Chhath Puja 2026 falls on Sunday, 15 November, with Sandhya Arghya offered to the setting sun that evening, and the four-day vrat running from Friday, 13 November to Monday, 16 November.
Chhath is one of the oldest and most demanding vrats in the Hindu calendar. It has no idol and no priest at its heart. A devotee stands in a river at dusk, holds out a bamboo soop of thekua and fruit to the setting sun, and offers thanks to Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya for the light that sustains every life.
It is a festival of gratitude, discipline and family. This year the main day falls on a Sunday, Ravivar, the day traditionally dedicated to the Sun.
This guide covers the Chhath Puja 2026 dates and arghya timings, the stories behind the vrat, how it is observed across India and Nepal, and how devotees can mark it with Rudraksha.
Key Takeaways
- Chhath Puja 2026 runs from Friday, 13 November (Nahay Khay) to Monday, 16 November (Usha Arghya), with the main Sandhya Arghya on Sunday, 15 November, Kartik Shukla Shashthi
- In Mumbai, Sandhya Arghya is at sunset, 6:00 PM on 15 November, and Usha Arghya is at sunrise, 6:46 AM on 16 November. Timings vary by city
- Chhath honours Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya, and is one of the few festivals in which the setting sun is worshipped as devotedly as the rising sun
- 12 Mukhi Rudraksha is traditionally associated with Surya, which makes it the bead most closely connected to Chhath
- Rudralife recommends Rudraksha through date of birth using astro-numerology (Mulank), and every bead is ACE energised before it reaches the devotee
When Is Chhath Puja 2026? Date and Arghya Timings
Chhath Puja 2026 is observed over four days, from Friday, 13 November to Monday, 16 November, in the month of Kartik.
The festival is named after Shashthi, the sixth day of the bright fortnight after Diwali. Chhath simply means “six”.
- Day 1, Nahay Khay: Friday, 13 November 2026
- Day 2, Kharna: Saturday, 14 November 2026
- Day 3, Sandhya Arghya (main Chhath day): Sunday, 15 November 2026
- Day 4, Usha Arghya and Parana: Monday, 16 November 2026
- Shashthi tithi begins: 11:23 PM, 14 November
- Shashthi tithi ends: 2:00 AM, 16 November
- Sandhya Arghya (Mumbai): sunset at 6:00 PM, Sunday, 15 November
- Usha Arghya (Mumbai): sunrise at 6:46 AM, Monday, 16 November
Because arghya is offered at the exact moment of sunset and sunrise, the time changes from city to city. Here are the timings for other major cities.
- New Delhi: sunset 5:28 PM, sunrise 6:44 AM
- Kolkata: sunset 4:53 PM, sunrise 5:50 AM
- Chennai: sunset 5:39 PM, sunrise 6:08 AM
- Bengaluru: sunset 5:49 PM, sunrise 6:18 AM
- Hyderabad: sunset 5:39 PM, sunrise 6:21 AM
- Pune: sunset 5:56 PM, sunrise 6:41 AM
- Ahmedabad: sunset 5:55 PM, sunrise 6:53 AM
Sunset is on 15 November and sunrise on 16 November in each city. Many families reach the ghat 30 to 45 minutes early.
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See how the Diwali season leads into Chhath: Lakshmi Puja 2026 →
Why Is Chhath Puja Celebrated? The Story Behind the Sun Vrat
Chhath is offered to Surya Dev, the visible deity who gives light, warmth and the harvest, and to Chhathi Maiya, the mother goddess who protects children. In some traditions she is remembered as the Sun’s sister. In the Brahma Vaivarta Purana she is identified with Shashthi Devi, also known as Devasena.
Several stories are woven into the vrat.
In the Ramayana tradition, Devi Sita is said to have kept the Surya Shashthi vrat after returning to Ayodhya with Lord Rama.
In the Mahabharata, Karna, the son of Surya, stood waist-deep in water every day offering arghya to his father. Many devotees see him as the first Chhath vrati. Draupadi and the Pandavas are also said to have kept the vrat in difficult times.
A Puranic story tells of King Priyavrat, whose child was born lifeless. Shashthi Devi appeared, restored the child to life, and asked that she be worshipped on the sixth day. This is why Chhath is so closely tied to prayers for children and family.
There is a quieter teaching in the vrat as well. On Sandhya Arghya, devotees bow to the setting sun before they greet the rising one. To honour what is ending with the same devotion as what is beginning is a rare kind of gratitude, and perhaps the heart of Chhath.
How Chhath Puja Is Observed
The four days follow a careful rhythm of purity and fasting.
- Nahay Khay: The vrati bathes in a river or pond, cleans the home, and eats a single sattvic meal, usually lauki (bottle gourd), chana dal and rice, cooked without onion or garlic.
- Kharna: A day-long fast ends at dusk with rasiya (jaggery kheer) and roti, offered first as prasad. The nirjala fast, without food or water, then begins and lasts about 36 hours.
- Sandhya Arghya: Families carry bamboo daura baskets to the ghat. Standing in water, the vrati offers arghya to the setting sun from a soop filled with thekua, sugarcane, bananas, coconut and seasonal fruit.
- Kosi Bharai: In many homes, clay lamps are lit at night beneath a canopy of sugarcane stalks, often in fulfilment of a vow.
- Usha Arghya and Parana: Before dawn, the family returns to the water to offer arghya to the rising sun. The fast is then broken with prasad and water.
The festival looks a little different in each region.
- Bihar and Jharkhand: The heartland of Chhath, where whole towns gather at the ghats and folk songs fill the night.
- Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Nepal’s Terai: The ghats of Varanasi and the ponds of Janakpur fill with lamps and devotees through both arghyas.
- Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata: Families who have moved for work observe Chhath at the Yamuna ghats, at Juhu beach, or at artificial ponds set up by local communities.
- Overseas: Devotees in the US, UK, Singapore, Mauritius and the Gulf often build small water tanks on terraces or in gardens, so the vrat can continue far from home.
Explore how Rudraksha is connected to the nine planets, including the Sun →
Rudraksha for Chhath Puja
Chhath is a vrat of the Sun, and many devotees choose these days to begin wearing a Rudraksha connected to Surya.
- 12 Mukhi Rudraksha: Associated with Surya Dev and the twelve Adityas, which makes it the bead most closely connected to Chhath. It is believed to support confidence, clarity, vitality and the quality of leadership. Explore 12 Mukhi Rudraksha →
Rudralife’s Note: The Shastras support wearing all mukhi Rudraksha together. Different mukhis do not conflict with one another, and Rudraksha always acts positively.
The right Rudraksha depends on the individual.
Rudralife recommends beads through your date of birth using astro-numerology (Mulank). Your Mulank shows your ruling planet, and a Rudraksha for that planet is suggested only when it needs balancing.
Those born on the 1st, 10th, 19th or 28th of any month have Mulank 1, which is ruled by the Sun.
Every Rudraksha from Rudralife is authenticated through X-ray at RRTL, Rudralife’s own ISO 9001:2015 lab, and ACE energised before it reaches you.
Get a personalised Rudraksha recommendation based on your date of birth →
Prefer to see Rudraksha in person? Visit us at an upcoming Rudralife exhibition →
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When is Chhath Puja 2026? Chhath Puja 2026 runs from Friday, 13 November to Monday, 16 November, with the main Sandhya Arghya on Sunday, 15 November.
2. What time is Sandhya Arghya and Usha Arghya in 2026? In Mumbai, Sandhya Arghya is at sunset, 6:00 PM on 15 November, and Usha Arghya is at sunrise, 6:46 AM on 16 November. In New Delhi, the times are 5:28 PM and 6:44 AM. For any other city, please check Drik Panchang.
3. Why is the setting sun worshipped in Chhath? Chhath honours the Sun through the whole cycle of the day. In many traditions, the evening arghya is offered to Pratyusha, the Sun’s last ray, and the morning arghya to Usha, the first ray, both remembered as the Sun’s consorts. Many devotees see it as gratitude for both endings and beginnings.
4. Who is Chhathi Maiya? Chhathi Maiya is the mother goddess worshipped alongside Surya during Chhath. She is identified with Shashthi Devi, or Devasena, in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, and is believed to protect children and bless families.
5. Can I offer arghya with my Rudraksha? Many devotees wear their Rudraksha while offering arghya, or hold their mala briefly towards the rising sun during Usha Arghya as an act of devotion. Please follow your family’s custom for the vrat itself.
6. Which Rudraksha should I wear? 12 Mukhi Rudraksha is traditionally associated with Surya, but the right bead depends on you. Rudralife recommends Rudraksha through your date of birth using astro-numerology (Mulank). Share your date of birth for a free, personalised recommendation.
The Bottom Line
Chhath Puja 2026 reaches its heart on Sunday, 15 November, when lakhs of devotees stand in rivers, ponds and terrace tanks to offer arghya to the setting sun, and return before dawn on Monday to greet it again.
For 25 years, Rudralife has walked with devotees through every festival season. Whether you keep the full vrat, stand at the ghat with your family, or simply offer water to the rising sun from your balcony, we wish you and your loved ones a blessed Chhath.
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