Dhanteras 2026
6 November 2026

Dhanteras falls on Kartik Krishna Trayodashi, the thirteenth day of the waning Moon, two days before Diwali, and it opens the five days of the festival. Tradition links the day to Dhanvantari, the physician of the devas, who rose from the samudra manthan (the churning of the ocean) holding the pot of amrit, as the Bhagavata Purana tells. So the day is also kept as Dhanvantari Jayanti, and many families pray for good health before they pray for wealth.

The evening holds three customs. Families buy something new for the home, a steel or brass utensil or a coin of gold or silver, which tradition holds auspicious on this day. Kubera, keeper of the devas’ treasury, and Lakshmi are worshipped in pradosh kaal, the time just after sunset. And a diya is lit for Yama outside the main door, its flame facing south: the Yama deepdaan, kept with the prayer that the family be spared an untimely death.

• A chowki with a red or yellow cloth
• Idol or picture of Lakshmi and Ganesh
• Pictures of Kubera and Dhanvantari
• Kalash of water
• Roli, akshat (unbroken rice) and haldi
• Flowers and a garland
• Ghee diya, incense and camphor
• Earthen diya and mustard oil for the Yama deepdaan
• The new utensil or coin
• Whole dhaniya (coriander seed)
• Sweets and batashe for prasad

Source: Dhanvantari: Bhagavata Purana, Book 8. King Hima’s son: popular tradition, told with the Yama deepdaan

When the devas and the asuras churned the ocean, many treasures rose from it. Then rose Dhanvantari, a form of Vishnu and the knower of Ayurveda, carrying a pot full of amrit, the nectar of immortality. The Bhagavata Purana tells this, and tradition holds that he appeared on this Trayodashi.

A popular story is told with the Yama lamp. It was foretold that King Hima’s son would die of a snakebite on the fourth night after his marriage. That night his young wife would not let him sleep. She heaped her gold and silver ornaments at the door of the room, lit lamps all around, and kept him awake with stories and songs.

When Yama came in the form of a serpent, the light of the lamps and the shine of the ornaments dazzled him. He could not go in, sat on the heap of jewellery listening to the songs through the night, and left quietly at dawn. Families remember this when they light a lamp for Yama on this evening and pray for long life for their own.

What to do

• Buy the new utensil or coin before the puja, so it can be placed before Lakshmi and Kubera and then used in the home.
• Keep the puja in pradosh kaal, the time just after sunset, which tradition holds right for both the Lakshmi puja and the Yama lamp.
• Place the Yama diya outside the main door with its flame towards the south, since south is Yama’s direction.
• Pray for health first. The day is Dhanvantari’s as much as Lakshmi’s, and the old saying holds that the first happiness is a healthy body.

What to avoid

• Many families avoid buying iron, sharp or black things on Dhanteras, keeping the day for bright metals and things for the home.
• Many families avoid lending money or giving things away on this evening, since the day is kept to welcome Lakshmi into the home.
• Avoid leaving the doorway dark at dusk; the lit entrance is part of the day’s worship.

In the Purnimanta calendar of the north, where a month ends on Purnima, Dhanteras is Kartik Krishna Trayodashi. In the Amanta calendar of Gujarat, Maharashtra and the south, where a month ends on Amavasya, the same day is Ashwin Krishna Trayodashi, and Diwali closes the month of Ashwin there. The day is also called Dhantrayodashi, and is kept as Dhanvantari Jayanti.

The date is decided by the Trayodashi in pradosh, the time after sunset, read at each place’s own sunset. When the tithi changes close to sunset, cities with different sunset times can keep Dhanteras on different days.