Laxmi Pujan muhurat 2026: Diwali puja time on Sunday, 8 November
Diwali and Laxmi Pujan fall on Sunday, 8 November 2026. The evening Pradosh Kaal window, why panchangs differ, and what Hindus in Pakistan do.
Diwali falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026, and Laxmi Pujan is done that evening. That is why “laxmi pujan muhurat 2026” is one of the top searches in India today, two days after Dhanteras.
Laxmi Pujan muhurat 2026: the timings
Amavasya, the new-moon date on which Diwali is celebrated, is in force on the evening of 8 November and ends around midday on Monday, 9 November. Because Laxmi Puja is done after sunset on Amavasya, the evening of the 8th is the day, and almost every panchang agrees on that.
The exact minutes are where calendars differ:
- Pradosh Kaal (Delhi): roughly 5:30 PM to about 8:00 PM IST, starting just after sunset
- Lakshmi Puja muhurat (Delhi), as given by several panchangs: about 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM IST
- Other published windows for North India run from about 6:09 PM to 8:07 PM, or 6:29 PM to 8:29 PM
Why the times are different
Muhurat is worked out from local sunset and from the Vrishabha (Sthir) Lagna, a fixed ascendant that is considered stable and therefore good for inviting Lakshmi to stay. Sunset changes from city to city, so a muhurat for Delhi will not match Mumbai, Kolkata or Karachi. Many websites also copy a single figure without saying which city it is for. Families who follow a particular pandit or local panchang usually go by that.
What happens on the day
Homes are cleaned and lit with diyas, rangoli is drawn at the door, and Lakshmi and Ganesh are worshipped together in the evening, with sweets, coins and new account books placed for blessing. Many businesses begin a new financial year from this puja. The five-day festival runs from Dhanteras on 6 November to Bhai Dooj.
Diwali in Pakistan
Pakistan’s Hindu community, most of it in Sindh, celebrates on the same date. Temples such as Karachi’s Shri Swaminarayan Mandir hold Diwali gatherings, and in recent years the Sindh government has announced a public holiday for Hindu employees. Sunset there differs from Delhi, so families follow a local panchang or their pandit for the exact puja time.
Watch Delhi’s air quality reports too: crackers on Diwali night usually push pollution higher in North India, and courts there are already warning about it this year.
