Diwali 2026: Lakshmi Puja Muhurat, Date & Vidhi

Diwali 2026 is on Sunday, 8 November. Lakshmi Puja is performed that evening in pradosh kaal, which in New Delhi begins at sunset, 5:31 pm, and lasts until about 7:55 pm.

Key times for New Delhi:

• Kartik Amavasya tithi: 11:29 am on 8 November to 12:31 pm on 9 November
• Sunset on 8 November: 5:31 pm
• Pradosh kaal: about 5:31 pm to 7:55 pm
• Published Delhi calendars place the preferred Lakshmi Puja window inside this span

Why the 8th and not the 9th? Lakshmi Puja is done after sunset while Amavasya is running. On 8 November Amavasya covers the whole evening. On 9 November it ends at 12:31 pm, before sunset. The morning of 9 November is still Amavasya, and many families use it for a holy bath and daan (charity).

Timings shift by city, from a few minutes to more than half an hour across India, so check a local panchang for your city, or start with our daily panchang. The countdown is on our Diwali 2026 page.

• Dhanteras: Friday, 6 November. Trayodashi begins at 10:31 am, and the evening puja falls in pradosh kaal from 5:32 pm. See our Dhanteras 2026 guide.
• Choti Diwali (Narak Chaturdashi): Chaturdashi runs from 10:49 am on 7 November to 11:28 am on 8 November. The traditional pre-dawn bath falls on the morning of 8 November, and many families light a few lamps on the evening of 7 November.
• Diwali (Lakshmi Puja): Sunday, 8 November, in pradosh kaal.
• Govardhan Puja and Annakut: Tuesday, 10 November, because Pratipada holds at sunrise only on the 10th.
• Bhai Dooj: Wednesday, 11 November. Dwitiya runs from 2:01 pm on 10 November to 3:53 pm on 11 November, so the afternoon tilak falls on the 11th. Some regions observe it on 10 November; follow your family calendar.

Because Amavasya lasts until 12:31 pm on 9 November, there is a gap day between Diwali and Govardhan Puja this year. If your family calendar shows a different day for Govardhan Puja or Bhai Dooj, follow the calendar your family uses.

Preparation traditionally starts days earlier. Families clean the house thoroughly, repair what is broken and clear out what is no longer needed, since Lakshmi is welcomed into a clean, well-lit home. On the day:

• Draw a rangoli at the entrance; many families add small footprints leading inside
• Hang a toran of mango leaves or marigold at the main door
• Set up the puja place in the north or north-east of the home if you can, or wherever your family always worships
• Cover a wooden chowki with a red or yellow cloth
• Keep diyas, oil or ghee and wicks ready, so lighting takes minutes

Wear clean, festive clothes for the puja. The home puja itself usually takes 30 to 45 minutes.

• Lakshmi and Ganesh idols or a picture (many families buy new idols each Diwali)
• A copper or brass kalash with water, mango leaves, and a coconut wrapped in red cloth or mauli
• A red or yellow cloth for the chowki, and rice for a small heap under the kalash
• Roli, haldi, kumkum, akshat, chandan and mauli
• Lotus if available, marigold and red flowers, and a garland for each idol
• Kheel and batashe, laddoo or barfi, and fresh fruit
• A few coins, washed and placed at the puja
• Diyas with ghee or mustard oil, cotton wicks, camphor and incense
• Paan, supari, cloves and cardamom
• Panchamrit (milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar) and clean water or Gangajal
• An aarti thali and a small bell
• Account books, a pen or the cash box, for business families

1. Before pradosh kaal, bathe and change. Place the kalash on a small heap of rice on the chowki, with the coconut on top.
2. Place Ganesh and Lakshmi side by side on the chowki, in the order your family places them. Some families add Saraswati, and business families add Kuber and their account books.
3. Sit facing the idols, sprinkle a little water on yourself and the puja items, and take the sankalp: your name, gotra, the date and your prayer for the household.
4. Worship Ganesh first with water, roli, akshat, durva, flowers and a laddoo. Many homes sing Jai Ganesh Deva.
5. Worship Lakshmi with a simple shodashopachar, the sixteen offerings: invitation (avahan), a seat, water for the feet and hands, a bath with panchamrit and clean water, cloth or mauli, chandan and kumkum, flowers and a garland, incense, the lamp, naivedya of kheel-batashe and sweets, paan, dakshina (the coins), pradakshina and namaskar.
6. If it is your family practice, worship the account books, pen or cash box with roli and a swastik.
7. Sing Om Jai Lakshmi Mata. Some families also read the Lakshmi Chalisa or the Kanakadhara Stotram.
8. Light diyas from the puja lamp and place them at the doorway, windows, kitchen, near the water source and by the tulsi plant.
9. Share prasad with the family, and touch the feet of elders.

• Bengal, Odisha and Assam: Kali Puja is usually observed on the Diwali Amavasya night. The main Lakshmi Puja in Bengal comes earlier, on Kojagari Purnima.
• Gujarat: business families perform Chopda Pujan, worshipping new account books, and the Gujarati New Year falls on Kartik Shukla Pratipada.
• Maharashtra: Lakshmi Pujan is on Amavasya, and Padwa (Balipratipada) follows, when couples exchange gifts.
• South India: Deepavali is celebrated on the morning of Naraka Chaturdashi with an early oil bath, new clothes and sweets. In 2026 that morning is 8 November.
• Trading families in the north: many worship silver coins, the ledger and Kuber alongside Lakshmi.

The Mahalakshmi temple at Kolhapur is one of India's best-known Lakshmi temples. If you cannot travel, you can book temple seva at Kolhapur Mahalakshmi through us.

• Keep diyas away from curtains, dupattas and paper decorations, and out of reach of children and pets
• Place lamps on a metal plate or a stable surface, and do not leave a lamp near anything that can catch fire when you go to sleep
• Many families keep one ghee lamp burning through the night; use a deep holder with enough ghee, in a safe spot
• Keep a bucket of water or sand where crackers are burst, and let children burst them only with an adult
• Wear cotton rather than synthetic clothes near lamps and crackers
• Keep pets indoors in a quiet room, and follow local rules on crackers and timings

If you are away from home, or want a temple offering alongside your own puja, you can book a Lakshmi Pooja at our verified temple in Delhi, Sree Vinayak Mandir. It takes about an hour and includes Lakshmi Suktam chanting, an offering of lotus and marigold, and a havan with ghee. You give your name, gotra and prayer when booking, and receive photos, a video of the pooja and a completion certificate by email, typically within 24 hours. At the time of writing it costs ₹999. It does not replace the puja at home; it adds a temple offering in your family's name.