Diwali 2026: Lakshmi Puja muhurat on Sunday 8 November, with timings for your city

Diwali 2026 is on Sunday 8 November. In New Delhi, the time most families follow for Lakshmi Puja is 17:55 to 19:51 (5:55 pm to 7:51 pm). This article explains why it falls on that day, how the time is worked out, and gives the timings for ten cities.

Why Sunday 8 November

Diwali is kept on Kartika Amavasya, the new-moon tithi, on the day the Amavasya is in force in the evening. In 2026 the Amavasya begins at 11:28 on Sunday 8 November and ends at 12:32 on Monday 9 November (Indian time).

So the evening of the 8th falls in the Amavasya, and the evening of the 9th does not — by then the next tithi, Pratipada, has begun. That makes the 8th Diwali everywhere in India. A tithi begins and ends at the same moment across the country; what changes from city to city is the time of sunset, and so the muhurat.

How the muhurat is worked out

Three conditions are put together:

1. The Amavasya is in force. On 8 November it is, all evening.
2. Pradosh Kaal — the evening period that begins at sunset. It is reckoned as the first fifth of the night (sunset to the next sunrise), about two and a half hours in November. In Delhi: 17:32–20:09.
3. A fixed (sthir) lagna. Tradition prefers a fixed sign rising in the east for Lakshmi Puja, so that what is begun stays. In the early evening that sign is Vrishabha (Taurus). In Delhi it rises at 17:55 and gives way to Mithuna at 19:51.

The muhurat is the part of Pradosh Kaal in which Vrishabha is rising. On 8 November, Vrishabha rises and sets inside Pradosh Kaal in most cities, so the muhurat is the whole Vrishabha window.

Lakshmi Puja muhurat 2026, city by city

All times are Indian Standard Time on Sunday 8 November 2026, on the 24-hour clock.

Different calendars can differ by a minute or two, because of rounding and the ayanamsa they use; Drik Panchang, for example, gives 17:54 to 19:50 for Delhi. Nobody needs to work to the minute: starting a few minutes into the window is enough.

Not in the table? The muhurat moves with sunset. In every city above, Vrishabha rises about 25 minutes after sunset and stays for about two hours. Our Choghadiya page for 8 November shows the sunset for your own city, and the Diwali 2026 page shows the Amavasya times; from those you can place the window within a few minutes.

For worship around midnight

Some families keep their worship at night, in Nishita Kaal, when another fixed sign, Simha (Leo), is rising. That falls on the night of 8 to 9 November:

The Amavasya is still in force all night, so these times stand too.

The five days of Diwali in 2026

• Dhanteras — Friday 6 November
• Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) — Saturday 7 November
• Diwali, Lakshmi Puja — Sunday 8 November
• Govardhan and Annakut — Tuesday 10 November
• Bhai Dooj — Wednesday 11 November

Monday 9 November has no festival of its own this year: the Amavasya is still running that morning, so Pratipada, the day of Govardhan, is kept on the 10th. If your family calendar gives a different day for any of these, our festival calendar shows each tithi's start and end, so you can see where the difference comes from.

A note on what a muhurat is

The muhurat is the time tradition considers best for the Lakshmi Puja. It is a matter of observance, not a condition for a good year. If the family can only gather a little later, the whole evening of 8 November is still Diwali.

Wishing you and your family a bright and happy Diwali.