Guruvar this year?
It is the last Thursday before the month's Amavasya; the list of the year's Thursdays on this page, computed for your city, shows it. The udyapan is done on that Thursday.
What rangoli is made on Margashirsha Guruvar?
A rangoli at the door and before the ghat: Lakshmi's small footprints walking in, a lotus, a kalash, a swastika or a simple border, in rice flour or colours. Many draw a fresh one every Thursday.
Who can keep the Margashirsha Guruvar vrat?
It is kept above all by married women, but unmarried girls, men and whole families keep it too, and the puja and katha can be done by anyone in the house. What matters is keeping it on each Thursday with a clean house, the katha and a respectful heart.