Guide: this is a festival guide, not a news report. Timings below are for New Delhi unless a city is named. Check your local panchang for the exact minutes in your city.
Bhai Dooj falls on Wednesday 11 November 2026 in India. Delhi tilak time is 1:10 to 3:20 PM. Read the rituals, the Yam-Yami story and city-wise timings here.
Updated: 9 November 2026, 10:30 AM IST
Quick Read
- Bhai Dooj is on Wednesday 11 November 2026, not 10 November. The Dwitiya tithi runs from 2 PM on 10 November to 3:53 PM on 11 November.
- In Delhi, the tilak window is 1:10 PM to 3:20 PM. Finish the tilak before Dwitiya ends at 3:53 PM.
- Banks stay shut on Tuesday 10 November in Mumbai, Bengaluru and five other cities for Govardhan Puja. Check the RBI list before you go.
Bhai Dooj is the last day of the five-day Diwali festival. On this day, a sister applies a tilak on her brother’s forehead, prays for his long life, and feeds him a sweet. The brother gives her a gift in return. It is a simple, home festival. No big crowds, no loud rituals — just a brother, a sister, and a thali.
The date, and why some calendars say 10 November
Bhai Dooj falls on Kartik Shukla Dwitiya, the second day of the bright half of the Kartik month. In 2026, Dwitiya starts at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, 10 November, and ends at 3:53 PM on Wednesday, 11 November. Those timings are from Drik Panchang.
So why is the festival on the 11th and not the 10th? Panchangs decide the day by looking at the afternoon, the Aparahna period, because the tilak is an afternoon ritual. On Tuesday, Dwitiya only starts in the middle of the afternoon. On Wednesday, it covers the whole afternoon. So the festival is kept on Wednesday, 11 November, in India.
Some early lists did say 10 November. Our own Ayodhya post on 8 November first carried 10 November and was corrected to Wednesday 11 November. If your calendar still says the 10th, it is likely using a different rule or a different country. In the USA, Canada, the UK and the UAE, Bhai Dooj falls on Tuesday, 10 November, because of the time zones. In India, it is 11 November.
The festival has other names too. In Maharashtra it is Bhau Beej. In Bengal it is Bhai Phonta. In Nepal it is Bhai Tika, though Nepal follows its own calendar. In parts of the south it is called Bhatru Dwitiya. The ritual is the same everywhere: a tilak, a prayer, a meal.
Tilak timings in 5 cities
The tilak is done in the afternoon, in the Aparahna window. The window shifts a little from city to city because it depends on local sunrise and sunset. All times below are for Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
| City | Tilak window (Aparahna) |
|---|---|
| New Delhi | 1:10 PM – 3:20 PM |
| Mumbai | 1:30 PM – 3:46 PM |
| Kolkata | 12:27 PM – 2:41 PM |
| Chennai | 1:02 PM – 3:21 PM |
| Bengaluru | 1:13 PM – 3:32 PM |
These timings come from Drik Panchang, via Hindutone’s city-wise table. A small note: other panchang sites differ by a minute on Chennai and Bengaluru — one lists Chennai at 1:03 PM to 3:22 PM and Bengaluru at 1:13 PM to 3:33 PM. A minute either way does not change the ritual. What matters is finishing the tilak before Dwitiya ends at 3:53 PM.
If your city is not in this table, check your local panchang. Do not copy Delhi’s time blindly. Kolkata’s window, for example, starts 43 minutes before Delhi’s.
Also read: Govardhan Puja 2026: date, timings, rituals
The rituals, step by step
The ritual takes about 15 minutes. Here is how most families do it, in plain steps.
First, the sister prepares a thali. It holds a small diya, kumkum or roli, akshat (raw rice grains), a sweet, and sometimes a coconut or dry fruit. She lights the diya.
Second, the brother sits facing east, or facing his sister. The sister applies the tilak on his forehead with her ring finger — kumkum first, then a few grains of akshat on top.
Third, she does a short aarti, moving the diya in a slow circle in front of him. She prays for his long life, health, and happiness.
Fourth, she places a sweet in his mouth. Barfi, peda, or motichoor laddoo — whatever the family likes.
Fifth, she serves him a meal she has cooked or arranged. In many homes, the brother eats at his sister’s house that day.
Last, the brother gives his sister a gift. Clothes, cash, or something she asked for. The gift is part of the ritual, not an afterthought. Some families avoid sharp objects as gifts. Many sisters also pray for their brother’s safety before the meal, not after.
The story of Yam and Yami
Every Bhai Dooj has a story behind it, and this one is short. Yama is the god of death. Yamuna is his sister, and also a river goddess. Long ago, Yama visited his sister Yamuna’s home. She welcomed him, applied a tilak on his forehead, did his aarti, and fed him a good meal.
Yama was pleased. He blessed her, and he blessed every brother whose sister does the tilak with love. That is why the festival is also called Yam Dwitiya. Sisters pray that Yama keeps their brothers safe, just as he blessed Yamuna’s brother that day.
Some families also take a bath in the Yamuna river on this morning, especially in Mathura. It is called Yamuna snan. It is not required. The tilak and the meal are the heart of the day.
Gifts and food
There is no fixed gift list. Sisters often get clothes, jewellery, or cash from their brothers. Brothers get sweets and a full meal from their sisters. In many homes, the sister also cooks her brother’s favourite dish. The meal matters more than the gift. If brother and sister live in different cities, many families now do the tilak on a video call and send the gift by courier. The ritual bends; the feeling does not.
Banks on 10 and 11 November
Bank branches do not follow one national holiday for Diwali week. The RBI holiday list is state-wise, so the closures change by city.
On Monday 9 November, banks are shut in Agartala, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Gangtok, Guwahati, Imphal, Jaipur, Kanpur, Lucknow and Raipur for Diwali, Lakshmi Puja and Govardhan Puja. On Tuesday 10 November, banks are shut in Ahmedabad, Belapur, Bengaluru, Dehradun, Gangtok, Mumbai and Nagpur for Bali Pratipada, Govardhan Puja and Vikram Samvat New Year.
On Wednesday 11 November, Bhai Dooj is a bank holiday in some states, but the list varies by state and we could not verify a full city list from one source. Before you plan a branch visit on the 11th, check the RBI holiday list for your city, or call your branch. UPI, net banking, mobile banking and ATMs work as usual on all three days.
Also read: Diwali Lakshmi Puja muhurat 2026: timings
FAQ
Q: Is Bhai Dooj on 10 or 11 November 2026?
A: In India, it is Wednesday, 11 November 2026. Dwitiya starts at 2 PM on 10 November, but the festival is kept on the day the tithi covers the afternoon — the 11th. In the USA, Canada, the UK and the UAE, it falls on 10 November.
Q: What is the tilak muhurat for Bhai Dooj 2026?
A: In New Delhi, 1:10 PM to 3:20 PM on 11 November, as per Drik Panchang. The window shifts by city — Mumbai 1:30 to 3:46 PM, Kolkata 12:27 to 2:41 PM. Finish before Dwitiya ends at 3:53 PM.
Q: Are banks open on Bhai Dooj, 11 November?
A: It depends on your state. Banks are shut on 10 November in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Dehradun and Gangtok for Govardhan Puja and Bali Pratipada. For 11 November, check the RBI holiday list for your city — UPI and ATMs work either way.
Also read
Sources
- Drik Panchang — Bhai Dooj 2026 date and time (primary source for the date and Delhi muhurat)
- Hindutone — Bhai Dooj 2026: date, tilak muhurat, city timings
- The Economic Times — Bhai Dooj 2026: shubh muhurat, tilak timings, rituals
- Reserve Bank of India — Bank holiday calendar (primary source for bank closures)
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.
