Somvati Amavasya 2026 - Significance, Puja Vidhi & Remedies

Amavasya is the no-moon (new moon) day that ends each lunar fortnight. When this Amavasya falls on a Monday (Somvar), it is called Somvati Amavasya. Because Monday is the day of Lord Shiva and the Moon, this combination is considered rare and especially powerful. It is a day for worshipping Shiva and Parvati, honouring ancestors (pitru), and for married women to pray for the long life of their husbands.

Somvati Amavasya does not have a fixed month - it occurs only in those months where the Amavasya tithi happens to fall on a Monday, which can be just two or three times a year. This rarity makes it deeply auspicious. It is believed to bring marital bliss, peace to departed ancestors, and relief from doshas. In 2026, a Somvati Amavasya falls on a Monday in the year; for the exact date and tithi timings, confirm on the Vandnaa Panchang.

Observe the day with cleanliness and devotion: 1. Wake early and take a bath, ideally in a holy river; if not possible, add a little Ganga jal to your bathing water. 2. Offer arghya (water) to the Sun at sunrise. 3. Worship Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati, offering bel patra, white flowers, milk and water on the Shivling. 4. Remember and offer prayers to your ancestors (pitru), and perform tarpan if you know the vidhi. 5. Visit a peepal tree, water its roots and offer a lamp and a sacred thread. 6. Donate food, clothes or grains to the needy and to Brahmins. Many married women keep a fast through the day and break it after the evening puja.

The peepal tree is sacred and believed to be the abode of Lord Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva together. On Somvati Amavasya, married women perform 108 parikrama (circumambulations) of the peepal tree for the long life of their husbands. While circling, they wind a white raksha sutra (cotton thread) around the trunk with each round and offer water, milk, sandal paste, flowers and a lit lamp. With each round a prayer is offered for the family's wellbeing and harmony.

A few traditional remedies for this day: 1. Offer water mixed with black sesame to the peepal tree and your ancestors for pitru peace. 2. Light a mustard oil lamp under the peepal tree in the evening for prosperity. 3. Offer raw milk and water on a Shivling and chant 'Om Namah Shivaya'. 4. Feed cows, dogs, birds and the needy to earn the merit of daan. 5. Float a lamp or offer flowers in a flowing river while remembering departed elders. These acts are believed to remove pitru dosh, bring marital harmony and invite steady fortune.

Observing Somvati Amavasya with faith is believed to grant a long, happy married life, peace to ancestors and freedom from pitru dosh, and the blessings of Shiva and Parvati for the whole family. The holy bath, charity and peepal worship purify the mind and wash away accumulated negativity. Because the day combines the Moon's day with the new moon, it is also considered ideal for inner calm, meditation and quiet self-reflection.