Diwali 2026: Date, Lakshmi Puja Muhurat & Vedic Significance

Also searched as Laxmi Puja / Laxmi Pujan 2026: it is on Sunday 8 November 2026 (not in October), in the evening muhurat given below.

Searching for Karthika Pournami 2026? Kartik Purnima 2026 is on Tuesday 24 November — Purnima tithi from 11:42 PM on 23 November to 8:23 PM on 24 November (IST), sixteen days after Diwali.

Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November. The Kartik Amavasya tithi begins at 11:28 AM IST that morning (Swiss Ephemeris), which is what places the festival on the 8th rather than the 7th — Lakshmi Puja is timed to the tithi and to pradosh kaal, not to the calendar date. The five days run from Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj.

Quick answer: Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026, the Kartik Amavasya. Lakshmi Puja is performed after sunset in pradosh kaal, ideally while the fixed Vrishabha lagna rises — timings below are for New Delhi in IST. The five days run Dhanteras (6 Nov), Choti Diwali (7 Nov), Diwali and the Narak Chaturdashi oil bath (8 Nov), Govardhan Puja (10 Nov) and Bhai Dooj (11 Nov).

By Dr. R.P. Sharma — Vedic astrologer since 1979 · Ph.D. (Delhi University) · M.A. Acharya · Updated 2 Oct 2026 · Muhurat computed for each city and checked against two panchangs

What you need to know

Diwali (Deepavali) 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026 — Kartik Amavasya. Lakshmi Puja is performed during Pradosh Kaal after sunset, 5:30 PM to 7:54 PM in Delhi, with the Lakshmi Puja muhurat 5:55 PM to 7:51 PM where the Vrishabha lagna overlaps (varies by city) — the exact muhurat depends on your city’s sunset time. The five-day festival runs Dhanteras (6 Nov) through Bhai Dooj (11 Nov). Astrologically, the Amavasya of Kartik under Swati/Vishakha nakshatra is regarded as the most potent evening of the year for Lakshmi upasana and new beginnings in wealth matters.

Diwali 2026: five-day calendar

Dhanteras — 6 November (wealth purchases, Dhanvantari puja); Chhoti Diwali / Kali Chaudas — 7 November (Narak Chaturdashi abhyang snan: morning of 8 November); Lakshmi Puja / Diwali — 8 November (Kartik Amavasya); Govardhan Puja — 10 November; Bhai Dooj — 11 November. Exact tithis shift slightly by city; the puja is timed to Pradosh Kaal and Sthir Lagna (usually Vrishabha) after local sunset.

Lakshmi Puja muhurat: how it is fixed

The Amavasya tithi runs from 11:28 AM on 8 November to 12:32 PM on 9 November (Delhi timings). The classical rule: Lakshmi Puja is done on Amavasya evening during Pradosh Kaal (roughly 1.5-2.5 hours after sunset) and preferably in a Sthir (fixed) Lagna — Vrishabha Lagna most commonly. Because sunset differs by city, the muhurat differs too: Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, and overseas cities each get their own window. A city-correct panchang or a personal consultation fixes this precisely; this site’s free panchang tool is city-aware.

Lakshmi Puja muhurat 2026 by city

The Lakshmi Puja muhurat on Sunday 8 November 2026 is the part of pradosh kaal (from sunset for about 2 hours 24 minutes) that falls inside the fixed Vrishabha lagna. Times are in IST and can differ by a minute between panchangs.

Astrological significance of Kartik Amavasya

Kartik Amavasya evening is when Lakshmi is invoked into a clean, lit home. In jyotish terms, the period sits between the Sun’s Tula transit and the opening of the vivah-muhurat season; it favours starting ledgers (Chopda Pujan), business commitments, and wealth-related sankalpa. For individuals, the strength of the 2nd, 9th, and 11th houses in the birth chart shows how to make the most of the period.

What to do on each day

Dhanteras: buy metal/utensils, light a diya for Yama. Chhoti Diwali: early-morning abhyanga snan. Diwali: Lakshmi-Ganesha puja at muhurat, kheel-batasha, ledger opening. Govardhan: annakut. Bhai Dooj: sibling blessing. Keep the puja sthal clean and the first diya facing the main entrance.

Diwali puja samagri: what you need for Lakshmi Puja

Idols or pictures of Lakshmi and Ganesha on a red or yellow cloth; a kalash with water, mango leaves and a coconut; roli, kumkum, haldi and unbroken rice (akshat); flowers and a lotus if available; a ghee diya for the puja and clay diyas for the house; incense and camphor; sweets, kheel-batashe and dry fruit for the bhog; coins or silver, and account books or a new ledger for those who keep them. The word Diwali comes from Deepavali, "a row of lamps", which is why lighting diyas at every door and window completes the puja.

Lakshmi Puja vidhi, in order

1. Prepare the altar facing north or east: a red cloth on a raised seat, Lakshmi and Ganesha (Ganesha on Lakshmi's left), a kalash of water with mango leaves and a coconut, rice heaped for the Navagraha, and the new account books or the family's valuables.
2. Sankalp and Ganesha puja first, within the muhurat.
3. Lakshmi puja: shodashopachara or the simpler panchopachara (flowers, lamp, incense, naivedya and aarti), with lotus, kheel-batashe, and sweets; Kubera and the account books (Bahi-khata, Chopda puja) are worshipped with her.
4. Lamps: the main akhand diya before the deity through the night, then diyas at every door, window, the tulsi, the kitchen and the water source.
5. Nishita, 11:38 pm to 12:31 am: families who keep the Mahanishita puja offer the Shri Sukta and Kanakadhara stotra in this window.

Diwali across India

• North India: Rama's return to Ayodhya; Lakshmi-Ganesh puja at dusk, lamps and fireworks.
• Bengal, Odisha, Assam: Kali Puja on the same Amavasya night, with the Nishita as its main time.
• Gujarat: Chopda Pujan of the new account books; the Gujarati New Year (Bestu Varas) follows with the Pratipada.
• Maharashtra: Lakshmi Puja and, on Pratipada, Padwa; Bhau Beej on Dwitiya.
• South India: Deepavali is centred on Naraka Chaturdashi, with the pre-dawn oil bath (Ganga snanam) on 8 November in 2026.

Dos and don'ts on Diwali 2026

• Do keep the Lakshmi Puja inside 5:55 to 7:51 pm (Delhi) and leave the main lamp burning through the night.
• Do clean the house before the puja and keep the entrance lit; Lakshmi is said to enter lit and clean homes.
• Don't sweep the house after the puja or give money away on the night; both are read as sending wealth out.
• Don't leave the puja room dark or the akhand diya unattended near curtains; use a lamp stand or a glass chimney.

Common Questions

Coming up in 2026: Dhanteras (6 Nov) · Govardhan Puja (10 Nov) · Bhai Dooj (11 Nov) · Kartik Purnima (24 Nov)