Karwa Chauth 2026: Date, Puja Muhurat & Moonrise Time

Karwa Chauth 2026 is on Thursday, 29 October. In New Delhi, the fast runs from 6:31 AM to 8:17 PM, the puja muhurat is 5:38 PM to 6:56 PM, and the moon rises at 8:17 PM. Moonrise changes by city, from 7:47 PM in Kolkata to 9:00 PM in Mumbai, so find your city in the table below before you plan the day.

All timings in this guide come from Drik Panchang. If you live in the USA, note that the fast falls a day earlier there, on Wednesday, 28 October.

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When Is Karwa Chauth 2026: 28 or 29 October?

In India, Karwa Chauth 2026 falls on Thursday, 29 October. Some websites say 28 October, which has left many women unsure. Here is why both dates appear online.

Karwa Chauth is kept on the Chaturthi (fourth day) of the waning moon in the Kartik month, as per the North Indian calendar. The fast is kept on the day when Chaturthi is running at moonrise. In 2026, Chaturthi starts at 1:06 AM on 29 October and ends at 10:09 PM on 29 October (Indian time). So the moon rises on 29 October while Chaturthi is still on, which makes Thursday the correct day in India.

The 28 October date is correct for the USA. Because of the time difference, Chaturthi starts on the afternoon of 28 October in American cities, so the fast is kept a day earlier there. Some articles mix up the two.

Karwa Chauth 2026 at a glance (New Delhi):

Quick fact: Karwa Chauth is also called Karak Chaturthi. "Karwa" or "karak" is the small clay pot used to offer water to the moon. The same day is also Sankashti Chaturthi, a fast for Lord Ganesha, which is why many families include Ganesh ji in the evening puja.

Karwa Chauth 2026 Puja Muhurat and Moonrise Time in Your City

The puja muhurat and the moonrise both depend on where you live. Cities in the east see the moon first. Cities in the west and south see it later. Here are the timings for 20 cities on Thursday, 29 October 2026:

If your city is not listed, use the nearest big city as a rough guide, then check the exact time on a panchang site or app for your location on the morning of the festival.

Quick tip: The moon often shows up a few minutes after the listed moonrise time, because buildings, trees and haze hide it near the horizon. Go up to the roof or an open balcony a little before the time, so you don't miss it.

Karwa Chauth 2026 Date and Moonrise in the USA and UK

Many Indian families abroad keep the Karwa Chauth fast too. The date and timings are different from India, so don't follow Indian times.

These are local times for each city. If you live elsewhere in the USA, Canada, the UK or Australia, check a panchang for your own city, because the date can change from country to country.

Fasting apart from your husband? If he is in India and you are abroad, or the other way round, each of you should follow your own local moonrise. Many couples break the fast together on a video call when the moon rises at the wife's location.

Karwa Chauth Fasting Time: When Does the Fast Start and End?

The Karwa Chauth fast is usually a nirjala vrat, which means no food and no water. It starts at sunrise and ends when the married woman sees the moon and offers it water. In New Delhi, that is a fast of 13 hours 46 minutes in 2026.

The length changes by city:

• Shortest fast in our table: Chandigarh and Ludhiana, about 13 hours 37 minutes.
• Longest fast in our table: Bengaluru, about 14 hours 43 minutes, and Chennai, about 14 hours 42 minutes.
• Mumbai: about 14 hours 23 minutes, with the latest moonrise at 9:00 PM.

Can you keep a lighter fast? Yes. In many families, women who are pregnant, unwell, elderly or on regular medicine keep a phalahar fast (fruit, milk and water) instead of a full nirjala fast. If you have a health condition, talk to your doctor before you fast, and ask your elders what your family allows. The prayer matters more than going without water.

What Time to Eat Sargi on Karwa Chauth 2026

Sargi is the meal a married woman eats before sunrise, just before the fast begins. In many families, the mother-in-law prepares the sargi plate for her daughter-in-law, with dry fruits, sweets, fruit and sometimes clothes or jewellery. The Karwa Chauth gifts for mother-in-law guide explains how sargi and baya work between saas and bahu.

When to eat it: finish your sargi before sunrise. In New Delhi, sunrise on 29 October 2026 is at 6:31 AM, so most families eat sargi between about 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM. Check the "fast starts" time for your city in the table above. That is your cut-off.

What to eat for a long fast:

• Foods that keep you full: parathas, poha, pheni with milk, or a bowl of curd.
• Foods that keep you hydrated: coconut water, fruit like banana and papaya, and plenty of water.
• Foods for steady energy: almonds, dates, walnuts and raisins.
• What to avoid: very salty, spicy or fried food, and too much tea or coffee. They make you thirsty during the day.

Karwa Chauth 2026 Day Plan: What to Do and When (Delhi Timings)

Now that you know the timings, here is how the whole day usually flows. These are New Delhi times. Shift them using the city table if you live elsewhere.

Getting ready for the evening

Most women dress up as they did on their wedding day, in red, maroon, pink or another bright colour. The jewellery usually includes a mangalsutra, bangles or chooda, a maang tikka, earrings like jhumkas or chandbali earrings, silver anklets and toe rings. Each of these is part of the Karwa Chauth solah shringar jewellery, the 16 adornments of a married woman.

Start getting ready at least an hour before the puja muhurat. That leaves time for draping, pinning and photos before the puja begins. For matching pieces to your outfit and neckline, see what jewellery to wear on Karwa Chauth, and our guide on how to style jewellery with a saree.

How the Karwa Chauth Puja Is Done During the Muhurat

The evening puja is done inside the puja muhurat, which is 5:38 PM to 6:56 PM in Delhi. Many women do it together, at home, in a temple or in their housing society. Customs differ by region and family, so follow what your elders do. Here is the common pattern.

Things to keep ready (puja samagri):

• A karwa (clay or metal pot) filled with water
• A puja thali with a diya, roli, rice (akshat), sindoor, sweets and a few coins
• A channi (sieve) to see the moon
• A picture or small idol of Karwa Mata, Goddess Gauri (Parvati), Lord Shiva and Ganesh ji. A small silver idol from our silver idols and coins range can be kept for use every year.
• Your Karwa Chauth katha book, if you read the story yourself

The usual steps:

1. Set up the puja space facing east or north, with the pictures or idols, the karwa and the thali.
2. Light the diya and offer roli, rice and flowers to Karwa Mata, Gauri, Shiva and Ganesh ji.
3. Listen to or read the Karwa Chauth katha (story). In many families, an older woman reads it aloud for everyone.
4. In many families, women sit in a circle and pass their thalis around while singing the Karwa Chauth song. In Punjabi homes, the thalis are often passed seven times.
5. Take blessings from your mother-in-law and older women. In many families, this is when the baya is given.
6. At moonrise, offer water (arghya) to the moon from the karwa, look at the moon through the channi, then at your husband.
7. Your husband gives you the first sip of water and the first bite of food, and you break the fast.

Quick tip: Fill the karwa and set up the thali before you start getting ready. Once you are in full shringar and heavy jewellery, bending and running around becomes harder.

What If You Can't See the Moon on Karwa Chauth?

Late October skies are usually clear in North India, but clouds, smog or tall buildings can still hide the moon. Here is what many families do:

• Wait a little. The moon may come out from behind clouds 15 to 30 minutes later.
• Go higher or more open. A roof or an open ground gives a better view than a balcony between buildings.
• Follow the panchang time. In many families, if the moon is still hidden, women offer water in the direction of the moon after the listed moonrise time and break the fast.
• See the moon on a video call. Some women break the fast after a relative in another city, where the moon is visible, shows it on a video call.

There is no single rule here. Ask your elders what your family has done before, and agree on it in the morning, so nobody is anxious at night.

Get Your Karwa Chauth Look and Gifts Ready Before 29 October

With the date fixed, the last thing is making sure your outfit, jewellery and gifts arrive on time. If you are buying online, a few simple checks help:

• Check the delivery date first. Look at the delivery date shown on the product page before you order, not after. Aim to order at least a week before the festival.
• Check size and fit. Bangles, rings and toe rings must fit. Compare with a piece you already own and use the size guide on the product page.
• Read the product details. Check the metal, purity, weight and clasp, and look at all the photos.
• Verify on arrival. Hallmarked gold carries a BIS mark with a 6-digit HUID code, which you can check in the free BIS Care app. For silver, look for the "925" stamp. Our guide on whether it is safe to buy jewellery online in India covers more checks.

If you still need a gift:

• For your wife: light gold earrings, a jewellery set for the puja, or a daily-wear mangalsutra. See 25 Karwa Chauth gift ideas for your wife and is a mangalsutra a good Karwa Chauth gift.
• For a newly married wife: see how to make her first Karwa Chauth special for a full plan from sargi to moonrise.
• For your husband: a men's bracelet or kada works well. See Karwa Chauth gifts for husband.

Conclusion

Karwa Chauth 2026 is on Thursday, 29 October in India. Eat sargi before your city's sunrise, do the puja inside the muhurat, and be outside a little before your city's moonrise. Write your three timings down the night before: fast start, puja muhurat and moonrise. For everything else about the day, from solah shringar to gifts, read our full Karwa Chauth jewellery guide, and if your look is missing a piece, browse necklace sets for the evening.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the date of Karwa Chauth 2026?

Karwa Chauth 2026 is on Thursday, 29 October in India. The Chaturthi tithi runs from 1:06 AM to 10:09 PM on 29 October, so the moon rises during Chaturthi on that day. In the USA, the fast falls on Wednesday, 28 October.

2. Is Karwa Chauth 2026 on 28 or 29 October?

In India, it is on 29 October, as per Drik Panchang. The 28 October date is correct for the USA, where Chaturthi starts a day earlier in local time. Some websites mix up the two dates.

3. What is the Karwa Chauth 2026 puja muhurat?

In New Delhi, the puja muhurat is 5:38 PM to 6:56 PM on 29 October 2026. It changes slightly by city, for example 5:01 PM to 6:17 PM in Kolkata and 6:07 PM to 7:22 PM in Mumbai.

4. What is the moonrise time on Karwa Chauth 2026?

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

5. What is the Karwa Chauth fasting time in 2026?

In New Delhi, the fast runs from sunrise at 6:31 AM to moonrise at 8:17 PM, which is 13 hours 46 minutes. The exact length depends on your city's sunrise and moonrise.

6. What time should I eat sargi on Karwa Chauth 2026?

Eat sargi before sunrise. In New Delhi, sunrise is at 6:31 AM on 29 October 2026, so most families eat sargi between about 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM. Check the fast start time for your own city.

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

The traditional Karwa Chauth fast is nirjala, which means no water until moonrise. In many families, women who are pregnant, unwell or on medicine keep a lighter fast with water, fruit and milk. Talk to your doctor if you have a health condition.

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

Wait a while and try a higher or more open spot. If the moon stays hidden, many families offer water in the moon's direction after the panchang moonrise time and break the fast. Follow what your family elders usually do.

9. What is the Karwa Chauth 2026 date in the USA?

In the USA, Karwa Chauth 2026 falls on Wednesday, 28 October. In New York, the puja muhurat is 5:57 PM to 7:18 PM and the moon rises at 7:35 PM, local time. Check a panchang for your own city.

10. Is Karva Chauth the same as Karak Chaturthi?

Yes. Karva Chauth, Karwa Chauth and Karak Chaturthi are names for the same festival. It also falls on the same day as Sankashti Chaturthi, a fast for Lord Ganesha.