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Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026, and the main Lakshmi Puja of the evening is the heart of the festival. According to Drik Panchang, the most auspicious time for Lakshmi Puja in New Delhi is 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM — a window of 1 hour 56 minutes, during Pradosh Kaal while the fixed sign Vrishabha (Taurus) is rising. This is the time most families will light diyas, place the kalash and worship Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha.

This year Diwali is a little unusual: Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) falls on the same day, Sunday 8 November, because Amavasya begins late in the morning. So the morning is for Choti Diwali rituals and the evening is for Lakshmi Puja.

The key timings for New Delhi

All timings below are from Drik Panchang for New Delhi. Timings change by city, sometimes by more than half an hour between the east and west of India, so check your local panchang before the puja.

  • Diwali / Lakshmi Puja date: Sunday, 8 November 2026
  • Lakshmi Puja muhurat: 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM
  • Pradosh Kaal: 5:31 PM to 8:09 PM
  • Vrishabha Kaal (fixed lagna): 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM
  • Amavasya Tithi begins: 11:27 AM on 8 November
  • Amavasya Tithi ends: 12:31 PM on 9 November
  • Mahanishita Kaal (late-night puja): 11:39 PM to 12:31 AM
  • Kumbha Lagna (for shops and offices): 1:27 PM to 2:54 PM
  • Choghadiya: morning (Chara, Labha, Amrita) 11:27 AM to 12:05 PM; afternoon (Shubha) 1:26 PM to 2:48 PM; evening (Shubha, Amrita, Chara) 5:31 PM to 10:27 PM

The best window is the evening one — Pradosh Kaal with Vrishabha lagna — because Vrishabha is a fixed (sthir) sign, which is considered stable and good for Lakshmi Puja. Shops and offices that do their own puja usually use the afternoon Kumbha lagna instead.

The five days of Diwali 2026

  • Dhanteras: Friday, 6 November — gold and silver buying, Dhanvantari Puja. Puja muhurat was 6:02 PM to 7:57 PM in New Delhi.
  • Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali): Sunday, 8 November — the same day as Diwali this year.
  • Diwali (Lakshmi Puja): Sunday, 8 November — the main day.
  • Govardhan Puja (Annakut): Tuesday, 10 November — morning muhurat 6:40 AM to 8:50 AM in New Delhi.
  • Bhai Dooj: Wednesday, 11 November — tilak muhurat 1:10 PM to 3:20 PM in New Delhi.

Note that 9 November (Monday) has no major observance in most of India this year, because Amavasya runs until 12:31 PM and the next tithi only prevails at sunrise on 10 November.

How Lakshmi Puja is done at home

The exact ritual varies by family and region, but the usual pattern is the same across North India. Homes are cleaned and decorated with diyas, rangoli and flowers before the evening. A kalash filled with water is placed with mango leaves and a coconut, and idols or pictures of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha are set on a clean platform. Families offer flowers, sweets, fruits, coins and uncooked rice, light incense and diyas, and read or sing the Lakshmi aarti. Diyas are then placed at the entrance, in windows and on balconies to welcome the goddess, and the evening ends with exchanging sweets and gifts with family and neighbours.

If you are doing the puja for the first time, the simplest approach is to keep the 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM window, prepare everything before 5:30 PM, and do the main aarti inside that window.

Crackers, air and safety

Diwali this year comes with strict rules in Delhi. The Supreme Court has allowed only green crackers — those certified by CSIR-NEERI — and only on 7 and 8 November, between 6 AM to 7 AM and 8 PM to 10 PM. There is no online sale of crackers, and a full ban on bursting resumes from 9 November. No-cracker zones of 300 metres apply around hospitals, schools, courts and religious places.

Delhi’s air is already very poor — the city’s average AQI was 389 on the morning of 6 November, in the “very poor” category, with 18 of 59 monitoring stations in the “severe” range, and GRAP Stage II restrictions in force. Families with children, elderly people or anyone with asthma should keep windows closed during the worst hours, avoid going out late at night, and use a mask outdoors if needed.

Banks and travel over Diwali

Banks are closed on 9, 10 and 11 November for Diwali in most states, so finish any branch work before the weekend. UPI and ATMs work as usual. If you are travelling home, Indian Railways is running hundreds of Diwali and Chhath special trains, but seats on the popular routes are already full — Tatkal and current booking are the main options left now.

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