Festival guide · Kartika Amavasya 2026

Diwali 2026: Lakshmi Puja muhurat and Swati nakshatra

Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026. Amavasya runs through the whole evening, so Pradosh Kaal and the steady Vrishabha lagna both fall inside it. In New Delhi the main Lakshmi Puja muhurat is 5:55 PM to 7:50 PM IST. The Moon is in Tula in Swati nakshatra all evening.

Times below are for New Delhi in IST, with the same moments converted to US Eastern Time (EST, UTC−5; US clocks change back on 1 Nov). Tithi and nakshatra changes happen at the same moment everywhere. Sunset, Pradosh, lagna and Nishita depend on your city, so they shift by several minutes to over half an hour across India and are completely different abroad.

Key timings — Sunday 8 November 2026

The ET column is only the India moment converted. It is not when families in the US should do puja. For New York, Drik Panchang gives Lakshmi Puja on the same Sunday, 8 Nov, at 5:04 PM to 6:52 PM local time (Pradosh 4:44 PM to 7:31 PM). Check a panchang set to your own city.

Why these windows

Diwali is fixed on the day when Kartika Amavasya covers Pradosh, the period after sunset. That is Sunday 8 November, because Amavasya begins late that morning and lasts until after noon on Monday. Within Pradosh, many families prefer a sthir (fixed) lagna, believing that Lakshmi “stays” when invited in a fixed sign. Vrishabha rises in Delhi from 5:55 PM to 7:50 PM, entirely inside Pradosh, so that overlap is the main muhurat. Nishita kaal, the eighth of the fifteen night muhurtas, is the time traditionally kept for Kali Puja, tantric worship and night-long Lakshmi japa. Simha, the night’s other fixed lagna, rises after midnight.

Swati nakshatra on Diwali night

The Moon enters Swati (6°40′ to 20°00′ Tula) at 5:51 AM IST on 8 November and leaves for Vishakha at 7:23 AM IST on 9 November (7:21 PM ET on Sat 7 Nov to 8:53 PM ET on Sun 8 Nov). The whole puja window and Nishita fall inside it.

• Deity: Vayu, the wind god, who carries breath (prana) and moves freely.
• Ruling planet: Rahu. The sign lord of Tula is Venus.
• Symbol: a young shoot bending in the wind, or coral. It is counted as a chara (movable) nakshatra.
• What it means for the puja: tradition links Swati to trade, independence and flexible, balanced dealings, which suits Chopda Puja (blessing new account books) and the business side of Diwali. Its movable, airy nature is also why the sthir Vrishabha lagna is valued that evening, as a fixed anchor for the invocation. Treat this as cultural meaning, not a prediction.

Moon sign: the Moon is in Tula all evening, joined by the Sun, as it always is at a Kartika Amavasya. Read about Swati nakshatra · Tula daily rashifal

The five days of Diwali 2026 (India)

1. Fri 6 Nov

   Dhanteras (Dhantrayodashi)

   Trayodashi 10:31 AM 6 Nov → 10:48 AM 7 Nov IST

   Nakshatra: Hasta all day (until 4:42 AM, 7 Nov) (Hasta)

2. Sun 8 Nov (Sat 7 Nov in some calendars)

   Naraka Chaturdashi / Choti Diwali

   Chaturdashi 10:48 AM 7 Nov → 11:28 AM 8 Nov IST

   Nakshatra: Pre-dawn 8 Nov: Chitra until 5:51 AM, then Swati (Chitra · Swati)

   Sources differ here. Drik Panchang (New Delhi) and Prokerala put Naraka Chaturdashi (pre-dawn bath) on Sun 8 Nov, the same day as Lakshmi Puja, because Chaturdashi is still running before sunrise that morning. Drik lists Kali Chaudas and Hanuman Puja on Sat 7 Nov, and many family calendars call 7 Nov “Choti Diwali”. Follow your own family or temple panchang.

3. Sun 8 Nov

   Lakshmi Puja (Diwali)

   Amavasya 11:28 AM 8 Nov → 12:32 PM 9 Nov IST

   Nakshatra: Swati through the whole evening and night (Swati)

4. Tue 10 Nov

   Govardhan Puja / Annakut

   Pratipada 12:32 PM 9 Nov → 2:00 PM 10 Nov IST

   Nakshatra: Vishakha until 9:18 AM, then Anuradha (Vishakha · Anuradha)

5. Wed 11 Nov

   Bhai Dooj / Yama Dwitiya

   Dwitiya 2:00 PM 10 Nov → 3:53 PM 11 Nov IST

   Nakshatra: Anuradha until 11:37 AM, then Jyeshtha (Anuradha · Jyeshtha)

In the US the calendar shifts for some days. For US East Coast cities, Drik Panchang lists Naraka Chaturdashi on Sat 7 Nov, Lakshmi Puja on Sun 8 Nov, Govardhan Puja on Mon 9 Nov and Bhai Dooj on Tue 10 Nov.

Simple Lakshmi Puja at home

1. Clean the house and the puja place in the day. Draw a rangoli and small Lakshmi footprints walking inward at the door.
2. Spread a red or yellow cloth on a raised seat. Place Ganesha on Lakshmi’s left (your right as you face them), with a kalash of water, mango leaves and a coconut.
3. Light a ghee diya before the muhurat begins, then start inside the window: Ganesha first, then Lakshmi, with kumkum, rice, flowers, sweets and a few coins or the new account book.
4. Recite what your family knows: Shri Suktam, the 108 names of Lakshmi, or simply “Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah”. End with the aarti.
5. Light diyas through the house and at the doorway. Many keep one lamp burning through the night.

How these times were checked

We computed every tithi, nakshatra, Moon sign, sunset and lagna time with a JPL ephemeris and Lahiri ayanamsa for New Delhi, then compared them with Drik Panchang (New Delhi and New York) and Prokerala. Our computed times match Drik Panchang to within one minute. Drik shows Amavasya 11:27 AM to 12:31 PM, Vrishabha 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM and Pradosh to 8:09 PM, a minute off our figures in places because of rounding. Prokerala, which defaults to Ujjain, gives the same Amavasya times (11:28 AM to 12:32 PM IST) and the same five dates. Its Pradosh and Nishita are later because Ujjain is further west. The sources disagree only on what to call 7 November (see Naraka Chaturdashi above).

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