Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Ashwin, Shukla Paksha · Vikram Samvat 2083 · Shaka 1948
Navami · Vijayadashami (Dussehra)
20 October 2026 is Ashwin Shukla Paksha Navami, a Mangalvaar (मंगलवार). It is Vijayadashami (Dussehra), also called Dussehra, Dasara, Dashahara, Vijaya Dashami and Bijoya Dashami. The tithi runs from 10:52 AM on 19 October 2026 until 12:50 PM. Sunrise at New Delhi is 6:24 AM and sunset is 5:46 PM. Rahu Kaal falls between 2:55 PM and 4:20 PM, and the Abhijit Muhurat is 11:42 AM to 12:27 PM.
Tithi, Paksha and Vaar (तिथि)
Navami begins 10:52 AM, 19 Oct and ends 12:50 PM.
2 observances on this date
Vijayadashami (Dussehra)विजयादशमी
Ashwin Shukla Paksha Dashami
Also known as Dussehra, Dasara, Dashahara, Vijaya Dashami, Bijoya Dashami, Madesha and Ravan Dahan.
Rama's victory over Ravana and Durga's over Mahishasura, marked on the same day. It is counted among the three and a half muhurtas of the year on which any undertaking may be begun without consulting a panchang at all -- which is why shops open, children are taught their first letters, and new instruments are first played today.
What devotees do
- Ravan Dahan at dusk, after the Ramlila concludes.
- Shami puja and the exchange of shami or apta leaves as gold.
- Begin anything that has been waiting -- the day needs no further muhurat.
- Immersion of the Durga idols in Bengal, after sindoor khela.
Dashami is present during aparahna on both 20 and 21 October, which is the situation in which almanacs differ. It covers the WHOLE of the 20th aparahna (starting 12:50 PM, aparahna 1:13 to 3:29 PM) but only part of the 21st (ending 2:12 PM), so the first day is preferred and 20 October is the accepted date.
Maha Navamiमहानवमी
Ashwin Shukla Paksha Navami
Also known as Durga Navami, Mahanavami, Ayudha Puja, Saraswati Puja and Navami Homa.
The ninth and final night of Navratri, on which Durga is worshipped as Siddhidatri and the concluding havan is offered. In the South the same day is Ayudha Puja, when tools, instruments, books and vehicles are laid before the goddess and left unused.
What devotees do
- Navami havan and purnahuti.
- Kanya Pujan where it was not done on Ashtami.
- Ayudha Puja: lay down tools, instruments and books for the day.
Shubh Muhurat (शुभ मुहूर्त)
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.
Ashubh Kaal (अशुभ काल)
We do not publish Varjyam, Dur Muhurat or Godhuli Muhurat.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.
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 6:24 AM to sunset 5:46 PM
Night — sunset 5:46 PM to sunrise 6:25 AM
The night choghadiya belongs to Mangalvaar, not to the next day: in the panchang the weekday changes at sunrise, not at midnight.
Nakshatra, Yoga and Karana (नक्षत्र)
The Moon is in Shravana at sunrise, in its 3rd pada. A karana is half a tithi, which is why there are more of them in a day than anything else here.
Sun and Moon (सूर्य और चंद्र)
Day length is 11 hours 22 minutes, night 12 hours 39 minutes.
Hora (होरा)
Twenty-four planetary hours from sunrise, in the Chaldean order. The first is always ruled by the lord of the weekday — Mars (Mangal) today, which is what makes it Mangalvaar. 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.
Rashi, Masa and Samvat (मास)
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.
Questions about 20 October 2026
What tithi is 20 October 2026?
20 October 2026 is Ashwin Shukla Paksha Navami. The tithi runs from 10:52 AM on 19 October 2026 until 12:50 PM, calculated for New Delhi.
Is 20 October 2026 Vijayadashami (Dussehra)?
Yes. 20 October 2026 is Vijayadashami (Dussehra), also known as Dussehra, Dasara, Dashahara, Vijaya Dashami, Bijoya Dashami, Madesha and Ravan Dahan. Rama's victory over Ravana and Durga's over Mahishasura, marked on the same day. It is counted among the three and a half muhurtas of the year on which any undertaking may be begun without consulting a panchang at all -- which is why shops open, children are taught their first letters, and new instruments are first played today.
Why do some calendars show a different date for Vijayadashami (Dussehra)?
Dashami is present during aparahna on both 20 and 21 October, which is the situation in which almanacs differ. It covers the WHOLE of the 20th aparahna (starting 12:50 PM, aparahna 1:13 to 3:29 PM) but only part of the 21st (ending 2:12 PM), so the first day is preferred and 20 October is the accepted date.
What is the Rahu Kaal on 20 October 2026?
Rahu Kaal on 20 October 2026 is from 2:55 PM to 4:20 PM at New Delhi. Yamaganda is 9:14 AM to 10:39 AM and Gulika Kaal is 12:05 PM to 1:30 PM. These are the periods in which new work is traditionally not begun.
What is the shubh muhurat on 20 October 2026?
Abhijit Muhurat, the window good for almost any undertaking, is 11:42 AM to 12:27 PM. Brahma Muhurat is 4:43 AM to 5:33 AM before dawn, and Vijaya Muhurat is 1:58 PM to 2:44 PM.
What time is sunrise and sunset on 20 October 2026?
At New Delhi, sunrise on 20 October 2026 is 6:24 AM and sunset is 5:46 PM. Moonrise is 2:19 PM and moonset is 12:28 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.