Every few years, the Hindu calendar sets a puzzle before the festival of lights. 2026 is one of those years. Calendars and festival messages are giving two different answers. And families getting ready for Lakshmi Puja want a clear answer before they buy the lamps and prepare the puja thali. Is Diwali on Sunday, 8 November, or on Monday, 9 November?This matters. Lakshmi Puja is tied to a specific time. If it is done on the wrong evening, it loses the astrological condition that gives it its meaning. So the answer has to come from the rules of the Panchang, not from habit or guesswork.
Why Two Dates Are Doing the Rounds
Kartik Amavasya, the new Moon tithi on which Diwali is observed, does not begin at sunrise this year. It begins late in the morning of Sunday, 8 November, at around 11:27 AM IST. It then runs until around 12:31 PM IST on Monday, 9 November.That is where the confusion starts.Many households follow the principle of udaya tithi. Under this rule, the tithi present at sunrise governs the whole day. Sunrise on 8 November falls under Chaturdashi. Sunrise on 9 November falls under Amavasya. On that basis alone, the 9th looks like the stronger choice, and several messages on phones and social media have reached exactly that conclusion.But the sunrise principle does not apply in the same way to every festival. Each observance has its own deciding hour. Diwali happens to be a festival where the sunrise test leads people to the wrong date.
The Rule That Settles Lakshmi Puja
Classical texts on festival dates, including the Dharma Sindhu and the Nirnaya Sindhu, place Lakshmi Puja in Pradosh Kaal. This is the evening window that opens at sunset and lasts a little over two hours. The condition is strict. Amavasya must be present during Pradosh Kaal, and the evening that meets this test is Diwali.Now apply the test to both evenings.On Monday, 9 November, Amavasya ends shortly after midday. When the Sun sets that evening, Pratipada has already taken over. There is no Amavasya left in the evening. So a Lakshmi Puja on the 9th would be done in the wrong tithi, no matter how promising that morning’s sunrise looked.Sunday, 8 November, gives a very different picture. Amavasya has been in force since late morning. At sunset the tithi is fully present, and it stays through Pradosh Kaal and on past midnight into Nishita Kaal. Every requirement for the puja is met.
Final Recommendation
Diwali and Lakshmi Puja should be observed on the evening of Sunday, 8 November 2026. Once the Pradosh rule is applied correctly, the reputed Panchang calculations agree on this. Monday, 9 November, is not suitable for Lakshmi Puja. The Amavasya night of the 8th is also the correct night for Kali Puja and for traders who perform Chopda Puja around midnight.
Lakshmi Puja Muhurat for 8 November
Inside Pradosh Kaal there is a further refinement. We nrmally wait for a sthir lagna, or fixed sign, to rise. Vrishabha, ruled by Venus, the planet linked with wealth and comfort, is the preferred ascendant. Worship in a fixed lagna is traditionally believed to keep Goddess Lakshmi’s blessings settled in the home rather than passing through it.
Timings for New Delhi:
·Lakshmi Puja Muhurat: 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM·Pradosh Kaal: 5:31 PM to 8:09 PM·Vrishabha Lagna: 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM·Amavasya Tithi Begins: around 11:27 AM, 8 November·Amavasya Tithi Ends: around 12:31 PM, 9 NovemberThese windows move with local sunset. Cities to the west of Delhi will see the muhurat open later, and eastern cities a little earlier. Most time zones abroad also have Amavasya on the evening of 8 November, but the exact window should be worked out from local sunset and the local rising of Vrishabha.
