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Wednesday, 21 October 2026

Ashwin, Shukla Paksha · Vikram Samvat 2083 · Shaka 1948

Dashami

21 October 2026 is Ashwin Shukla Paksha Dashami, a Budhvaar (बुधवार). The tithi runs from 12:50 PM on 20 October 2026 until 2:12 PM. Sunrise at New Delhi is 6:25 AM and sunset is 5:45 PM. Rahu Kaal falls between 12:05 PM and 1:30 PM, and the Abhijit Muhurat is 11:42 AM to 12:27 PM, though Abhijit is not observed on a Wednesday.

Tithi (तिथि)
Dashami
until 2:12 PM
Sunrise (सूर्योदय)
6:25 AM
Sunset 5:45 PM
Rahu Kaal (राहु काल)
12:05 PM – 1:30 PM
Avoid new work
The lunar day

Tithi, Paksha and Vaar (तिथि)

Dashami
Shukla Paksha · tithi 10 of 15
12:50 PM, 20 Oct – 2:12 PM
Ekadashi
begins today
2:12 PM – 2:48 PM, 22 Oct
Vaar (weekday) (वार)
Ruled by Mercury (Budh)
Budhvaar · बुधवार
Paksha (पक्ष)
the waxing fortnight, new moon to full
Shukla Paksha · शुक्ल पक्ष

Dashami begins 12:50 PM, 20 Oct and ends 2:12 PM.

Auspicious windows

Shubh Muhurat (शुभ मुहूर्त)

Abhijit Muhurat (अभिजित मुहूर्त)
Not observed on a Wednesday, by the common convention
11:42 AM – 12:27 PM
Brahma Muhurat (ब्रह्म मुहूर्त)
Before dawn — for meditation, study and sadhana
4:43 AM – 5:34 AM
Vijaya Muhurat (विजय मुहूर्त)
Afternoon — traditionally for setting out and for contests
1:58 PM – 2:43 PM
Pradosh Kaal (प्रदोष काल)
The window after sunset, used for Shiva and Lakshmi puja
5:45 PM – 8:09 PM
Nishita Kaal (निशीथ काल)
True midnight — Shivratri and Diwali Mahalakshmi puja
11:40 PM – 12:30 AM, 22 Oct

Abhijit is the eighth of the fifteen muhurtas between sunrise and sunset, so it is 45 minutes long today rather than a fixed 48 — it stretches and shrinks with the length of the day.

Periods to avoid

Ashubh Kaal (अशुभ काल)

Inauspicious period: Rahu Kaal (राहु काल)
Begin nothing new. About 90 minutes, and the most watched of the three.
12:05 PM – 1:30 PM
Inauspicious period: Yamaganda (यमगण्ड)
Ruled by Yama. Associated with loss and obstruction.
7:50 AM – 9:15 AM
Inauspicious period: Gulika Kaal (गुलिक काल)
Ruled by Gulika. Avoided for ceremonies, though not for all work.
10:40 AM – 12:05 PM

We do not publish Varjyam, Dur Muhurat or Godhuli Muhurat. The rules behind them are known, but the underlying tables differ between sources by enough to move a window by the better part of an hour — and these are windows whose whole purpose is telling you not to begin something. We would rather leave them out than print a number we cannot stand behind.

Hour by hour

Choghadiya (चौघड़िया)

The day and the night are each divided into eight parts. Amrit, Shubh and Labh are auspicious; Char is neutral; Udveg, Kaal and Rog are best avoided. It is the quickest check there is for whether the next hour and a half is a good time to begin something.

Day — sunrise 6:25 AM to sunset 5:45 PM

Labh (लाभ)
Business, new ventures, education.
6:25 AM – 7:50 AM
Amrit (अमृत)
Best of all. Any auspicious work.
7:50 AM – 9:15 AM
Inauspicious period: Kaal (काल)
Avoid. Wealth accumulation only.
9:15 AM – 10:40 AM
Shubh (शुभ)
Marriage, ceremonies, religious work.
10:40 AM – 12:05 PM
Inauspicious period: Rog (रोग)
Avoid. Confronting an enemy only.
12:05 PM – 1:30 PM
Inauspicious period: Udveg (उद्वेग)
Avoid. Government work only.
1:30 PM – 2:55 PM
Char (चर)
Travel and movement. Neutral otherwise.
2:55 PM – 4:20 PM
Labh (लाभ)
Business, new ventures, education.
4:20 PM – 5:45 PM

Night — sunset 5:45 PM to sunrise 6:26 AM

Inauspicious period: Udveg (उद्वेग)
Avoid. Government work only.
5:45 PM – 7:20 PM
Char (चर)
Travel and movement. Neutral otherwise.
7:20 PM – 8:55 PM
Labh (लाभ)
Business, new ventures, education.
8:55 PM – 10:30 PM
Amrit (अमृत)
Best of all. Any auspicious work.
10:30 PM – 12:05 AM, 22 Oct
Inauspicious period: Kaal (काल)
Avoid. Wealth accumulation only.
12:05 AM, 22 Oct – 1:40 AM, 22 Oct
Shubh (शुभ)
Marriage, ceremonies, religious work.
1:40 AM, 22 Oct – 3:15 AM, 22 Oct
Inauspicious period: Rog (रोग)
Avoid. Confronting an enemy only.
3:15 AM, 22 Oct – 4:50 AM, 22 Oct
Inauspicious period: Udveg (उद्वेग)
Avoid. Government work only.
4:50 AM, 22 Oct – 6:26 AM, 22 Oct

The night choghadiya belongs to Budhvaar, not to the next day: in the panchang the weekday changes at sunrise, not at midnight.

The other three limbs

Nakshatra, Yoga and Karana (नक्षत्र)

Nakshatra: Dhanishta (नक्षत्र)
Pada 2 at sunrise
6:01 PM, 20 Oct – 7:47 PM
Nakshatra: Shatabhisha
begins today
7:47 PM – 8:48 PM, 22 Oct
Yoga: Ganda (योग)
12:48 AM – 12:31 AM, 22 Oct
Yoga: Vriddhi
begins today
12:31 AM, 22 Oct – 11:38 PM, 22 Oct
Karana: Garaja (करण)
1:36 AM – 2:12 PM
Karana: Vanija
begins today
2:12 PM – 2:36 AM, 22 Oct
Karana: Vishti
begins today
2:36 AM, 22 Oct – 2:48 PM, 22 Oct

The Moon is in Dhanishta at sunrise, in its 2nd pada. A karana is half a tithi, which is why there are more of them in a day than anything else here.

Suryoday and Chandroday

Sun and Moon (सूर्य और चंद्र)

Sunrise (सूर्योदय)
6:25 AM
Sunset (सूर्यास्त)
5:45 PM
Moonrise (चंद्रोदय)
2:50 PM
Moonset (चंद्रास्त)
1:25 AM

Day length is 11 hours 20 minutes, night 12 hours 41 minutes.

Planetary hours

Hora (होरा)

Twenty-four planetary hours from sunrise, in the Chaldean order. The first is always ruled by the lord of the weekday — Mercury (Budh) today, which is what makes it Budhvaar. Day horas and night horas are not sixty minutes each; they are a twelfth of the actual day and a twelfth of the actual night.

1. Mercury (Budh)
6:25 AM – 7:21 AM
2. Moon (Chandra)
7:21 AM – 8:18 AM
3. Saturn (Shani)
8:18 AM – 9:15 AM
4. Jupiter (Guru)
9:15 AM – 10:11 AM
5. Mars (Mangal)
10:11 AM – 11:08 AM
6. Sun (Surya)
11:08 AM – 12:05 PM
7. Venus (Shukra)
12:05 PM – 1:01 PM
8. Mercury (Budh)
1:01 PM – 1:58 PM
9. Moon (Chandra)
1:58 PM – 2:55 PM
10. Saturn (Shani)
2:55 PM – 3:51 PM
11. Jupiter (Guru)
3:51 PM – 4:48 PM
12. Mars (Mangal)
4:48 PM – 5:45 PM
13. Sun (Surya)
5:45 PM – 6:48 PM
14. Venus (Shukra)
6:48 PM – 7:51 PM
15. Mercury (Budh)
7:51 PM – 8:55 PM
16. Moon (Chandra)
8:55 PM – 9:58 PM
17. Saturn (Shani)
9:58 PM – 11:02 PM
18. Jupiter (Guru)
11:02 PM – 12:05 AM, 22 Oct
19. Mars (Mangal)
12:05 AM, 22 Oct – 1:08 AM, 22 Oct
20. Sun (Surya)
1:08 AM, 22 Oct – 2:12 AM, 22 Oct
21. Venus (Shukra)
2:12 AM, 22 Oct – 3:15 AM, 22 Oct
22. Mercury (Budh)
3:15 AM, 22 Oct – 4:19 AM, 22 Oct
23. Moon (Chandra)
4:19 AM, 22 Oct – 5:22 AM, 22 Oct
24. Saturn (Shani)
5:22 AM, 22 Oct – 6:26 AM, 22 Oct
Where the lights stand

Rashi, Masa and Samvat (मास)

Chandra Rashi (Moon sign) (चंद्र राशि)
Moves to Kumbha after this
Makara until 6:59 AM
Surya Rashi (Sun sign) (सूर्य राशि)
Sidereal, Lahiri ayanamsha
Tula (Libra)
Masa — Purnimanta (मास)
North Indian reckoning: the month ends at the full moon
Ashwin Shukla Paksha
Masa — Amanta
Southern and western reckoning: the month ends at the new moon
Ashwin Shukla Paksha
Ritu (season) (ऋतु)
Sharad
Ayana (अयन)
The Sun's half-year direction
Dakshinayana
Vikram Samvat
2083
Shaka Samvat
1948

The two masa reckonings differ through every waning fortnight, which is why a calendar from Delhi and one from Chennai can name the same day differently. Today it is Ashwin in the north and Ashwin in the south — the same, as they always are in a waxing fortnight.

Frequently asked

Questions about 21 October 2026

What tithi is 21 October 2026?

21 October 2026 is Ashwin Shukla Paksha Dashami. The tithi runs from 12:50 PM on 20 October 2026 until 2:12 PM, calculated for New Delhi.

What is the Rahu Kaal on 21 October 2026?

Rahu Kaal on 21 October 2026 is from 12:05 PM to 1:30 PM at New Delhi. Yamaganda is 7:50 AM to 9:15 AM and Gulika Kaal is 10:40 AM to 12:05 PM. These are the periods in which new work is traditionally not begun.

What is the shubh muhurat on 21 October 2026?

Abhijit Muhurat falls between 11:42 AM and 12:27 PM, but it is not observed on a Wednesday by the common convention. Brahma Muhurat is 4:43 AM to 5:34 AM before dawn, and Vijaya Muhurat is 1:58 PM to 2:43 PM.

What time is sunrise and sunset on 21 October 2026?

At New Delhi, sunrise on 21 October 2026 is 6:25 AM and sunset is 5:45 PM. Moonrise is 2:50 PM and moonset is 1:25 AM.

All timings are calculated for New Delhi, India (28.61°N, 77.21°E) in Indian Standard Time, using the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsha. Sunrise and every muhurat derived from it shift by up to an hour across India, so times will differ for your city.