Lala Ramswaroop Calendar October 2026: Complete Vrat, Festival and Muhurat List

October is often called the festival king of the Hindu calendar, and 2026 does not break that pattern. As the monsoon retreats and skies clear over North India, the month moves from the quiet close of Pitru Paksha into the joy of Sharad Navratri, the triumph of Dussehra, and the devotion of Karwa Chauth. This guide covers the complete Lala Ramswaroop Calendar October 2026 — every major festival, Vrat, and Muhurat you need to plan the month with confidence.

The month bridges the closing days of Ashwin and the opening days of Kartik, and it is one of the busiest stretches on the religious calendar. Nine forms of Goddess Durga are worshipped, ancestors are remembered one final time, the bond between husband and wife is renewed, and the moon takes center stage twice — at Sharad Purnima and again at Karwa Chauth. Below is a clear, date-wise breakdown based on the Lala Ramswaroop Panchang for October 2026.

Major Festivals in the Lala Ramswaroop Calendar — October 2026

Date	Day	Festival	Significance
Oct 10, 2026	Saturday	Sarvapitru Amavasya (Mahalaya)	Final day of the 15-day Pitru Paksha; last Tarpan offered to all known and unknown ancestors
Oct 11, 2026	Sunday	Sharad Navratri Begins	Ghatasthapana opens nine days of worship dedicated to Goddess Durga
Oct 18, 2026	Sunday	Durga Ashtami (Maha Ashtami)	Worship of Maa Mahagauri; Kanya Pujan performed in most homes
Oct 19, 2026	Monday	Maha Navami	Worship of Maa Siddhidatri; formal close of the nine-day Navratri
Oct 20, 2026	Tuesday	Dussehra (Vijayadashami)	Victory of good over evil, marked with Ravan Dahan and Shastra Puja
Oct 24, 2026	Saturday	Sharad Purnima	Full moon night believed to shower nectar; kheer is kept under the open sky
Oct 29, 2026	Thursday	Karwa Chauth	Married women observe a nirjala Vrat for their husband’s long life and wellbeing

Special note: Diwali and Dhanteras do not fall in October 2026. This year, the festival of lights moves to the first week of November, with Dhanteras on November 6 and the main Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) on November 8.

Vrat and Tithi Dates — October 2026

Date	Day	Vrat / Tithi	Meaning
Oct 6, 2026	Tuesday	Indira Ekadashi	Ashwin Krishna Ekadashi, observed during Pitru Paksha for the peace of ancestors
Oct 10, 2026	Saturday	Ashwin / Sarvapitru Amavasya	Shraddha rituals for all ancestors conclude on this new moon
Oct 22, 2026	Thursday	Papankusha Ekadashi	Ashwin Shukla Ekadashi, observed for release from sins of mind, word, and deed
Oct 24, 2026	Saturday	Ashwin Purnima (Sharad Purnima)	Also called Kojagari Purnima; day of Goddess Lakshmi’s special worship
Oct 28, 2026	Wednesday	Sankashti Chaturthi	Vakratunda Chaturthi dedicated to Lord Ganesha, one day before Karwa Chauth

Mahalaya: Pitru Paksha Comes to a Close

Sarvapitru Amavasya, falling on Saturday, October 10, 2026, marks the final day of the fifteen-day Pitru Paksha (Shraddha) period. Families perform Tarpan and Pind Daan not just for ancestors whose date of death is known, but also for any relative whose Shraddha was missed earlier in the fortnight, making the day a catch-all closing ritual. In eastern India, the same day is observed as Mahalaya, believed to mark the moment Goddess Durga begins her journey to earth — the informal start of the Durga Puja season, even though Navratri itself begins the next morning.

Sharad Navratri: Nine Nights of the Goddess

Sharad Navratri begins on Sunday, October 11, 2026, with Ghatasthapana, the ritual installation of a sacred Kalash that invites Goddess Durga into the home for nine days. Each day honours a different form of the Goddess in sequence — Shailputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri, and finally Siddhidatri. Daily puja, fasting, and evening aarti are common, and in Bengal and Odisha the same nine days lead into Durga Puja pandal celebrations that intensify from Maha Shashthi onward, around October 16. Many families also treat the opening of Navratri as a favourable window for fresh starts, since it is one of the few periods inside Chaturmas considered auspicious for new beginnings.

Durga Ashtami and Maha Navami

The eighth and ninth days of Navratri fall on Sunday, October 18, and Monday, October 19, 2026. Ashtami is dedicated to Maa Mahagauri, worshipped for purity and peace, while Navami honours Maa Siddhidatri, the form linked with spiritual accomplishment. Kanya Pujan — honouring young girls as living forms of the Goddess with a meal, gifts, and a tilak — is usually performed on one of these two days, often followed by a closing Havan. A few Panchangs place both Ashtami and Navami on October 19 this year due to a short Tithi overlap, so confirm the exact Kanya Pujan date with your family priest if you follow a specific publisher closely.

Dussehra (Vijayadashami): The Triumph of Good

Dussehra falls on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, ten days after Navratri begins, and is celebrated as Vijayadashami — the day Lord Rama defeated Ravana, and the day Goddess Durga’s battle with Mahishasura ended in victory. Effigies of Ravana, Meghnad, and Kumbhakaran are burned at Ravan Dahan grounds across North India, and many households also perform Shastra Puja, honouring tools, vehicles, and work instruments as a mark of respect for the means through which good overcomes hardship. In several regions, Dussehra is also chosen to begin a child’s formal education (Vidyarambh) or a new skill, since the day is considered favourable for fresh undertakings.

Sharad Purnima: The Night of the Full Moon

Sharad Purnima, observed on Saturday, October 24, 2026 as per the Lala Ramswaroop Panchang, is the full moon night when the moon is believed complete with all sixteen Kalas, showering the earth with Amrit through its rays. The best-known ritual is preparing kheer and leaving it uncovered under the open sky before eating it the next morning as prasad believed to carry healing properties. In Braj and Vrindavan, the night is celebrated as Raas Purnima, marking Krishna’s Maha Raas with the Gopis, while Bengal and Odisha observe Kojagari Lakshmi Puja the same night. Because Purnima Tithi timing shifts with each city’s sunrise and moonrise, a few other Panchangs place this festival a day later — check your local moonrise time before starting the kheer ritual.

Karwa Chauth: A Fast for Marital Devotion

Karwa Chauth, on Thursday, October 29, 2026, falls on Kartik Krishna Chaturthi and is arguably the most emotionally significant Vrat of the month. Married women across North India, particularly in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh, observe a nirjala Vrat from sunrise, taking neither food nor water, for their husband’s long life and wellbeing. The day begins before dawn with Sargi, a meal typically offered by the mother-in-law, continues with an evening Karwa Chauth Katha and puja, and ends once the moon is sighted, usually through a sieve or a dupatta, after which the husband offers the first sip of water to break the fast. Since moonrise time changes by city, always check the local timing rather than a single national figure.

Vivah Muhurat in October 2026

According to the Lala Ramswaroop Calendar October 2026, there are no auspicious Muhurats for weddings, engagements, or Griha Pravesh anywhere in the month. Lord Vishnu remains in Chaturmas, his four-month yoga nidra, and by tradition, major life ceremonies wait until he wakes to preside over them again — so weddings stay paused through October just as they were through August and September. The next window opens only in November 2026, after Dev Uthani Ekadashi, when the full wedding season begins.

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