Chhath Puja 2026: Date, 4-Day Puja Vidhi, Surya Arghya Timings & Sacred Mantras

Across Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern UP and Nepal, there is one festival where the whole state goes silent at sunrise — Chhath Puja.

Chhath is the oldest Surya worship in the Vedas. The Rig Veda (10.85) describes Surya as Pratyaksha Brahman — 'God we can actually see.' The Chhath ritual is said to have been first performed by Draupadi during the Pandavas' exile, and later by Karna (Surya's own son) every single day.

Chhath Puja 2026 begins Sunday, 15 November 2026 (Nahay Khay) and ends on the morning of Wednesday, 18 November 2026 (Usha Arghya).

The power of Chhath comes from three sources:

• 36 hours of nirjala vrat — no food, no water from Kharna evening to Usha Arghya morning
• Worship of Surya at BOTH sunset and sunrise — only festival in the world with this unique double arghya
• Chhathi Maiya — Surya's sister, believed to grant children, health and long life to every woman who keeps Chhath

In this guide you'll learn the exact 4-day schedule, all arghya timings for 2026, the step-by-step vidhi, the most powerful Surya mantras, and the Chhathi Maiya katha every vrati must hear.

🙏 Set the exact arghya times on your device — the Vandnaa App has free Chhath reminders for both Sandhya Arghya and Usha Arghya.

Mark these dates and timings carefully — missing an arghya breaks the entire vrat.

Day 1 — Nahay Khay | Sunday, 15 November 2026 The vrati (one observing the fast) bathes in a river or with Ganga-mixed water, wears new cotton clothes, and eats a single satvik meal — lauki (bottle gourd) sabzi + chana dal + rice with rock salt. Only one meal the whole day.

Day 2 — Kharna (Lohanda) | Monday, 16 November 2026 A full-day fast ends at sunset with a single meal — rasiyaav kheer (made of gud and milk), chapati and fruits. After this meal begins the 36-hour nirjala fast. Sunset on 16 Nov: 5:14 PM.

Day 3 — Sandhya Arghya | Tuesday, 17 November 2026 The most important day. The vrati stands in water from 4 PM, waiting for sunset. Arghya is offered to the setting Surya with hands raised, offering thekua, fruits, sugarcane, coconut and seasonal items in a bamboo basket (dauri). 🌅 Sandhya Arghya timing: 5:13 PM – 5:25 PM (Nov 17) After sunset, vratis return home but continue the fast.

Day 4 — Usha Arghya | Wednesday, 18 November 2026 Before dawn, the vrati returns to the ghat/water body and stands in water awaiting sunrise. Arghya is offered to the rising Surya. 🌄 Usha Arghya timing: 6:11 AM – 6:30 AM (Nov 18) After the arghya, the 36-hour nirjala vrat is broken with the prasad — this moment is called Paran.

Special in 2026: Sandhya Arghya falls on Mangalvar (Tuesday) — Hanuman's day. Usha Arghya on Budhvar (Wednesday) — Ganesh's day. This combination is considered extra auspicious for wish fulfilment.

Samagri (items needed):

• Bamboo basket (dauri/soop)
• 5 sugarcane stalks (ganna)
• Thekua (special gud-based sweet)
• Coconut with water, seasonal fruits (banana, apple, orange, singhara)
• Rice, haldi, roli, chandan, sindoor
• Earthen diya, ghee, agarbatti
• Kalash (copper pot) with water
• Red cloth, new cotton sari (for women vratis)
• Milk + Ganga jal for arghya water

Step 1 — Dauri Setup (morning of arghya day): In a bamboo basket, place coconut at centre, then thekua (7 pieces), sugarcane stalks, fruits around it. Cover with red cloth.

Step 2 — Procession to Ghat: Family walks behind the vrati (who carries the dauri on head) chanting 'Chhathi Maiya ki Jai.' Men of the family carry sugarcane.

Step 3 — Standing in Water: Vrati enters the river/pond/clean water body up to knees. Face the direction of the sun.

Step 4 — Offer Arghya: Hold the dauri. Pour milk + water from kalash towards sun with palms folded. Chant: 'ॐ एहि सूर्य सहस्रांशो तेजो राशे जगत्पते। अनुकम्पय मां भक्त्या गृहाणार्घ्यं दिवाकर॥'

Bow 7 times. Offer the dauri items silently.

3 Powerful Surya Mantras (chant 108 times during arghya):

1. Aditya Hridaya Mantra (most powerful): ॐ आदित्याय विद्महे सहस्रकिरणाय धीमहि। तन्नो सूर्यः प्रचोदयात्॥

2. Surya Beej Mantra: ॐ ह्रां ह्रीं ह्रौं सः सूर्याय नमः॥

3. Chhathi Maiya Mantra: ॐ हृीं छठी मैयाय नमः॥

Chant all three during the 12-minute arghya window. Chhathi Maiya Katha should be read before Sandhya Arghya.

7 Rules You Cannot Break:

1. No leather, no plastic: Use only cotton clothes, bamboo baskets, earthen diyas. No leather belts, no plastic bottles during the 4 days. Chhathi Maiya accepts only natural offerings.

2. Nirjala for 36 hours: From Kharna sunset to Usha Arghya morning, no water, no food. Not a sip. Breaking this is considered the equivalent of not doing the vrat at all.

3. No cot, sleep on floor: From Nahay Khay to Paran, vrati sleeps on the floor covered by only a mat. No bed, no pillow, no mattress.

4. No shoes at the ghat: Walk barefoot from home to the river. Even if distance is long. Many vratis walk 5 km barefoot carrying the dauri on head.

5. Separate vessels for cooking: The Chhath prasad — thekua and kasar — is cooked in new utensils, in a clean spot, by the vrati herself. Never mixed with regular kitchen.

6. No anger, no argument: Harsh words during Chhath days break the energy. Speak minimally. Smile at whoever passes by.

7. Prasad must be shared with everyone: Especially strangers. Refusing Chhath prasad to anyone is considered a sin.

What Chhathi Maiya Grants (Scriptural promises):

• Children — Chhathi Maiya is the goddess of childbirth. Childless couples who do Chhath for 3 consecutive years are said to be blessed with healthy children.

• Health & Long Life — Because Surya is the visible form of prana (life energy), Chhath vratis are said to have remarkable health and longevity.

• Wish Fulfilment — A 'mannat' (wish) taken at Chhath while offering arghya is believed to be fulfilled within one year if the intention is pure.

• Family Harmony — Homes that do Chhath together remain united for generations.

• Skin & Eye Health — Standing in sunrise/sunset light while Surya mantras are chanted is said to cure skin diseases and improve eyesight. Modern vitamin-D science agrees.

Chhath's prasad is unique in all of Hindu devotion: cooked without salt, without onion, without garlic, and without touching the floor. The purity of preparation is as sacred as the prayer itself.

The Mandatory Chhath Prasad:

1. Thekua (the most essential): Made from wheat flour (atta), jaggery (gur), and pure ghee — no refined flour, no sugar, no oil. Shaped with a mold into patterns representing the sun. Must be prepared by the vrati or a ritually pure family member. 2026 Preparation: make on Kharna day, 27 October.

2. Kohlrabi (Ganth Gobi): Offered whole, symbolising prosperity.

3. Sugarcane (full stalks): 5 or more whole stalks. The stalks go into the bamboo basket (soop) as the frame — the sun's connection to sugarcane is agricultural; sugarcane ripens in harvest season.

4. Seasonal fruits (whole, uncut): Coconut with husk, full banana bunch, sweet lime, pomelo, water chestnut, green plantain, Indian gooseberry (aonla).

5. Bamboo basket (soop): The prasad is arranged in a traditional bamboo flat-basket — not a plastic tray. The soop itself is considered sacred.

The Rules of Prasad Preparation:

• The kitchen must be cleaned with cow dung (gobar) and water
• No shoes inside the kitchen during preparation
• The cook must have bathed and be ritually clean
• No tasting before the arghya is offered
• No fried food with oil — only ghee-based items
• Items once placed in the soop cannot be removed until after arghya

Why Homemade Is Non-Negotiable: Unlike Diwali prasad which can be bought, Chhath prasad cannot be purchased. The vrati's love, devotion, and physical effort in making it is part of the offering. Chhathi Maiya accepts the effort as much as the food.

Vandnaa App has a complete day-wise Chhath preparation calendar with timers for thekua preparation, soop arrangement, and arghya timings for your city.

Of all the nature-worship traditions in Hinduism, Chhath's solar worship is the most scientifically coherent. Understanding why Surya is worshipped deepens the vrat's meaning.

Surya in Vedic Tradition:

• "Surya Atma Jagatas Tasthushascha" — The sun is the soul of all that moves and stays (Rigveda)
• The 12 Adityas (monthly solar names) include Vivasvat, Pushan, Vishnu — the sun is a multidimensional deity
• Surya is the father of Shani (Saturn), Yama (death), and Yamuna (the sacred river)

Why Chhath Focuses on Sandhya (Twilight) Surya:

The two arghyas — sunset and sunrise — are offered at liminal moments. At sunset, the sun's rays are scattered at maximum angle, delivering peak infrared radiation without UV harm. Standing waist-deep in water facing the setting sun activates the body's solar plexus (manipura chakra). At sunrise, the first rays contain the highest prana content of the day.

Modern Science Parallels:

• Extended sun gazing at sunset/sunrise (when UV index is near-zero) may stimulate pineal gland function
• Immersion in Kartik (October–November) temperature water acts as cold exposure therapy — validated by modern cold water immersion research
• 36-hour nirjala fasting triggers deep cellular autophagy — the process described in Nobel Prize-winning research on fasting biology
• The Chhath Vrat's extreme physical demands are why it's considered the highest-difficulty vrat — and its results correspondingly powerful

What Praying to Surya Grants (per Vedic tradition):

• Ill or weak children recover — healing children is the primary intention of Chhath
• Eye disease and skin diseases improve (Surya rules both)
• Career and government-sector blessings
• Prosperity for the entire family line

Vandnaa App's Surya Puja section includes the complete Aditya Hridayam, Surya Stuti, and daily Surya Namaskar guide — with bilingual chanting audio.

Lakhs of Chhath devotees across the world — in London, New York, Dubai, Singapore — perform Chhath without access to a river. Here is how to create a sanctified home ghat.

The Scriptural Basis:

The Chhath scripture specifies that arghya must be offered in water. It does not specify a natural water body as mandatory. Jal hi Gangaa — for Chhathi Maiya, all water is Ganga when offered with devotion.

How to Build a Home Chhath Ghat:

Option 1 — Large Container (Best for Apartments):

• A large, clean bathtub (scrubbed with Gangajal first) OR a steel/copper drum, minimum 100 litres
• Fill with clean water; mix 5 spoons of Gangajal
• Place outside on the terrace/balcony (the sun must be visible — non-negotiable)
• The vrati stands knee-or-waist deep in the container for arghya

Option 2 — Ground-level Pool:

• A small pit on terrace or yard (~2 feet × 2 feet × 2 feet)
• Lined with clay or plastic sheet; filled with water + Gangajal
• Banana leaves spread around the edge

The Home Ghat Setup: 1. Correct direction: Face West for sunset arghya, East for sunrise arghya 2. Clean the area: Sprinkle Gangajal and cow dung water on the surrounding ground 3. Bamboo decoration: Sugarcane and bamboo stalks to create a symbolic ghat arch 4. Clay lamps: 11 diyas arranged around the container edge; these float during puja 5. Soop placement: Bamboo baskets on a clean raised platform next to the water

For Arghya: 1. Stand knee-or-waist deep in the container 2. Hold copper vessel (lota) filled with water, red flowers, rice, and a little jaggery 3. Pour slowly while chanting: ॐ सूर्याय नमः। छठी मैया नमः। 4. Repeat 3, 5, or 7 times

After the Festival: The water used in the home ghat should be poured into a plant's soil or at the base of a tree — not down the drain.

Vandnaa App provides a complete home-ghat setup checklist and a countdown timer for arghya times in your city — including international cities (London, Dubai, Singapore, Toronto).