Diwali 2026: date, Lakshmi Puja and Chopda Pujan muhurat

Is Diwali on 8 or 9 November 2026?

The 8th. Lakshmi Puja is done on the Amavasya night, during pradosh, the period just after sunset. In 2026 Amavasya starts before noon on 8 November and ends at 12:32 pm on 9 November. By the evening of the 9th it is over, so the 8th is the only evening with Amavasya in pradosh.

Many Gujarati calendars mark Monday 9 November as a gap day with no festival, often called the padtar or dhoko day. The New Year falls on Kartak Sud 1, which is 10 November.

Lakshmi Puja and Chopda Pujan muhurat 2026

These times are calculated from your city's sunset and the planets' positions. Pick your city from the list to change them.

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How to read this: pradosh runs from sunset for the first fifth of the night. Vrishabha (Taurus) is a fixed lagna, and the belief is that Lakshmi worshipped in a fixed lagna stays in the home. When the two overlap, that window is considered the best time for Lakshmi Puja.

Gujarati trading families often choose the time for Chopda Pujan (blessing the new account books) by Choghadiya instead. Any Shubh, Labh or Amrit period that suits the family and the shop works. Follow your family's custom, and ask your priest if you're unsure.

Vagh Baras to Labh Pancham: 2026 dates

In Gujarat the Diwali festivals run for over a week. Dates by Ahmedabad sunrise:

A simple Lakshmi Puja at home

Every family has its own way. This is a common order:

• Before evening, clean the house, draw a rangoli at the doorstep and hang a toran on the door.
• Spread a red cloth on a low stool and place an image of Lakshmi and Ganesh on it, with a water-filled kalash, rice and kumkum beside them.
• When the muhurat begins, light a ghee diya. Worship Ganesh first, then Lakshmi, offering kumkum, rice, flowers, sweets and coins.
• On the new account book, draw a swastik in kumkum and write "Shri", and "Shubh Labh" on the first page. Worship the pen and the books.
• Do the aarti, share the prasad, and place diyas inside and outside the house.

Why is Diwali celebrated?

In the best-known story, Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya after fourteen years in exile and his victory over Ravan, and people lit lamps to welcome him. Lakshmi is worshipped on the same night. In Gujarat, traders close the old year's accounts on Diwali and open new books, and the New Year begins the day after the gap day.

For Jains it marks the nirvana of Lord Mahavir, and Sikhs celebrate it as Bandi Chhor Divas.

How we calculate these times

Sunset uses the Sun's upper edge with standard atmospheric refraction. The lagna is sidereal, with the Lahiri ayanamsa. Amavasya comes from the angle between the Sun and the Moon. Times are rounded to the minute, so a printed panchang may differ by 1-3 minutes. More about tithis.