Dhanteras 2026 falls on Friday, 6 November: puja muhurat 6.35 pm to 8.35 pm in Mumbai and 6.32 pm to 8.31 pm in Pune; check the hallmark and the bill before buying gold or silver

Dhanteras (Dhanatrayodashi), which opens the five days of Diwali, falls on Friday, 6 November this year. Drik Panchang’s calculation for Mumbai puts the Dhanteras puja muhurat at 6.35 pm to 8.35 pm, a two-hour window; in Pune it is 6.32 pm to 8.31 pm. Dhanvantari Jayanti and Yama Deepdaan fall on the same day. The day is no longer National Ayurveda Day, though, because the Centre has moved that observance.

Timings on 6 November: Mumbai and Pune

• Trayodashi tithi: from 10.30 am on Friday, 6 November to 10.47 am on Saturday, 7 November (the same for both cities)
• Dhanteras puja muhurat: Mumbai 6.35 pm to 8.35 pm; Pune 6.32 pm to 8.31 pm
• Pradosh Kaal: Mumbai 6.03 pm to 8.35 pm; Pune 6.00 pm to 8.31 pm
• Vrishabha Kaal: Mumbai 6.35 pm to 8.35 pm; Pune 6.32 pm to 8.32 pm
• Yama Deepdaan (evening sandhya): Mumbai 6.03 pm to 7.19 pm; Pune 6.00 pm to 7.15 pm
• Dhanvantari puja (morning): Mumbai 6.41 am to 8.57 am; Pune 6.36 am to 8.53 am

Read together, the figures show that the puja muhurat is the stretch where Pradosh Kaal and Vrishabha Kaal overlap.

Why the time changes from city to city

Pradosh Kaal begins at sunset. The sun rises and sets a little earlier in Pune than in Mumbai, so Pune’s timings come three to five minutes earlier. Many national websites quote the New Delhi muhurat (6.02 pm to 7.57 pm), which does not apply in Maharashtra. A few sites list Yama Deepdaan on 7 November, but since Trayodashi ends on the morning of the 7th, Drik Panchang places both Dhanteras and Yama Deepdaan on 6 November for Mumbai and Pune alike. Our own Diwali calendar gives the same date. For other towns, check a local panchang.

Dhanvantari Jayanti on 6 November, Ayurveda Day on 23 September

According to Drik Panchang, Dhanvantari Jayanti (Dhanvantari Trayodashi) falls on Dhanteras itself, 6 November. National Ayurveda Day used to be marked on the same day. Because the date of Dhanteras moves every year between 15 October and 12 November, the Ministry of Ayush fixed 23 September as Ayurveda Day every year by a gazette notification of 23 March 2025, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) announced. This year’s observance, the 11th Ayurveda Day, accordingly took place on 23 September 2026.

Buying gold: what to check

• The hallmark has three marks: the BIS standard mark, the carat and fineness (for example 22K916) and a six-character alphanumeric HUID.
• After 31 March 2023, hallmarked gold jewellery may not be sold without an HUID. Hallmarked jewellery you already own under the older scheme remains valid.
• Enter the number under ‘Verify HUID’ in the BIS CARE app and check that the item type, the purity and the jeweller who had it hallmarked all match.
• If an item turns out to be of lower purity than its hallmark, the BIS Rules, 2018 provide for compensation of twice the difference plus the testing charges. You can have a piece tested at any BIS-recognised hallmarking centre.
• Ask for a proper bill listing the weight, purity, the day’s rate, making charges and GST separately.
• Making charges differ from shop to shop and with the type of jewellery, so compare two or three shops.
• Rates change every day; check the rate on the day you buy and compare it with the shop’s. Our report on gold and silver rates after Dasara has the recent trend.

Silver coins, diyas and utensils

• Hallmarking of silver is still voluntary, so not every silver item carries a hallmark. Since 1 September 2025, however, any silver item that is hallmarked must carry an HUID.
• A silver hallmark has three marks: the BIS mark with the word ‘SILVER’, the purity grade (800, 835, 925, 958, 970, 990 or 999) and the HUID.
• This HUID too can be checked in the BIS CARE app.
• According to PIB figures from December 2025, anklets make up the largest share of hallmarked silver items, followed by silver diyas. When buying a silver diya or coin, ask whether it is hallmarked.

Utensils and brooms: the tradition

Buying gold, silver and new utensils on Dhanteras, and bringing home a new broom, is a long-standing custom, a News18 Lokmat article notes. The utensil tradition is linked to the legend in which Dhanvantari emerged, pot of nectar in hand, when the gods and demons churned the sea. These customs are matters of faith; we make no claim that they bring any benefit. Buy what your household actually needs, compare prices and keep the bill.

Plan ahead

• With Dhanteras on a Friday and Lakshmi Pujan on Sunday, 8 November, markets are likely to be crowded that week; shop earlier, or in the morning, if you can.
• Both the puja and Yama Deepdaan are in the evening; keep lit diyas away from curtains, paper decorations and firecrackers.
• This report is for information only; it carries no gold or silver price forecast and no investment advice.

Sources: Drik Panchang (Dhanteras, Mumbai); Drik Panchang (Dhanteras, Pune); Drik Panchang (Yama Deepam, Mumbai); Drik Panchang (Yama Deepam, Pune); Drik Panchang (Dhanvantari Jayanti, Mumbai); Drik Panchang (Dhanvantari Jayanti, Pune); PIB: Ayurveda Day on 23 September every year, 13 May 2025; PIB: 11th Ayurveda Day, September 2026; PIB: no sale of hallmarked jewellery without HUID, 4 March 2023; PIB: check the BIS hallmark this Dhanteras, 28 October 2024; PIB: HUID-based silver hallmarking from 1 September 2025; PIB: update on HUID for silver, 4 December 2025; News18 Lokmat: the significance of Dhanteras, 15 October 2025; My Maharashtra: gold and silver rates after Dasara