October 2026 Festival Calendar: Pitru Paksha Ends, Navratri Begins, Dussehra Follows

Add as a preferred source on Google

October 2026 is one of the busiest months in the Hindu calendar. It opens with the last days of Pitru Paksha, moves through nine nights of Navratri and Dussehra, and closes with a full-moon Lakshmi puja and Karwa Chauth, with Diwali following on 8 November. Here is every major festival, fast and spiritual date to plan around.

Photo Credit: Chat GPT

October 2026 At A Glance

• 6 October: Indira Ekadashi
• 8 October: Pradosh Vrat
• 10 October: Sarva Pitru (Mahalaya) Amavasya; Pitru Paksha ends
• 11 October: Sharad Navratri begins
• 16 October: Durga Puja begins (Maha Shashthi); Skanda Sashti
• 18 October: Kati Bihu
• 19 October: Durga Ashtami; Ayudha Puja; Saraswati Puja
• 20 October: Maha Navami; Vijayadashami (Dussehra)
• 21 October: Bijoya Dashami (Durga Visarjan); Shukla Ekadashi
• 23 October: Pradosh Vrat
• 25 October: Sharad Purnima; Kojagari Lakshmi Puja; Purnima Vrat
• 26 October: Valmiki Jayanti
• 29 October: Karwa Chauth

Early October: Ekadashi, Pradosh And The End Of Pitru Paksha

The month begins with Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti on 2 October, a national observance. Indira Ekadashi follows on 6 October, and Pradosh Vrat, a fast dedicated to Lord Shiva and observed at dusk, falls on 8 October.

The period of ancestor remembrance closes on 10 October with Sarva Pitru Amavasya, also called Mahalaya Amavasya. It is the day families traditionally choose when the exact tithi of an ancestor's death is unknown. In Bengal, Mahalaya also marks the start of the Durga Puja season.

Navratri And Durga Puja: 11 To 21 October

Photo Credit: Canva

Sharad Navratri begins on 11 October. The festival honours the goddess Durga over nine nights, with each night dedicated to a different form of the goddess, from Shailputri on the first night to Siddhidatri on the ninth. Durga Puja, the great festival of Bengal and eastern India, runs from 16 October, with Maha Shashthi, to 21 October.

The most intense worship falls on Durga Ashtami on 19 October, which also carries Ayudha Puja and Saraswati Puja in several regions, and on Maha Navami on 20 October. Some calendars count the nine nights as ending on 19 October, so check the Panchang followed in your region.

Dussehra On 20 October

Photo Credit: Canva

Vijayadashami, or Dussehra, falls on 20 October. It is observed on the tenth day of the waxing moon in the month of Ashvin and marks the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana. In many parts of the country, effigies of Ravana are burnt in the evening. In Bengal, Durga Visarjan, the immersion of the idols, takes place on Bijoya Dashami, 21 October. The same day carries Shukla Ekadashi, which some calendars list as Papankusha Ekadashi on 22 October.

Sharad Purnima And Valmiki Jayanti: 25 And 26 October

The full moon on 25 October brings Sharad Purnima and Purnima Vrat. In West Bengal, Odisha and Assam, it is marked as Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, or Lokkhi Pujo, in honour of the goddess Lakshmi. Valmiki Jayanti, the birth anniversary of sage Valmiki, traditionally credited with composing the Ramayana, follows on 26 October.

Karwa Chauth On 29 October

Karwa Chauth on 29 October is a fasting festival observed mainly by married women in North India, who traditionally break the fast in the evening after sighting the moon. It is followed on 1 November by Ahoi Ashtami.

Monthly Fasts To Note

Two recurring fasts appear this month. Pradosh Vrat falls on 8 and 23 October, and Ekadashi falls on 6 and 21 October. Purnima and Amavasya fasts fall on 25 and 10 October respectively, and Skanda Sashti on 16 October.

Looking Ahead To Diwali

Most festivals fall later in 2026 than in 2025 because the year carries an extra lunar month, Adhik Maas. Dhanteras is on 6 November, Diwali on 8 November, Govardhan Puja on 10 November and Bhai Dooj on 11 November.