October 2026 Panchang: Auspicious Days, Navratri, Dussehra and Karva Chauth Calendar

2026-08-14

October 2026 is a month of two moods: Pitru Paksha's quiet first ten days, then an unbroken festive run from a rare ten-day Navratri through Dussehra, Sharad Purnima and Karva Chauth. Here is the full auspicious-days calendar, with the three date confusions everyone is searching for — cleared up.

October 2026 is really two months living inside one. The first ten days belong to the ancestors — Pitru Paksha, which began on 27 September, runs until 10 October (Saturday), and this is a fortnight for shraddha, tarpan and daan, not for new beginnings. Then, almost overnight, the mood turns: Shardiya Navratri begins on 11 October (Sunday), and from there the calendar barely pauses for breath — a rare ten-day Navratri, Vijayadashami on the 20th, Sharad Purnima's kheer-under-moonlight night on the 25th, and Karva Chauth on the 29th. In between, the Sun moves from Kanya to Tula at Tula Sankranti on 17 October (Saturday), 19:51 IST. All timings below are for Delhi, following the North Indian Purnimanta calendar — you can check any date for your own city on our daily panchang.

Auspicious days in October 2026 at a glance

5 October (Monday) — Sarvarth Siddhi Yoga, but it falls inside Pitru Paksha. Use it for shraddha rituals, tarpan and charity, which it strengthens — not for purchases, griha pravesh or new ventures.
6 October (Tuesday) — Indira Ekadashi with Sarvarth Siddhi Yoga. The same Pitru Paksha caution applies: this is a day for fasting and prayers for one's ancestors, and an especially powerful one.
10 October (Saturday) — Sarva Pitru Amavasya (Mahalaya). The closing day of Pitru Paksha; perform shraddha for all departed family members, known and forgotten.
11 October (Sunday) — Navratri Day 1. Ghatasthapana muhurat 06:19–10:12, with Abhijit Muhurat 11:44–12:31 as a second window. The festive half of the month opens here.
14 October (Wednesday) — Amrit Siddhi + Sarvarth Siddhi Yoga together, inside Navratri. This is the single best day of the month for purchases (vehicle, gold, property paperwork) and for starting anything new.
17 October (Saturday) — Tula Sankranti at 19:51 IST; a good day for snan-daan and Surya upasana.
19 October (Monday) — Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami on the same day (details below). Kanya pujan in the morning, Navami havan in the afternoon; also a classical shopping day.
20 October (Tuesday) — Vijayadashami (Dussehra). Vijay Muhurat 13:59–14:45 — among the finest launch windows of the entire year.
25 October (Sunday) — Sharad Purnima; keep kheer under the moonlight this night.
28 October (Wednesday) — Sarvarth Siddhi Yoga, with no Pitru Paksha restriction. A clean, dependable day for routine auspicious work.
29 October (Thursday) — Karva Chauth; Delhi moonrise at 20:17.

Navratri 2026: why it runs ten days this year

If you have seen calendars showing Navratri from 11 October to 20 October and wondered whether someone made a counting mistake — no one did. This year Saptami tithi touches two sunrises: both 17 October (Saturday) and 18 October (Sunday) are observed as Saptami. In panchang language this is called tithi-vriddhi — a lunar day that "grows" to span two solar days. Since each tithi of Navratri is honoured on the day it holds at sunrise, the nine tithis stretch across ten calendar days. It is not an error; it is simply how the Moon ran this year.

The second twist follows directly from the first: Ashtami and Navami fall on the same day — 19 October (Monday). Ashtami tithi lasts until 10:51 in the morning of 19 October, after which Navami begins and runs until 12:50 the next day. So the traditional sequence compresses into one very full Monday: Ashtami vrat and kanya pujan in the morning while Ashtami still holds, and the Maha Navami havan in the aparahna (afternoon) of the same day. 20 October is purely Dussehra — do not plan Navami rituals for the 20th.

Navratri began, for the record, with Pratipada tithi running from 21:19 on 10 October to 21:30 on 11 October, which is why Ghatasthapana is on the morning of 11 October, in the 06:19–10:12 window. For the day-by-day colours, goddess forms and puja vidhi across all ten days, our complete Navratri 2026 calendar and puja guide covers each day in detail.

Key vrats and fasting days this month

6 October (Tuesday) — Indira Ekadashi. The Ekadashi of Pitru Paksha, observed specifically for the liberation of one's ancestors. With Sarvarth Siddhi Yoga running the same day, the fast carries extra weight this year.
8 October (Thursday) — Pradosh Vrat. Evening worship of Shiva in the pradosh kaal, just before sunset.
9 October (Friday) — Masik Shivratri. The monthly night-vigil for Shiva, closing out the Pitru Paksha fasting sequence.
14 October (Wednesday) — Vinayak Chaturthi. Falling inside Navratri and doubled with Amrit Siddhi and Sarvarth Siddhi yogas, this is a genuinely rare alignment — Ganesha's blessing on the month's most auspicious day.
22 October (Thursday) — Papankusha Ekadashi. Observed two days after Dussehra; traditionally said to dissolve accumulated sins.
24 October (Saturday) — Shani Pradosh Vrat. A Pradosh falling on Saturday holds special value for those seeking relief from Shani-related afflictions.

Festivals and observances

Sarva Pitru Amavasya (Mahalaya), 10 October (Saturday) closes Pitru Paksha. Shraddha performed this day reaches all ancestors, including those whose death tithis are unknown. In Bengal, Mahalaya also marks the ceremonial invocation of Durga — a fitting hinge, since Navratri begins the very next morning.

Vijayadashami (Dussehra), 20 October (Tuesday) is the day of shastra puja, Ravan dahan and the traditional sighting of the neelkanth bird. The Vijay Muhurat runs 13:59–14:45 and the Aparahna Puja window 13:14–15:30. Read our full Dussehra 2026 muhurat and significance guide for the vidhi.

Sharad Purnima, 25 October (Sunday) — Purnima tithi runs from 11:55 on the 25th to 09:41 on the 26th, and the Moon rises around 17:00 in Delhi. The kheer-in-moonlight tradition belongs to the night of the 25th, when the Moon is believed to shower amrit. The Kojagara vigil for Lakshmi is kept the same night; our Sharad Purnima and Kojagara 2026 guide has the full observance.

Karva Chauth, 29 October (Thursday) — Chaturthi tithi holds from 01:06 to 22:09 that day, the puja muhurat is 17:38–18:56, and the Delhi moonrise is at 20:17. Moonrise shifts by several minutes across cities, so check the Karva Chauth 2026 moonrise and vrat vidhi guide for yours.

And the question everyone asks: is Diwali in October 2026? No. Diwali falls in November this year — Dhanteras is on 6 November and Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) on 8 November 2026. Ahoi Ashtami, which usually follows Karva Chauth closely, also lands in November — on 1 November. If a calendar shows any of these in October, it is wrong.

Reading the month for personal timing

One boundary matters above all this month: Chaturmas is still running, so there are no vivah muhurats in October 2026. The wedding season reopens only after Dev Uthani Ekadashi on 20 November. If you are planning an engagement or wedding, October is for preparation, not the ceremony itself.

For almost everything else, the second half of the month is generous. Navratri carries a long-standing tradition of major purchases — vehicles, gold, property — with Ashtami-Navami (19 October) and Dussehra (20 October) as the classical buying days, and 14 October as this year's standout thanks to its double yoga. The Vijay Muhurat on Dussehra afternoon remains one of the year's best moments to launch a venture, sign an agreement or begin study of something new.

Panchang dates tell you when the sky is favourable in general; whether a particular date suits you depends on your own chart — your Moon sign, running dasha and transits. Generate your free kundli to see where October's energies land for you, or book a consultation with our astrologers to fix a personal muhurat for a big step. And if you are tracing the festive arc backwards, last month's calendar is here: September 2026 Panchang.