भाई दूज 2026 · Wednesday, 11 November 2026
Bhai Dooj 2026: date and tilak muhurat
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Bhai Dooj, also called Bhau Beej, Bhai Phonta and Yam Dwitiya, closes the five days of Diwali. Sisters put tilak on their brothers, pray for them and share a meal, and brothers bring gifts.
The day follows Kartik Shukla Dwitiya. Tradition prefers the afternoon portion of the day, called aparahna. In 2026 Dwitiya starts after 2 PM on 10 November, so the full afternoon with Dwitiya comes on 11 November. That is why we, like many calendars, list 11 November. If your family celebrates on 10 November, that is a valid reading too.
Bhai Dooj 2026 timings
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| Date (afternoon rule) | Wednesday, 11 November 2026 |
| Dwitiya begins | 10 Nov, 2:01 PM IST |
| Dwitiya ends | 11 Nov, 3:54 PM IST |
| Tilak window | Early afternoon of 11 Nov, before 3:54 PM IST |
Tilak vidhi
- Sister prepares a thali with roli, akshat, a diya, sweets, a coconut and a little water.
- Brother sits facing north or east, often on a small chowki.
- Sister applies tilak, places akshat and ties mauli in some families.
- She does a small aarti and offers sweets.
- Brother gives a gift and they share a meal at the sister's home.
The story of Yamraj and Yamuna
Yamraj visited his sister Yamuna on this Dwitiya after a long time. She welcomed him with tilak and a meal, and he blessed every brother who visits his sister on this day. That is why it is also called Yam Dwitiya.
Gift ideas
- Something handmade or personal
- Books, plants or a hobby kit
- Jewellery or a watch
- A shared experience: a meal, a trip, a show
- For brothers abroad, a video call tilak and a delivered sweet box
Regional names
| Region | Name |
|---|---|
| North India | Bhai Dooj |
| Maharashtra, Goa | Bhau Beej |
| West Bengal | Bhai Phonta |
| Nepal | Bhai Tika |
| Karnataka | Yama Dwitiya, Bhagini Hasta Bhojana |
Bhai Dooj 2026 time in Indian cities
Tilak is done in the afternoon (aparahna) while Dwitiya runs. Below are sunrise, sunset and moonrise on Wednesday, 11 November 2026 for major Indian cities, calculated from each city's latitude and longitude. All times are IST. East Indian cities see the sun and moon earlier, west Indian cities later, by up to about an hour.
| City | State | Sunrise | Sunset | Moonrise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi | Delhi | 6:40 AM | 5:29 PM | 8:31 AM |
| Mumbai | Maharashtra | 6:43 AM | 6:01 PM | 8:24 AM |
| Kolkata | West Bengal | 5:46 AM | 4:54 PM | 7:29 AM |
| Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 6:05 AM | 5:39 PM | 7:40 AM |
| Bengaluru | Karnataka | 6:16 AM | 5:50 PM | 7:51 AM |
| Hyderabad | Telangana | 6:18 AM | 5:41 PM | 7:57 AM |
| Patna | Bihar | 6:03 AM | 5:02 PM | 7:50 AM |
| Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh | 6:22 AM | 5:17 PM | 8:10 AM |
| Jaipur | Rajasthan | 6:43 AM | 5:37 PM | 8:32 AM |
| Chandigarh | Chandigarh | 6:45 AM | 5:27 PM | 8:39 AM |
| Ahmedabad | Gujarat | 6:50 AM | 5:56 PM | 8:35 AM |
| Amritsar | Punjab | 6:54 AM | 5:33 PM | 8:49 AM |
| Varanasi | Uttar Pradesh | 6:12 AM | 5:11 PM | 7:58 AM |
| Bhopal | Madhya Pradesh | 6:31 AM | 5:37 PM | 8:16 AM |
| Guwahati | Assam | 5:38 AM | 4:35 PM | 7:24 AM |
Bhai Dooj 2026 time in the USA, Canada, UK, UAE and Australia
For families abroad, the tithi starts and ends at the same instant everywhere, but your clock shows it at a different hour and sometimes on a different date. Here is Shukla Dwitiya converted to each city's local time, with daylight saving applied, plus sunrise, sunset and moonrise on Wednesday, 11 November 2026 in that city.
| City | Country | Dwitiya begins | Dwitiya ends | Sunrise | Sunset | Moonrise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai | UAE | Tue 10 Nov, 12:31 PM | Wed 11 Nov, 2:24 PM | 6:32 AM | 5:32 PM | 8:23 AM |
| Abu Dhabi | UAE | Tue 10 Nov, 12:31 PM | Wed 11 Nov, 2:24 PM | 6:35 AM | 5:37 PM | 8:25 AM |
| Sharjah | UAE | Tue 10 Nov, 12:31 PM | Wed 11 Nov, 2:24 PM | 6:32 AM | 5:31 PM | 8:23 AM |
| Doha | Qatar | Tue 10 Nov, 11:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 1:24 PM | 5:47 AM | 4:47 PM | 7:39 AM |
| Muscat | Oman | Tue 10 Nov, 12:31 PM | Wed 11 Nov, 2:24 PM | 6:18 AM | 5:22 PM | 8:06 AM |
| Kuwait City | Kuwait | Tue 10 Nov, 11:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 1:24 PM | 6:08 AM | 4:55 PM | 8:05 AM |
| Riyadh | Saudi Arabia | Tue 10 Nov, 11:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 1:24 PM | 6:06 AM | 5:07 PM | 7:57 AM |
| Toronto | Canada | Tue 10 Nov, 3:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 5:24 AM | 7:06 AM | 4:56 PM | 9:46 AM |
| Brampton | Canada | Tue 10 Nov, 3:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 5:24 AM | 7:08 AM | 4:57 PM | 9:48 AM |
| Vancouver | Canada | Tue 10 Nov, 1:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 3:24 AM | 8:16 AM | 5:35 PM | 11:19 AM |
| Calgary | Canada | Tue 10 Nov, 2:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 4:24 AM | 8:46 AM | 5:53 PM | 11:53 AM |
| London | United Kingdom | Tue 10 Nov, 8:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 10:24 AM | 7:11 AM | 4:16 PM | 10:02 AM |
| Leicester | United Kingdom | Tue 10 Nov, 8:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 10:24 AM | 7:19 AM | 4:17 PM | 10:14 AM |
| Birmingham | United Kingdom | Tue 10 Nov, 8:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 10:24 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:20 PM | 10:16 AM |
| New Jersey (Edison) | United States | Tue 10 Nov, 3:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 5:24 AM | 6:39 AM | 4:43 PM | 9:12 AM |
| New York | United States | Tue 10 Nov, 3:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 5:24 AM | 6:38 AM | 4:41 PM | 9:11 AM |
| San Francisco Bay Area | United States | Tue 10 Nov, 12:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 2:24 AM | 6:42 AM | 4:59 PM | 9:17 AM |
| Houston | United States | Tue 10 Nov, 2:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 4:24 AM | 6:42 AM | 5:27 PM | 9:01 AM |
| Chicago | United States | Tue 10 Nov, 2:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 4:24 AM | 6:35 AM | 4:33 PM | 9:12 AM |
| Dallas | United States | Tue 10 Nov, 2:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 4:24 AM | 6:53 AM | 5:28 PM | 9:17 AM |
| Atlanta | United States | Tue 10 Nov, 3:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 5:24 AM | 7:05 AM | 5:36 PM | 9:28 AM |
| Melbourne | Australia | Tue 10 Nov, 7:31 PM | Wed 11 Nov, 9:24 PM | 6:03 AM | 8:05 PM | 6:42 AM |
| Sydney | Australia | Tue 10 Nov, 7:31 PM | Wed 11 Nov, 9:24 PM | 5:46 AM | 7:32 PM | 6:29 AM |
| Brisbane | Australia | Tue 10 Nov, 6:31 PM | Wed 11 Nov, 8:24 PM | 4:50 AM | 6:13 PM | 5:40 AM |
| Perth | Australia | Tue 10 Nov, 4:31 PM | Wed 11 Nov, 6:24 PM | 5:11 AM | 6:50 PM | 6:01 AM |
| Auckland | New Zealand | Tue 10 Nov, 9:31 PM | Wed 11 Nov, 11:24 PM | 6:06 AM | 8:03 PM | 6:43 AM |
| Singapore | Singapore | Tue 10 Nov, 4:31 PM | Wed 11 Nov, 6:24 PM | 6:46 AM | 6:50 PM | 8:08 AM |
| Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | Tue 10 Nov, 4:31 PM | Wed 11 Nov, 6:24 PM | 6:57 AM | 6:56 PM | 8:20 AM |
| Nairobi | Kenya | Tue 10 Nov, 11:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 1:24 PM | 6:11 AM | 6:21 PM | 7:40 AM |
| Durban | South Africa | Tue 10 Nov, 10:31 AM | Wed 11 Nov, 12:24 PM | 4:54 AM | 6:25 PM | 5:57 AM |
How to read this table
- Find your city, or the nearest one in the same time zone.
- If the tithi covers your morning on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, you observe on the same date as India.
- If it does not, follow your local mandir, which will decide using the same rule.
Open your city's full daily panchang, choghadiya and Rahu kaal from the panchang page.
How we calculate these dates and times
- The festival date is the India observance date published in standard Delhi calendars for 2026.
- The tithi window (Tue 10 Nov, 2:01 PM to Wed 11 Nov, 3:54 PM IST) is calculated from the real positions of the Sun and Moon.
- Sunrise, sunset and moonrise are calculated for each city's coordinates, on a flat horizon.
- Local times use each city's official time zone, including daylight saving.
Frequently asked questions about Bhai Dooj 2026
Is Bhai Dooj 2026 on 10 or 11 November?
11 November by the afternoon rule followed by most Delhi calendars; some list 10 November.
What time is Bhai Dooj tilak?
The early afternoon of 11 November, before Dwitiya ends at 3:54 PM IST.
Can tilak be done on a video call?
Many families abroad do it this way, with the brother applying tilak himself during the call.
Is Bhai Dooj the same as Raksha Bandhan?
No. Both celebrate siblings, but Raksha Bandhan is in Shravan with rakhi; Bhai Dooj is after Diwali with tilak.