- Reference city
- Delhi (other cities in the table)
- Moon's nakshatra then
- Hasta (at about 5:30 pm on 6 November)
What Dhanteras is
Dhanteras is kept on Trayodashi, the thirteenth tithi, of the dark fortnight, two tithis before the Diwali new moon. In many regions it opens the five days of Diwali. The day is linked to Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods in the tradition, and in many homes to Lakshmi and Kubera as well.
The evening rites belong to the pradosh, the time after sunset, so the date is fixed by the evening, not the morning. That is why the tithi's start and end times matter more than which weekday the calendar page prints.
How Dhanteras is commonly observed
- Homes and doorways are cleaned and decorated in the days before.
- A lamp is lit at dusk, and in many families one is placed facing south for Yama.
- Dhanvantari and Lakshmi are worshipped in the pradosh.
- Some families buy a new utensil or small metal item by custom; this page does not say anyone should.
- Sweets are offered and shared.
These are common practices. Families and regions differ, and none of them is needed to read the date on this page.
The date for 2026, worked out
A tithi is the time in which the Moon gains 12 degrees on the Sun. Trayodashi is tithi number 13 of the dark fortnight, when the Moon is 324 to 336 degrees ahead of the Sun. By the chart engine it begins 6 November at about 10:30 am and ends 7 November at about 10:50 am, Indian time.
The main rite is held in the evening, in the pradosh, the 2 hours 24 minutes after sunset, so the day is the one on which the tithi covers more of that window. Delhi's sunrise, sunset and the rule's moment are below.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening window, Delhi | Trayodashi covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 6 November 2026 | 6:36 am | 5:32 pm | 5:32 pm to 7:56 pm | all of it |
| Saturday, 7 November 2026 | 6:37 am | 5:32 pm | 5:32 pm to 7:56 pm | none of it |
On only one day does Trayodashi reach the evening after sunset (pradosh) in Delhi: Friday, 6 November 2026. There is no tie to break. Mumbai gives the same day.
Why calendars can differ on Dhanteras
This tithi is in the dark fortnight before the new moon that closes Ashwin. North Indian calendars (purnimanta) call that fortnight Kartika; those used in Maharashtra, Gujarat and the south (amanta) call it Ashwin. The day is the same, only the month name differs.
The same rule at other cities, for the day or days the tithi touches:
| City | Date | Evening begins (sunset) | Trayodashi covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 6 November | 5:32 pm | all of it |
| Delhi | 7 November | 5:32 pm | none of it |
| Mumbai | 6 November | 6:03 pm | all of it |
| Mumbai | 7 November | 6:02 pm | none of it |
A few calendars shift the puja to the next day when Trayodashi runs past sunset on both days, and some communities keep the lamp for Yama on the following evening. Follow your family's own panchang for the exact hour of the puja.
Method and limits
Positions come from the same engine that draws the free kundli, with the Lahiri ayanamsa. The tithi comes from the angle between the Sun and the Moon, so it does not depend on the ayanamsa.
Sunrise, sunset and moonrise are for the upper edge of the body with standard refraction, in Indian Standard Time. Tithi times are shown to the nearest five minutes because other panchangs can differ by a minute or so, and a different city moves sunrise and moonrise by minutes to an hour or more.
Regional traditions differ, and for the day and hour you keep the observance, follow your local panchang or temple. The full list of settings is on the method page.
Your own chart on this day
Dates on this page describe the sky only. The nakshatra finder and the current dasha tool show the facts of your own chart for any birth, and the festival calendar for 2026 lists the other festivals of the season with their dates.
Calculated with the Lahiri ayanamsa and whole sign houses; every setting is on the method page. Last checked 15 October 2026.