Guide: Dhanteras is today, 6 November. Delhi puja is 6.02 to 7.57 pm, and gold buying runs 10.30 am to 6.37 am. What to buy, what to avoid, and city timings.
Updated: 6 November 2026, 10:30 IST
Quick Read
- Dhanteras falls on Friday, 6 November 2026. It is day one of the five-day Diwali festival. Diwali is on 8 November.
- Delhi puja muhurat is 6.02 PM to 7.57 PM, inside Pradosh Kaal (5.33 PM to 8.09 PM), per Drik Panchang.
- Gold and silver buying runs from 10.30 AM today to 6.37 AM tomorrow. Buy gold, silver, brass utensils or a new broom. Avoid iron, sharp objects and black items.
Dhanteras is today. It opens the five-day Diwali festival. The day is about two things. Families pray to Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Kuber and Lord Dhanvantari in the evening. And they buy something new, most often gold or silver, to welcome wealth into the home.
The timings are short and exact. Delhi gets a puja window of 1 hour 56 minutes. This guide gives the Delhi time, timings for five more cities, the gold-buying hours, and the buy and avoid lists. Check your local panchang if your city is not listed.
The timings that count
Dhanteras, also called Dhantrayodashi, falls on the Trayodashi tithi of Krishna Paksha in the Hindu month of Kartik. This year the tithi starts at 10.30 AM on Friday, 6 November, and ends at 10.47 AM on Saturday, 7 November. The festival is kept on 6 November because the tithi is present in the evening, when the puja happens.
For New Delhi, Drik Panchang gives these times. The puja muhurat is 6.02 PM to 7.57 PM. Pradosh Kaal, the evening period after sunset, runs 5.33 PM to 8.09 PM. Vrishabha Kaal, the fixed Taurus period, is also 6.02 PM to 7.57 PM. The puja sits inside both.
One small note on the minutes. A few sources list Pradosh Kaal as starting at 5.32 PM, not 5.33 PM. Panchang maths differs by a minute or two between methods. It does not change the puja window. The 6.02 to 7.57 PM muhurat is the same in every source we checked.
Yama Deepam also falls today, 6 November. It is the lamp lit for Yama, the god of death, for the long life of the family. Light it outside the home in the evening, after the main puja.
City-wise puja muhurat
Puja time is not the same in every city. It follows local sunset, so it moves by minutes and sometimes by an hour. These are the Drik Panchang times for five big cities, as reported by CNBC-TV18 and Oneindia.
- New Delhi: 6.02 PM to 7.57 PM
- Kolkata: 5.28 PM to 7.26 PM
- Mumbai: 6.35 PM to 8.35 PM
- Bengaluru: 6.25 PM to 8.20 PM
- Pune: 6.32 PM to 8.31 PM
- Noida: 6.01 PM to 7.57 PM
Kolkata starts earliest because the sun sets first in the east. Mumbai runs latest. If your city is not on this list, look up your local panchang. Do not use Delhi’s time in another city. The window is tied to your sunset, not to the clock in the capital.
Also read: Gold rate today, 5 November: Delhi, Mumbai prices
Gold and silver buying hours
The buying window is long. It starts at 10.30 AM today, 6 November, and runs till 6.37 AM tomorrow, 7 November. That is 20 hours and 7 minutes. You do not need to rush to a shop at one fixed hour. The whole day counts.
Still, some hours are seen as better than others. The Choghadiya periods for today include a morning window from 10.30 AM to 10.43 AM, then a Shubh period from 12.05 PM to 1.27 PM, per Oneindia and CNBC-TV18. The evening Pradosh Kaal, 6.02 PM to 8.09 PM, is also a good time to buy.
Gold is dear this year. Yesterday, 5 November, 24K gold in Delhi was Rs 14,296 per gram, per our gold-rate post. Prices move every day, so check today’s rate before you pay. The price does not change the custom. A small coin counts as much as a big piece. The idea is to bring new metal home, not to spend a fixed sum.
What to buy on Dhanteras
These are the buys most families pick, per Mathrubhumi and India TV. Each one has a reason behind it.
- Gold and silver: Coins, jewellery, or a silver Lakshmi-Ganesha coin for the Diwali puja. Gold and silver are the most direct signs of wealth. Many families buy one small coin with Lakshmi’s image.
- Brass or copper utensils: Lord Dhanvantari is said to have risen from the ocean holding a pot of amrit. A brass or copper vessel recalls that pot. Fill it with rice or sweets before you bring it home. Do not bring it home empty.
- A new broom: The broom is honoured in many homes, above all in Maharashtra, as a form of Lakshmi. It sweeps dirt and poverty out of the house. Buy a new one and keep it for the festival.
- Coriander seeds: Whole coriander seeds, or sabut dhaniya, stand for growth and plenty. Keep them in the puja and sow them after Diwali.
- Diyas and puja items: Clay diyas, kumkum, flowers and sweets for the evening puja.
Vehicles and gadgets are also bought by many families today. The custom is old. The shopping list is new. What counts is that something new enters the home on this day.
What to avoid buying
Some buys are seen as unlucky on this day. These are customs, not rules. Families differ, and no priest will fault you for following your own home’s way. Still, the lists agree on these.
- Iron or steel items: Iron is linked to Shani, and many homes avoid it on Lakshmi’s day. Buy brass, copper or silver instead.
- Sharp objects: Knives, scissors and other sharp tools are avoided. They are seen as cutting the flow of wealth.
- Black clothes or black items: Black is seen as unlucky for festive buys. Pick yellow, red or white instead.
- Glass items: Glass is linked to Rahu in these customs. Pick kansa (bronze) or earthen items instead.
- Aluminium and plastic: Seen as impure for the festival. Clay diyas and copper vessels are the picks instead.
One honest clash sits in these lists. Mathrubhumi says brass, copper and steel utensils are all commonly bought on Dhanteras. Other sources say to avoid iron and steel. Both are true in different homes. Steel vessels are a normal buy in many houses. Strict custom avoids iron. If your family buys steel utensils every year, keep doing it. If your family avoids them, keep avoiding them. The family custom wins over any website list.
Two more don’ts from the custom. Do not lend money or give metal away on Dhanteras. Wealth should come into the home today, not leave it. And do not treat the day as shopping only. The prayers for health and long life are the heart of it.
Also read: Delhi green firecrackers: rules for 7–8 November
Why Dhanteras comes before Diwali
Dhanteras is day one of five. Choti Diwali follows on 7 November. Diwali itself is on 8 November. Then come Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj. The five days run from 6 to 11 November this year.
Dhanvantari, the god of Ayurveda and health, rose from the ocean with a pot of amrit, the nectar of life. That is why health sits next to wealth in the day’s prayers. Lakshmi brings wealth. Kuber guards it. Dhanvantari guards health.
That is also why the buys are what they are. A metal pot recalls Dhanvantari’s pot. Gold recalls Lakshmi. A broom clears the home for her arrival. A small vessel bought with care counts as much as jewellery.
Plan your evening
Finish buying by the late afternoon, so you are home before the puja window. At 6.02 PM in Delhi, start the Lakshmi, Kuber and Dhanvantari puja. Place the new coins, utensils and coriander seeds before them. Offer flowers, kumkum and sweets. Light the Yama Deepam after the main puja.
Delhi’s air is very poor this week, and green crackers are allowed only on 7 and 8 November, in fixed hours. Dhanteras itself is not a cracker day. Keep the evening to lamps and prayer. The lights can wait a day.
Also read: Delhi AQI 5 November: very poor before Diwali
FAQ
What time is Dhanteras puja today?
In New Delhi, the puja muhurat is 6.02 PM to 7.57 PM on Friday, 6 November 2026, per Drik Panchang. It falls inside Pradosh Kaal (5.33 PM to 8.09 PM). Timings differ by city: Kolkata 5.28–7.26 PM, Mumbai 6.35–8.35 PM, Bengaluru 6.25–8.20 PM, Pune 6.32–8.31 PM.
What is the best time to buy gold on Dhanteras 2026?
Gold and silver buying runs from 10.30 AM on 6 November to 6.37 AM on 7 November. Good Choghadiya hours include 10.30–10.43 AM and 12.05–1.27 PM, and the evening Pradosh Kaal from 6.02 PM. Check today’s gold rate before you pay; on 5 November, 24K gold in Delhi was Rs 14,296 per gram.
What should I not buy on Dhanteras?
By custom, avoid iron or steel items, sharp objects like knives and scissors, black clothes or items, glass items, and aluminium or plastic goods. Buy gold or silver, brass or copper utensils, a new broom, coriander seeds or diyas instead. These are family customs, not strict rules — your own family’s way comes first.
Sources
- Moneycontrol — Dhanteras 2026 date and time, shubh muhurat (primary: Drik Panchang timings reproduced; 302 → 200 verified)
- CNBC-TV18 — Dhanteras 2026 gold buying muhurat (city timings + Choghadiya, 200 verified)
- Mathrubhumi — Dhanteras 2026: what to buy, what to avoid (buy/avoid lists, 200 verified)
- Oneindia — Dhanteras 2026 shubh muhurat and puja timings (city timings + gold window)
Sasanka Sekhar Pradhan is the founder of India Presents, an India-focused news site. He covers daily box-office trackers, India news, economy explainers, sports previews and festival guides — in simple English, so readers across India can follow fast-moving stories without jargon. His focus is what a story means for the reader: the number that matters, the source behind it, and what happens next. India Presents publishes daily, with day-trackers updated as new figures come in.
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