Ayudha Pooja and Saraswathi Pooja 2026
Ayudha Pooja 2026 is Monday, 19 October in Tamil Nadu, with Saraswathi Pooja. Karnataka and Kerala keep Mahanavami on Tuesday, 20 October.
Ayudha Pooja 2026, state by state
- Tamil Nadu: Monday 19 October, with Saraswathi Pooja. Vijayadashami is Tuesday 20 October.
- Karnataka: Tuesday 20 October, Mahanavami. Vijayadashami and Mysuru's Jamboo Savari are Wednesday 21 October.
- Kerala: Tuesday 20 October, Mahanavami. Vijayadashami and Vidyarambham are Wednesday 21 October.
- USA, Canada, UK: Monday 19 October by both rules.
Why two dates
Navami, the ninth day of the bright fortnight, begins at 10:52 am on Monday 19 October and ends at 12:51 pm on Tuesday 20 October (India time). Mahanavami, the day of Ayudha Pooja and Saraswathi Pooja, is taken from it by one of two rules.
- The Dharmasindhu's rule (Monday 19 October). For worship and fasting, Mahanavami is the Navami joined to Ashtami: it is kept on the Ashtami day if Navami covers that evening's last three muhurtas, the final fifth of the daylight (about 2 hours 24 minutes in October); if it covers less, the next day. On Monday 19 October Navami runs for about 7 hours before sunset in Chennai, so the day is Monday. Tamil Nadu's 2026 holiday falls on this day.
- Navami at sunrise (Tuesday 20 October). The day whose sunrise Navami holds. Karnataka's and Kerala's Mahanavami holidays fall on this day, with Vijayadashami the day after. Drik Panchang lists Ayudha Puja on this day.
Vijayadashami follows the same pattern: Tamil Nadu and Delhi keep Tuesday 20 October, the day the Dashami covers the afternoon; Karnataka and Kerala keep Wednesday 21 October. See Vijayadashami 2026.
Rahu Kalam on Monday 19 October, Tamil Nadu
The day's times for six Tamil Nadu cities. Each city's full day is a tap away.
| City | Rahu Kalam | Yamagandam |
|---|---|---|
| Chennai | 7:28 am – 8:57 am | 10:25 am – 11:54 am |
| Madurai | 7:35 am – 9:04 am | 10:33 am – 12:02 pm |
| Coimbatore | 7:40 am – 9:09 am | 10:38 am – 12:07 pm |
| Tiruchirappalli | 7:33 am – 9:02 am | 10:31 am – 12:00 pm |
| Salem | 7:36 am – 9:05 am | 10:34 am – 12:02 pm |
| Tirunelveli | 7:36 am – 9:05 am | 10:35 am – 12:04 pm |
The Tamil day sheet for the date: Chennai · Madurai · Coimbatore.
Rahu Kalam on Tuesday 20 October, Karnataka and Kerala
| City | Rahu Kalam | Yamagandam |
|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru | 3:01 pm – 4:30 pm | 9:07 am – 10:36 am |
| Mysuru | 3:05 pm – 4:34 pm | 9:11 am – 10:40 am |
| Kochi | 3:08 pm – 4:37 pm | 9:12 am – 10:41 am |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 3:06 pm – 4:35 pm | 9:08 am – 10:38 am |
Outside India
Navami begins at a different local hour in each city, so the Dharmasindhu's three-muhurta test gives a different answer in a few places. The first date is the Dharmasindhu's rule worked out for each city; the second is the day Navami holds at sunrise.
| City | Dharmasindhu | Navami at sunrise | Navami begins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | Mon 19 Oct | Tue 20 Oct | 1:22 pm Mon |
| Kuala Lumpur | Mon 19 Oct | Tue 20 Oct | 1:22 pm Mon |
| Dubai | Mon 19 Oct | Tue 20 Oct | 9:22 am Mon |
| Abu Dhabi | Mon 19 Oct | Tue 20 Oct | 9:22 am Mon |
| Doha | Mon 19 Oct | Tue 20 Oct | 8:22 am Mon |
| Muscat | Mon 19 Oct | Tue 20 Oct | 9:22 am Mon |
| Colombo | Mon 19 Oct | Tue 20 Oct | 10:52 am Mon |
| Sydney | Mon 19 Oct | Tue 20 Oct | 4:22 pm Mon |
| Melbourne | Mon 19 Oct | Tue 20 Oct | 4:22 pm Mon |
| Auckland | Tue 20 Oct | same day | 6:22 pm Mon |
| London | Mon 19 Oct | same day | 6:22 am Mon |
| Toronto | Mon 19 Oct | same day | 1:22 am Mon |
| New York | Mon 19 Oct | same day | 1:22 am Mon |
| Edison | Mon 19 Oct | same day | 1:22 am Mon |
| Chicago | Mon 19 Oct | same day | 12:22 am Mon |
| Houston | Mon 19 Oct | same day | 12:22 am Mon |
| Dallas | Mon 19 Oct | same day | 12:22 am Mon |
| Atlanta | Mon 19 Oct | same day | 1:22 am Mon |
| Boston | Mon 19 Oct | same day | 1:22 am Mon |
| Seattle | Mon 19 Oct | same day | 10:22 pm Sun |
| San Jose | Mon 19 Oct | same day | 10:22 pm Sun |
| Los Angeles | Mon 19 Oct | same day | 10:22 pm Sun |
The passage
Dharmasindhu, second pariccheda, atha mahānavamīnirṇayaḥ, page 83, read from the page image:
महानवमी तु बलिदानव्यतिरिक्तविषये पूजोपोषणादावष्टमीविद्धा ग्राह्या ॥ सा च यद्यष्टमीदिने सायं त्रिमुहूर्ता स्यात्तदैव ग्राह्या ॥ त्रिमुहूर्तन्यूनत्वे परैव ग्राह्या ॥
"Mahanavami, for worship, fasting and the rest (other than the bali offering), is taken joined with Ashtami. It is taken on the Ashtami day only if it lasts three muhurtas there in the evening; if less than three muhurtas, the following day."
The worship of weapons itself is set out on the next page, as the lohābhisārika karma, prescribed for the days from the pratipada to the Ashtami: the worship, with puja and homa, of the royal insignia, elephants and horses, bows and other weapons, and drums.
Questions
When is Ayudha Pooja in Tamil Nadu in 2026?
Monday 19 October 2026, with Saraswathi Pooja on the same day. Vijayadashami is Tuesday 20 October.
When is Ayudha Pooja in Karnataka in 2026?
Tuesday 20 October 2026, Mahanavami. Vijayadashami and the Mysuru Dasara procession are Wednesday 21 October.
Are Ayudha Pooja and Vijayadashami on the same day in 2026?
It depends on the calendar. By the state holidays, Tamil Nadu keeps Ayudha Pooja on 19 October and Vijayadashami on 20 October; Karnataka and Kerala keep Mahanavami on 20 October and Vijayadashami on 21 October. Drik Panchang lists both on 20 October: Navami at sunrise for Ayudha Puja, and the Dashami afternoon for Vijayadashami.
When is Ayudha Pooja in the USA in 2026?
Monday 19 October. In American, Canadian and British cities Navami holds that day's sunrise as well, so both rules agree.
Dharmasindhu, pariccheda 2, atha mahānavamīnirṇayaḥ (p. 83) and the lohābhisārika karma (p. 84)
archive copy ksu.d617.dharmasindhu0000unse · leaves 103–104 · read from the page image
Which state keeps which day: the 2026 government holiday lists — Tamil Nadu (the G.O., as reproduced), Karnataka, Kerala