Dhanteras 2026 at a glance
Dhanteras — Dhantrayodashi — is on Friday, 6 November 2026, Kartik Krishna Trayodashi. The Trayodashi tithi runs from 10:30 am on 6 November to 10:47 am on 7 November, so the evening puja falls on the 6th. In New Delhi the Dhanteras puja muhurat is 6:02 pm to 7:57 pm — the steady Vrishabha lagna within the Pradosh Kaal, which runs from 5:33 pm to 8:09 pm. The Yama Deepam is lit the same evening. Times shift by a few minutes from city to city.
Why Dhanteras is kept
Three stories meet on this day. Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods, rose from the churning of the ocean on Trayodashi carrying the pot of amrit — so the day is also Dhanvantari Jayanti, and health is prayed for. Lakshmi is welcomed into the home ahead of Diwali, and Kuber, the keeper of wealth, is worshipped with her. And the lamp lit for Yama at dusk recalls the story of a young prince saved from death by his wife’s vigil. For a checklist of the whole day, see what to do and not do on Dhanteras.
How the Dhanteras puja is done
- Clean the home and the entrance; draw a rangoli at the door.
- In the Pradosh Kaal, place images of Lakshmi, Ganesha and Kuber on a red cloth, with a kalash.
- Offer flowers, roli, akshat, a lamp and incense; offer a sweet of milk or khoa.
- Chant Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah and the Kuber mantra Om Yakshaya Kuberaya Vaishravanaya Dhanadhanyadhipataye Namah.
- Worship whatever new metal or utensil you have bought, before using it.
Yam Deepdaan — the lamp for Yama
At dusk on Dhanteras a four-wicked lamp of flour or clay, filled with mustard oil, is lit and placed outside the main door, facing south — the direction of Yama. It is offered for the protection of the family from untimely death, and it is the one Diwali lamp that faces outward rather than in. How many other diyas to light, and where: how many diyas on Dhanteras.
What to buy on Dhanteras
Gold or silver, a new steel or brass utensil, a broom, coriander seeds (kept with the Lakshmi puja and later sown), or a small Lakshmi-Ganesha idol for Diwali. The custom is to buy something new for the home, in whatever measure the family can — the tradition attaches no value to the price. The full list, and what not to buy: what to buy on Dhanteras; why the broom matters: Dhanteras and the jhadu.
The five days that follow
Dhanteras is followed by Roop Chaudas (Narak Chaturdashi), then Diwali and the Lakshmi Puja on 8 November, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj. For a Lakshmi Puja performed in your name by pandits in Ujjain, see Maa Lakshmi Puja.