Karwa Chauth 2026: Date, Moonrise Time by City, Puja Muhurat, Vrat Vidhi and Katha

Discover the Karwa Chauth 2026 date, city-wise moonrise times, puja muhurat, sargi timings, vrat vidhi, katha, fasting rules and essential puja samagri for a meaningful celebration.

Karwa Chauth 2026 is on Thursday, 29 October 2026. In New Delhi, the puja muhurat is from 5:38 PM to 6:56 PM, and the moon rises at 8:17 PM, which makes the fast about 13 hours 46 minutes long from sunrise at 6:31 AM.

Karwa Chauth is the nirjala fast that married women across North and West India keep from sunrise to moonrise for the long life and well-being of their husbands. This guide gives the verified date and tithi, moonrise and puja timings for 24 cities, the order of the day from sargi to breaking the fast, the vrat katha in brief, and answers to the questions that come up every year.

Timings are in Indian Standard Time and are for New Delhi unless another city is named. They follow Drik Panchang's Karwa Chauth page and have been cross-checked against the Government of India holiday list.

Karwa Chauth 2026 at a Glance

When Is Karwa Chauth in 2026?

Karwa Chauth falls on the Chaturthi (fourth) tithi of the dark fortnight of Kartik in the North Indian calendar. In 2026, the tithi begins at 1:06 AM on Thursday, 29 October and ends at 10:09 PM the same night. The festival is kept on the day Chaturthi is present at moonrise, and on 29 October it lasts from before sunrise until well after the moon is up. The Government of India's holiday list also records Karaka Chaturthi on 29 October 2026.

Calendars in Gujarat, Maharashtra and the south name the same fortnight Ashwin Krishna Paksha. The month name differs, but the day is the same everywhere in India.

Karwa Chauth comes nine days after Dussehra and ten days before Diwali, which falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026.

Karwa Chauth 2026 Moonrise Time and Puja Muhurat by City

Moonrise depends on where you are. It comes earliest in the east and latest in the west and south, so the fast ends about an hour and a quarter later in Mumbai than in Kolkata. The puja muhurat begins at local sunset.

City timings follow Drik Panchang for each location and can differ by a minute or two between Panchangs.

When Will You Actually See the Moon?

The listed moonrise is the moment the moon reaches the horizon. On a flat, clear horizon, its first edge appears four to five minutes earlier, which is why some almanacs print a slightly earlier figure, such as 8:12 PM for Delhi. In a city, buildings, trees and haze usually hide the moon for a while after it rises. Plan the arghya for the listed time or a little after, and look low in the east-north-east.

Sargi Time and the Fast

The fast runs from sunrise to moonrise without food or water. Sargi is the pre-dawn meal, traditionally sent by the mother-in-law, that carries a woman through the day. Most families eat it between 4 AM and 5:30 AM. It should be finished before sunrise, which is at 6:31 AM in Delhi.

A sargi thali usually includes:

• Fresh fruit and coconut water
• Soaked almonds, walnuts and other dry fruits
• Pheni or seviyan cooked in milk
• A paratha or mathri
• Curd or lassi
• A sweet, and the suhaag items sent with the thali

Drink plenty of water with the meal. Salty and fried food, and tea or coffee, tend to make the day harder.

Karwa Chauth Puja Samagri List

• A karwa: an earthen or metal pot with a spout, filled with water or milk and covered with a lid
• A puja thali with a ghee diya, roli, akshat, sindoor and flowers
• A sieve (chhalni) for sighting the moon
• A lota of water for the arghya
• An image of Chauth Mata, or of Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati, Lord Ganesha and Kartikeya
• Sweets, mathri and fruit for the bhog and the baya
• Suhaag items such as bangles, bindi, mehndi and a red chunri
• The Karwa Chauth vrat katha book

Karwa Chauth Vrat Vidhi: The Day Step by Step

1. Before sunrise: Bathe, eat the sargi and take the sankalp, the vow to keep the fast.

2. Through the day: Keep the fast without food or water. Many women apply mehndi, dress in bridal colours and rest as much as they can.

3. Evening puja: In the puja muhurat, from 5:38 PM to 6:56 PM in Delhi, set a chowki with a red cloth and place the image of Chauth Mata or Goddess Parvati on it, with the karwa and the thali in front. Worship Lord Ganesha first, then Shiva, Parvati and Kartikeya.

4. Katha: Listen to or read the vrat katha. In many neighbourhoods, women sit in a circle and pass their thalis round as it is told.

5. Baya: Offer the baya of sweets, mathri and a gift to your mother-in-law or an elder married woman, and take her blessing.

6. Moonrise: Offer arghya to the moon, look at it through the sieve, and then look at your husband through the same sieve.

7. Breaking the fast: Your husband gives you the first sip of water and a bite of something sweet. Follow it with a light meal.

Customs differ between Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other regions, and between families. Follow the practice your own family keeps.

Karwa Chauth Vrat Katha in Brief

The best-known katha is that of Veeravati, the only sister of seven brothers. On her first Karwa Chauth, at her parents' home, she grew faint with hunger and thirst. Her brothers could not bear to watch, so they lit a lamp behind a sieve in a tree and told her the moon had risen. She broke her fast, and word soon came that her husband was gravely ill. In some tellings he had died.

Veeravati prayed to Goddess Parvati, who told her the fast had been broken before the true moonrise. She kept the vrat again with full devotion, and her husband was restored to her. The story is the reason the fast is never broken before the moon has been seen.

Other tellings include the story of Karwa, a devoted wife who saved her husband from a crocodile and won him a long life from Yama, and of Draupadi, who kept the fast on Lord Krishna's advice. Families read whichever version has come down to them.

What If the Moon Is Not Visible?

Cloud, rain or smog sometimes hide the moon. The usual guidance is to wait until the listed moonrise time has passed and then offer the arghya facing the direction in which the moon rises. Some families offer it to the crescent moon shown on an image of Lord Shiva. Follow your family's custom or your priest's advice.

Karwa Chauth Fasting Rules: Who Keeps the Fast

• Married women keep the fast by tradition. The first Karwa Chauth after the wedding is treated as a special occasion in most families.
• Unmarried and engaged women sometimes keep it for a future partner. In some families, they break the fast after sighting the stars instead of the moon.
• Husbands increasingly keep the fast alongside their wives.
• Women who are pregnant, nursing, diabetic, unwell or on regular medication should speak to their doctor first. Many families accept a fast with water, fruit or milk in these cases.
• Dress: Red, maroon, pink, orange, yellow and gold are the traditional colours. Black and white are usually avoided.

Why Karwa Chauth Is Observed

The name joins two words. A karwa is a small earthen pot, and chauth means the fourth day. Sanskrit texts call the observance Karaka Chaturthi. It is kept mainly in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and by families from these regions around the world.

At its heart is a wife's prayer for her husband's long life. The fast also honours Goddess Parvati, whose devotion to Lord Shiva is the model for it, and Lord Ganesha, since the day is a Sankashti Chaturthi as well. Over time, it has become a celebration of the marriage itself, with many couples now fasting together.

The Moon on Karwa Chauth 2026: An Astrological Note

In Jyotish, the Moon signifies the mind and the emotions, and Karwa Chauth is the fast that ends with its worship. On 29 October 2026, the Moon rises in Taurus (Vrishabha), the sign in which it is considered exalted, and in Mrigashira nakshatra. The day is a Thursday, which is associated with Jupiter, the planet that represents the husband in a woman's chart. Astrologers read both as favourable for a fast kept for married life.

These are traditional associations. What they mean for one person depends on the individual birth chart. If marriage is on your mind this season, our guides to marriage timing in astrology and Mangal Dosha in the kundli explain how a chart is read for married life, and a kundli analysis applies it to your own.

Karwa Chauth 2026 Outside India

In the United States and Canada, Karwa Chauth is on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, because the Chaturthi tithi is present at moonrise there on the 28th. In the UAE, it is on Thursday, 29 October, as in India, with moonrise in Dubai at about 8:29 PM. Wherever you live, use the moonrise time for your own city.

Guidance for Marriage and Family Life

Karwa Chauth is a time when many families think about marriage, compatibility and the year ahead. Dr. Sanjay Sethi offers astrology consultations for marriage and relationship questions, along with numerology readings for couples and families.

Book a personal consultation with Dr. Sanjay Sethi

Frequently Asked Questions About Karwa Chauth 2026

1. When is Karwa Chauth in 2026?

Karwa Chauth is on Thursday, 29 October 2026 in India. The Chaturthi tithi begins at 1:06 AM and ends at 10:09 PM that day. In the United States and Canada, it is observed on Wednesday, 28 October 2026.

2. What time will the moon rise on Karwa Chauth 2026?

In New Delhi, the moon rises at 8:17 PM on 29 October 2026. Other cities: Chandigarh 8:12 PM, Lucknow 8:06 PM, Jaipur 8:28 PM, Kolkata 7:47 PM, Ahmedabad 8:52 PM, Mumbai 9:00 PM and Bengaluru 8:55 PM.

3. What is the Karwa Chauth 2026 puja muhurat?

In New Delhi, the Karwa Chauth puja muhurat on 29 October 2026 is from 5:38 PM to 6:56 PM. It begins at local sunset, so it starts a little earlier in eastern cities and later in western ones.

4. What is the sargi time for Karwa Chauth 2026?

Sargi is eaten before sunrise. Most families have it between 4 AM and 5:30 AM. In Delhi, sunrise on 29 October 2026 is at 6:31 AM, so the meal should be finished before then.

5. How long is the Karwa Chauth fast in 2026?

In New Delhi, the fast lasts about 13 hours 46 minutes, from sunrise at 6:31 AM to moonrise at 8:17 PM. It is a little shorter in the east and longer in the west.

6. Can I drink water during the Karwa Chauth fast?

Traditionally, the fast is nirjala, kept without food or water until the moon is sighted. Women who are pregnant, unwell or on medication should take medical advice, and many families accept a fast with water, fruit or milk in such cases.

7. Can unmarried girls keep the Karwa Chauth fast?

Yes. Some unmarried and engaged women keep the fast for a future partner or for a fiance. In some families, they break it after sighting the stars instead of waiting for the moon.

8. Can a pregnant woman keep the Karwa Chauth fast?

She should speak to her doctor first. A full day without water is not advised for everyone during pregnancy. Many families keep the puja and the katha in full and observe the fast with water, fruit or milk.

9. What should I do if the moon is not visible on Karwa Chauth?

Wait until the listed moonrise time for your city has passed, then offer the arghya facing the direction of moonrise. Some families offer it to the crescent moon on an image of Lord Shiva. Follow your family custom.

10. Why is the moon seen through a sieve on Karwa Chauth?

The custom comes from the vrat katha. In a common version, Veeravati's brothers showed her a lamp behind a sieve and called it the moon. Seeing the real moon through a sieve, and then the husband's face, recalls that story.

11. Are Karwa Chauth and Karaka Chaturthi the same?

Yes. Karaka Chaturthi is the Sanskrit name for Karwa Chauth. Both refer to the Krishna Paksha Chaturthi of Kartik, which is also observed as a Sankashti Chaturthi dedicated to Lord Ganesha.

12. How many days after Karwa Chauth is Diwali in 2026?

Diwali is on Sunday, 8 November 2026, ten days after Karwa Chauth on 29 October.