🪙 Dhanteras (Dhantrayodashi) 2026
Kartik Krishna Trayodashi — first day of the five-day Deepotsav; Dhanvantari Jayanti, Kuber-Lakshmi puja, new purchases and the Yama lamp.
Dhanteras is celebrated on the Trayodashi of the Krishna Paksha of Kartik month — two days before Diwali, the first day of the five-day festival of lamps (Dhanteras, Narak Chaturdashi, Diwali, Govardhan, Bhai Dooj). On this day Lord Dhanvantari emerged from the churning of the ocean with the pot of amrit, so it is a festival of health too — India's National Ayurveda Day.
Homes buy utensils, gold-silver, a broom and coriander on this day; worship Lakshmi, Kuber and Dhanvantari in the evening Pradosh Kaal; and light a lamp for Yamraj facing south (Yam Deepak). Below are this year's date, the Pradosh puja muhurat, vidhi, samagri, katha and the customs of different states.
Significance — why this vrat
Dhan + teras = worship of wealth on the Trayodashi. It is believed that any metal or article bought on this day grows thirteen-fold — hence the custom of buying utensils (especially brass, copper, silver), gold and new things. The broom is bought as a symbol of Lakshmi and coriander seeds are sown after Diwali.
Yam Deepdaan: according to the katha, lighting a lamp for Yamraj outside the house facing south on this day averts untimely death in the family — this is the most essential household rite of the day, often lost in the glitter of shopping.
The puja time is Pradosh Kaal (about 2 hours 24 minutes after sunset), and within it a fixed (sthir) lagna — Vrishabha lagna, roughly 6:30-8:30 pm in Delhi — is best; Lakshmi worshipped in a fixed lagna stays, so the belief goes.
Puja vidhi (step by step)
This is the household vidhi — shopping and cleaning in the day, puja in Pradosh and the Yama lamp in the evening.
- Clean the house in the morning; at the main door draw rangoli, hang a toran, draw a swastik and Lakshmi's footprints on both sides — from the threshold towards the puja place.
- Shopping during the day — a metal utensil (brass/copper/silver; never brought home empty — fill it with rice/sugar/water), a gold or silver coin, a new broom, coriander seeds, diyas.
- In the evening spread a red cloth on a wooden seat at the puja place and set up the picture/idol of Lakshmi-Ganesha, Kuber and Lord Dhanvantari; place the purchased utensil/coin before them with roli and akshat.
- Puja in Pradosh Kaal (time above): kalash sthapana, lamp and incense, flowers, roli-akshat, kheel-batasha, sweets, coriander; chant 'Om Dhanvantaraye Namah', 'Om Shreem Hreem Kleem Kuberaya Namah' and the Lakshmi mantra; pray to Dhanvantari for health and to Kuber-Lakshmi for wealth.
- Worship the safe/ledgers/cash box — a swastik in roli, akshat, flowers; traders start new account books on this day or on Diwali.
- Yam Deepdaan: after sunset take a four-faced lamp of dough or clay with mustard oil and four wicks; place it outside the house facing south, on a small heap of grain (wheat); a woman of the family folds her hands and prays — 'Mrityuna pashadandabhyam kalena shyamaya saha, trayodashyam deepdanat suryajah priyatam mama'. Let it burn all night.
- Light 13 (or 5-7) diyas in every corner of the house, at the Tulsi, the kitchen, the water place and the door — the festival of lamps begins here.
- Distribute prasad after the aarti; use the new utensil for the first time in the Diwali puja or in the kitchen the next day.
Puja samagri checklist
Buy the puja items for Diwali along with these — they last the three days.
- Picture/idol of Lakshmi-Ganesha, Kuber and Dhanvantari, red cloth, wooden seat
- Earthen diyas (13 or more), mustard oil, ghee, cotton wicks
- Four-faced lamp of dough/clay for the Yama lamp + a heap of wheat
- Kalash, mango leaves, coconut, mauli, roli, akshat, turmeric, sandalwood
- Kheel-batasha, sweets (laddoo/barfi), fruit, paan-supari, cloves-cardamom
- Whole coriander — for the puja and for sowing after Diwali
- New metal utensil / coin / broom — purchased, to place in the puja
- Marigold garland, lotus (if available), roses
- Rangoli colours, toran, Lakshmi footprint stencils
- Incense, camphor, aarti thali, Gangajal
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Open panchang →Vrat katha (the story)
The horoscope of King Hima's son foretold death by snakebite on the fourth day after his wedding. That night the new bride did not let her husband sleep — she piled gold and silver ornaments and coins at the door of the room, lit lamps all around and sang songs and told stories the whole night.
Yamraj came in the form of a serpent, but the glitter of the lamps and jewels dazzled his eyes; he sat on the heap listening to the songs all night and left at dawn without biting. Thus the prince's life was saved by the gift of lamps and the vigil — since then the Yama lamp is lit on the Trayodashi so that untimely death does not visit the family.
The other story is of the churning of the ocean — on this very Trayodashi Lord Dhanvantari emerged from the churning by the gods and demons holding the pot of amrit; he is the god of Ayurveda. Because he appeared holding a pot (kalash), the custom of buying utensils became attached to the day. Two days later, on the Amavasya, Lakshmi appeared — hence Diwali.
Dhanteras bhog and food
A fast is not compulsory on Dhanteras — it is a day of puja and shopping; but in many homes women keep the Pradosh vrat (Trayodashi) and take fruit/food after the puja.
- Bhog: kheel-batasha, white sweets (barfi/peda), coriander-jaggery panjiri (special in many homes), coconut, fruit
- For Dhanvantari: milk/kheer with Tulsi leaves or turmeric milk — a symbol of health
- Diwali sweets (gujiya, shakkarpare, namkeen) begin to be made from Dhanteras in many homes
- Women keeping the Pradosh vrat take fruit and milk in the day and a sattvik meal after the puja
- Cook the first dish in the new utensil on Diwali day — kheer or halwa
Regional customs
Dhanteras is kept across the country, but here utensils, there the Yama lamp, elsewhere cow worship is the focus.
A custom, tale, song or dish heard from your grandmother — 2-4 lines; after reading we add it on this page with your region's name (the phone is never shown — only to ask you back).
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✅ Do
- Do the puja in Pradosh Kaal (time above), and if possible in a fixed lagna (~6:30-8:30 pm)
- Do light the Yama lamp — facing south, outside the house, all night
- Never bring a utensil home empty — enter with it filled with rice/sugar/water
- Place the broom in the puja, then use it with respect; sow the coriander seeds after Diwali
- Bow to Dhanvantari, god of health — a special prayer for any sick member of the family
❌ Don't
- Lending/borrowing on this day, buying glass, plastic or iron (iron belongs to Shani — traditionally avoided; opinions differ on steel)
- Buying black or sharp things, knives and scissors
- Stepping over or moving the Yama lamp; placing it anywhere but the south
- Buying gold on debt in a shopping frenzy — Dhanteras is a day of faith, not show
- Dirt or garbage in the house — cleaning is a must before Lakshmi's arrival
Frequently asked questions
When is Dhanteras in 2026?
The date at the top is this year's Kartik Krishna Trayodashi — from panchang calculations; the Pradosh Kaal puja time (Delhi) is shown there too. If the Trayodashi touches Pradosh on two days, Dhanteras is the day on which the Trayodashi is present after sunset.
What is the auspicious muhurat for the Dhanteras puja?
Pradosh Kaal — about 2 hours 24 minutes from sunset (exact time above). Within it the Vrishabha (fixed) lagna — about 6:30-8:30 pm in Delhi — is best; a fixed lagna so that Lakshmi stays.
What should one buy on Dhanteras?
A metal utensil (brass-copper-silver), a gold or silver coin/ornament, a new broom, coriander, diyas, a new kitchen vessel. Buy according to faith and means — even a small utensil or a broom is enough.
How and when to light the Yama lamp?
After sunset, a four-faced lamp of dough/clay with mustard oil and four wicks; place it outside the house facing south on a heap of grain; a woman of the family prays and the lamp burns all night.
Is a fast kept on Dhanteras?
Not compulsory; many women keep the Trayodashi Pradosh vrat — fruit during the day, a meal after the Pradosh puja. The Dhanvantari puja and Yama lamp are fully valid without a fast.
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⚠️ This description follows traditional vidhi and folk belief; your own family custom comes first. The fixed-lagna time varies by city — verify with your city's panchang.
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