Overview

• Authoritative Panchang calculations widely cited from Drik Panchang place the main Diwali and Lakshmi Puja on Monday, October 20, with the Lakshmi Puja muhurat from 7:08 pm to 8:18 pm.
• The Amavasya tithi begins at 3:44 pm on October 20 and ends at 5:54 pm on October 21, explaining why some locations differ on which Gregorian day to mark the festival.
• Most cities observe October 20 with local muhurats such as New Delhi 7:08–8:18 pm, Mumbai 7:41–8:41 pm, Bengaluru 7:31–8:25 pm, and Ahmedabad 7:36–8:40 pm.
• Kolkata and Bhubaneshwar observe on October 21, with Lakshmi Puja windows listed as Kolkata 5:06–5:54 pm and Bhubaneshwar 5:19–5:54 pm.
• Dhanteras starts the five-day festival on October 18, with a puja muhurat of 7:16–8:20 pm and published city-wise buying windows, followed by Choti Diwali/Narak Chaturdashi on October 20, Govardhan Puja on October 22, and Bhai Dooj on October 23.