Dhanteras 2026: Puja Muhurat in 30 Cities, Gold Buying Time and Yama Deepam

Dhanteras 2026 falls on Friday, 6 November. Krishna Trayodashi begins at 10:31 AM that morning and runs until 10:48 AM on Saturday, 7 November. The Dhanteras puja muhurat in Delhi is 6:03 PM to 7:59 PM, and Yama Deepam is lit the same evening. For buying gold, silver and utensils, the window opens at 10:31 AM on 6 November and stays open until 10:48 AM the next morning.

This guide gives the puja muhurat for 30 cities, the choghadiya windows for shopping in nine cities, what families traditionally buy and avoid, and how to do the Dhanvantari, Kuber and Lakshmi puja at home.

• Dhanteras 2026 at a glance
• Is Dhanteras on 6 or 7 November?
• Dhanteras puja muhurat in 30 cities
• Best time to buy gold on Dhanteras 2026
• What to buy, and what families avoid
• Dhanteras puja vidhi and Yama Deepam
• The two stories behind Dhanteras
• Frequently asked questions

Dhanteras 2026 at a glance

Detail	Dhanteras 2026 (New Delhi)
Date	Friday, 6 November 2026
Trayodashi tithi	10:31 AM on 6 November to 10:48 AM on 7 November
Dhanteras puja muhurat	6:03 PM to 7:59 PM (Vrishabha lagna in Pradosh)
Pradosh Kaal	5:33 PM to 8:10 PM
Yama Deepam	After sunset on 6 November, in Pradosh Kaal
Gold and silver buying	10:31 AM on 6 November to 10:48 AM on 7 November, best in Shubh, Labh, Amrit and Char choghadiyas
Rahu Kaal	10:43 AM to 12:05 PM, avoid
Moon	In Hasta Nakshatra, Virgo, all day
Also on this day	Dhanvantari Jayanti, National Ayurveda Day, Pradosh Vrat

Is Dhanteras 2026 on 6 or 7 November?

The confusion comes from the tithi. Trayodashi starts late on the morning of 6 November and ends late on the morning of 7 November, so it touches both dates. Panchangs fix Dhanteras by the evening, because the puja and Yama Deepam belong to Pradosh Kaal. Trayodashi is present after sunset only on 6 November, so that is Dhanteras for all of India.

For shopping, the rule is looser. Many families buy gold or utensils at any good time while Trayodashi lasts, which in 2026 includes the morning of Saturday, 7 November until 10:48 AM. If you miss Friday, Saturday morning still counts.

Dhanteras 2026 puja muhurat in 30 cities

The main muhurat is the part of Pradosh Kaal when Vrishabha, a fixed sign ruled by Venus, is rising. It is the same principle used for Lakshmi Puja on Diwali night: a fixed lagna for wealth that stays.

City	Sunset	Pradosh Kaal	Dhanteras puja muhurat
Delhi	5:33 PM	5:33 PM to 8:10 PM	6:03 PM to 7:59 PM
Noida	5:32 PM	5:32 PM to 8:09 PM	6:02 PM to 7:58 PM
Gurugram	5:34 PM	5:34 PM to 8:11 PM	6:04 PM to 8:00 PM
Chandigarh	5:31 PM	5:31 PM to 8:10 PM	6:01 PM to 7:55 PM
Amritsar	5:38 PM	5:38 PM to 8:16 PM	6:07 PM to 8:01 PM
Ludhiana	5:35 PM	5:35 PM to 8:13 PM	6:05 PM to 7:59 PM
Jammu	5:36 PM	5:36 PM to 8:15 PM	6:05 PM to 7:58 PM
Dehradun	5:27 PM	5:27 PM to 8:05 PM	5:57 PM to 7:52 PM
Jaipur	5:41 PM	5:41 PM to 8:17 PM	6:12 PM to 8:08 PM
Jodhpur	5:53 PM	5:53 PM to 8:28 PM	6:24 PM to 8:21 PM
Lucknow	5:20 PM	5:20 PM to 7:56 PM	5:51 PM to 7:47 PM
Kanpur	5:23 PM	5:23 PM to 7:59 PM	5:54 PM to 7:51 PM
Varanasi	5:14 PM	5:14 PM to 7:49 PM	5:46 PM to 7:43 PM
Agra	5:32 PM	5:32 PM to 8:08 PM	6:03 PM to 7:59 PM
Patna	5:05 PM	5:05 PM to 7:41 PM	5:36 PM to 7:34 PM
Ranchi	5:08 PM	5:08 PM to 7:42 PM	5:40 PM to 7:38 PM
Kolkata	4:57 PM	4:57 PM to 7:30 PM	5:29 PM to 7:28 PM
Bhubaneswar	5:10 PM	5:10 PM to 7:42 PM	5:43 PM to 7:42 PM
Guwahati	4:38 PM	4:38 PM to 7:14 PM	5:09 PM to 7:06 PM
Bhopal	5:40 PM	5:40 PM to 8:13 PM	6:12 PM to 8:10 PM
Indore	5:46 PM	5:46 PM to 8:20 PM	6:18 PM to 8:17 PM
Raipur	5:25 PM	5:25 PM to 7:58 PM	5:58 PM to 7:57 PM
Nagpur	5:36 PM	5:36 PM to 8:08 PM	6:09 PM to 8:08 PM
Ahmedabad	5:59 PM	5:59 PM to 8:33 PM	6:31 PM to 8:29 PM
Surat	6:01 PM	6:01 PM to 8:33 PM	6:34 PM to 8:33 PM
Mumbai	6:03 PM	6:03 PM to 8:35 PM	6:36 PM to 8:35 PM
Pune	6:00 PM	6:00 PM to 8:31 PM	6:33 PM to 8:31 PM
Hyderabad	5:43 PM	5:43 PM to 8:14 PM	6:17 PM to 8:14 PM
Bengaluru	5:52 PM	5:52 PM to 8:20 PM	6:27 PM to 8:20 PM
Chennai	5:41 PM	5:41 PM to 8:10 PM	6:16 PM to 8:10 PM

Other panchangs list Delhi as 6:02 PM to 7:57 PM. A minute or two of difference comes from the way the rising sign is calculated and makes no practical difference.

Best time to buy gold on Dhanteras 2026

Inside the Trayodashi window, jewellers and families usually prefer the Shubh, Labh, Amrit and Char choghadiyas and skip Rahu Kaal. On Friday the morning Rahu Kaal falls right after Trayodashi begins, so the first good window in most cities is the Shubh choghadiya around noon. New to choghadiya? Here is how Amrit, Shubh and Labh are worked out.

City	Fri 6 Nov, day	Fri 6 Nov, evening and night	Sat 7 Nov, before 10:48 AM
Delhi	10:31 to 10:43 AM; 12:05 to 1:27 PM; 4:11 to 5:33 PM	8:49 to 10:27 PM; 12:05 to 4:59 AM	7:59 to 9:21 AM
Mumbai	10:31 to 10:57 AM; 12:22 to 1:47 PM; 4:38 to 6:03 PM	9:13 to 10:47 PM; 12:22 to 5:07 AM	8:07 to 9:32 AM
Kolkata	11:20 AM to 12:44 PM; 3:33 to 4:57 PM	8:08 to 9:44 PM; 11:20 PM to 4:08 AM	7:08 to 8:32 AM
Bengaluru	10:31 to 10:36 AM; 12:03 to 1:30 PM; 4:25 to 5:52 PM	8:58 to 10:30 PM; 12:03 to 4:42 AM	7:42 to 9:09 AM
Chennai	11:52 AM to 1:20 PM; 4:14 to 5:41 PM	8:47 to 10:20 PM; 11:53 PM to 4:31 AM	7:31 to 8:58 AM
Hyderabad	10:31 to 10:34 AM; 12:00 to 1:25 PM; 4:17 to 5:43 PM	8:51 to 10:26 PM; 12:00 to 4:43 AM	7:42 to 9:08 AM
Ahmedabad	10:31 to 10:59 AM; 12:23 to 1:47 PM; 4:35 to 5:59 PM	9:11 to 10:47 PM; 12:23 to 5:12 AM	8:12 to 9:36 AM
Jaipur	10:31 to 10:48 AM; 12:10 to 1:33 PM; 4:18 to 5:41 PM	8:56 to 10:33 PM; 12:11 to 5:03 AM	8:03 to 9:25 AM
Lucknow	11:50 AM to 1:12 PM; 3:58 to 5:20 PM	8:35 to 10:13 PM; 11:50 PM to 4:42 AM	7:42 to 9:05 AM

If the shop will be crowded in the evening, pay or book during the noon window; many families count the booking as the purchase and collect the item later. Ask for a hallmarked piece with a six-digit HUID that you can check in the BIS Care app, and keep the bill with gold rate, purity and making charges listed separately. More buying tips are in our guide to Ravi Pushya Yoga 2026, the other big gold day of the season. Missed Dhanteras? Diwali Padwa on 10 November is another traditional day to buy gold.

What to buy on Dhanteras, and what families avoid

The word Dhanteras joins dhan, wealth, with teras, the thirteenth day. Whatever is bought is meant to bring prosperity into the house before Lakshmi arrives on Diwali night, so the list leans towards metal, the kitchen and the puja room.

• Gold or silver coins, jewellery, or a silver Lakshmi-Ganesha coin to use in the Diwali puja
• Brass, copper or steel utensils; a new lota or kalash is a common choice
• A new broom (jhadu), which stands for sweeping out poverty and is kept away from feet
• Whole coriander seeds (sabut dhaniya), offered in the puja and later sown or kept with the cash box
• Lakshmi-Ganesha idols, clay diyas, a Kuber yantra or gomti chakras for the Diwali altar
• New account books for business, and in modern homes a vehicle, appliance or electronics

By custom, many families avoid buying iron objects, knives and other sharp tools, black items, and glass on this day. When a new utensil comes home it is not brought in empty; people put a little rice, sugar or water in it first. These are household traditions and vary between regions, so follow what your family does.

Dhanteras puja vidhi and Yama Deepam

Dhanvantari, Kuber and Lakshmi puja

1. Clean the house and main door during the day, and draw a small rangoli at the entrance.
2. At the muhurat, set up a chowki in the north or east with Lakshmi, Ganesha, Kuber and a picture of Dhanvantari. Place the day’s purchases in front of them.
3. Light a ghee lamp and take a sankalp. Worship Ganesha first with roli, rice and flowers.
4. Worship Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods, for the health of the family. A short mantra is Om Namo Bhagavate Dhanvantaraye Namah.
5. Worship Kuber with the new coins or account books. His short mantra is Om Kuberaya Namah.
6. Offer kumkum, flowers, sweets and coriander seeds to Lakshmi, do aarti, and keep the purchases in the puja place until Diwali.

Yama Deepam: the lamp for Yama

After sunset, light a four-wicked lamp of mustard oil or sesame oil and place it outside the main door facing south, the direction of Yama. Many families use a lamp made of wheat flour. It is offered for the protection of the household from untimely death, and the traditional prayer is:

Mrityuna pashadandabhyam kalena shyamaya saha, trayodashyam deepadanat suryajah priyatam mama.

It asks Yama, the son of the Sun, who holds the noose and the staff, to be pleased by this lamp given on Trayodashi. The lamp is left to burn out on its own and is not taken back inside.

The two stories behind Dhanteras

The first is from the churning of the ocean. On Krishna Trayodashi of Kartik, Dhanvantari rose from the ocean holding a pot of amrit, which is why the day is also Dhanvantari Jayanti. Since 2016 the Government of India has marked it as National Ayurveda Day, a reminder that the original wealth of Dhanteras is health.

The second explains Yama Deepam. A prince named in some versions as the son of King Hima was fated to die of a snakebite on the fourth night after his wedding. His wife kept him awake, heaped her gold and silver ornaments at the door and lit lamps all around. When Yama came as a serpent, the glitter blinded him, he spent the night listening to her songs and left at dawn without the prince. Lamps for Yama on this night come from that story.

The sky on Dhanteras 2026

The Moon spends all of 6 November in Hasta Nakshatra, the nakshatra of skilled hands, which traditional muhurta texts treat as good for trade and craft. Venus, the planet of wealth, moves into Virgo at 1:04 AM that morning while retrograde, so the Moon and Venus share Virgo all day. Venus is weak in Virgo and turns direct on 14 November, so traditional guidance favours small, planned purchases over large speculative ones. Jupiter has just entered Leo; see the Jupiter transit in Leo 2026 for what that shift means for your rashi.

Dhanteras opens the five days of Diwali. If you keep Rama Ekadashi on 5 November, the parana is on Dhanteras morning. The bath and lamps of Narak Chaturdashi come on 7 and 8 November, and Lakshmi Puja is on Sunday, 8 November; the city-wise times are in our guide to the Diwali 2026 Lakshmi Puja muhurat.

If you are planning a larger purchase such as a home or vehicle in the coming months, your own chart matters more than the festival date. A free Kundli shows your running dasha, and the Kundli Report adds a career and wealth overview with your full Mahadasha timeline.

Frequently asked questions

When is Dhanteras in 2026?

On Friday, 6 November 2026. Trayodashi runs from 10:31 AM on 6 November to 10:48 AM on 7 November, and it is present at Pradosh Kaal only on the 6th.

What is the Dhanteras puja time in 2026?

In Delhi, 6:03 PM to 7:59 PM. It is 6:36 PM to 8:35 PM in Mumbai, 5:29 PM to 7:28 PM in Kolkata, 6:27 PM to 8:20 PM in Bengaluru and 5:51 PM to 7:47 PM in Lucknow.

Can I buy gold on 7 November 2026?

Yes, until 10:48 AM, while Trayodashi lasts. In Delhi the Shubh choghadiya from 7:59 AM to 9:21 AM is the best window that morning.

What should not be bought on Dhanteras?

By tradition, many families avoid iron objects, knives and sharp tools, black items and glass, and they never bring a new vessel home empty.

When should Yama Deepam be lit?

After sunset on 6 November, during Pradosh Kaal: 5:33 PM to 8:10 PM in Delhi. Place the four-wicked lamp outside the main door, facing south.

Is Dhanvantari Jayanti on the same day?

Yes. Dhanvantari Jayanti and National Ayurveda Day fall on Dhanteras, 6 November 2026.

Check sunrise, sunset and Rahu Kaal for any other city on the daily Panchang and the Rahu Kalam calculator, or find your birth nakshatra with the Nakshatra calculator.

How these timings were worked out: sunset, Pradosh Kaal (one fifth of the night), the Vrishabha rising sign and the choghadiyas were calculated by Nakshatra Finder for each city with the Swiss Ephemeris and the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsha, and checked against published panchang times for New Delhi.