Chhath Puja Sandhya Arghya 2026 Time: Check city-wise sunset timings, significance, rituals and what to offer

Chhath Puja is dedicated to the Sun God, Surya, and Chhathi Maiya. Celebrated with immense devotion, particularly in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and parts of Nepal, the festival involves fasting, prayers and offerings to the setting and rising Sun. The third day of Chhath Puja is especially important as devotees observe Sandhya Arghya, the evening offering to the setting Sun. On this occasion, worshippers gather at riverbanks, ponds, lakes and other water bodies to offer prayers while standing in water. In 2026, Sandhya Arghya will be observed on November 15. Devotees will prepare traditional offerings, decorate their bamboo baskets and gather at ghats to perform the evening rituals. Here's everything you need to know about Chhath Puja Sandhya Arghya 2026, including its date, sunset timing, significance, puja rituals and items offered to the Sun God.

Chhath Puja Sandhya Arghya 2026 time: City-wise sunset timings

Sandhya Arghya will be observed on Sunday, November 15, 2026, on Kartik Shukla Shashthi. Devotees offer Arghya to the setting Sun around sunset. The exact time varies depending on the city. Here are the expected sunset timings in some major Indian cities.

No.	City	Sunset time
1	New Delhi	5:28 PM
2	Mumbai	6:00 PM
3	Kolkata	4:53 PM
4	Chennai	5:39 PM
5	Bengaluru	5:50 PM
6	Hyderabad	5:40 PM
7	Ahmedabad	5:55 PM
8	Pune	5:57 PM
9	Jaipur	5:37 PM
10	Lucknow	5:17 PM
11	Patna	5:01 PM
12	Gaya	5:04 PM
13	Muzaffarpur	5:00 PM
14	Darbhanga	4:58 PM
15	Bhagalpur	4:55 PM
16	Ranchi	5:05 PM
17	Varanasi	5:11 PM
18	Guwahati	4:34 PM
19	Bhubaneswar	5:07 PM
20	Cuttack	5:07 PM
21	Raipur	5:23 PM
22	Indore	5:43 PM
23	Bhopal	5:36 PM
24	Jabalpur	5:26 PM
25	Nagpur	5:33 PM
26	Nashik	5:56 PM
27	Surat	5:58 PM
28	Vadodara	5:55 PM
29	Rajkot	6:04 PM
30	Jodhpur	5:49 PM
31	Udaipur	5:49 PM
32	Kota	5:39 PM
33	Agra	5:28 PM
34	Kanpur	5:20 PM
35	Prayagraj	5:15 PM
36	Gorakhpur	5:07 PM
37	Meerut	5:26 PM
38	Ghaziabad	5:27 PM
39	Noida	5:28 PM
40	Faridabad	5:28 PM
41	Chandigarh	5:27 PM
42	Ludhiana	5:30 PM
43	Amritsar	5:33 PM
44	Jalandhar	5:30 PM
45	Dehradun	5:22 PM
46	Srinagar	5:28 PM
47	Jammu	5:31 PM
48	Shimla	5:24 PM
49	Thiruvananthapuram	5:59 PM
50	Kochi	6:00 PM
51	Kozhikode	6:00 PM
52	Coimbatore	5:56 PM
53	Madurai	5:53 PM
54	Tiruchirappalli	5:49 PM
55	Vijayawada	5:33 PM
56	Visakhapatnam	5:21 PM
57	Mysuru	5:55 PM
58	Mangaluru	6:02 PM
59	Jamshedpur	5:02 PM
60	Dhanbad	4:59 PM

Chhath Puja 2026 Shashthi Tithi: The Shashthi Tithi begins at 11:23 PM on November 14 and ends at 2:00 AM on November 16, according to the New Delhi panchang.

Chhath Puja 2026: Four-day festival calendar

Chhath Puja is observed over four days, with each day having a distinct ritual and significance. The festival begins with purification and dietary restrictions and concludes with prayers to the rising Sun.

Date	Day	Main ritual
November 13, Friday	Day 1	Nahay Khay
November 14, Saturday	Day 2	Lohanda and Kharna
November 15, Sunday	Day 3	Sandhya Arghya
November 16, Monday	Day 4	Usha Arghya and Parana

Sandhya Arghya 2026: puja vidhi

Preparations for Sandhya Arghya begin well before sunset. Family members clean and arrange the puja items, prepare traditional prasad and place the offerings in bamboo baskets. Here is how the evening ritual is generally performed:

1. Prepare the offerings: Devotees arrange fruits, thekua, sugarcane, coconut and other traditional prasad in bamboo baskets known as daura and soop.

2. Visit the Chhath ghat: Families carry the offerings to a riverbank, pond, lake or designated water body where the evening prayers are performed.

3. Prepare the puja area: The offerings are arranged at the ghat. Devotees light earthen lamps and worship Chhathi Maiya according to their family traditions.

4. Stand in water: As sunset approaches, the vratin enters the water, usually up to the knees, and faces the setting Sun.

5. Offer Sandhya Arghya: Devotees offer water and milk to Surya Dev while holding the traditional offerings. Prayers are offered to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya.

6. Perform prayers and parikrama: After offering Arghya, devotees perform the customary prayers and circumambulations as followed in their families.

7. Continue the fast: The fast continues overnight. Devotees return for Usha Arghya the following morning, after which the Chhath vrat is completed.

What to offer during Chhath Puja Sandhya Arghya 2026?

Traditional food items, seasonal fruits and agricultural produce are placed in bamboo baskets and offered during Chhath Puja. Most offerings are prepared without using onion or garlic.

Some of the important items include:

1. Thekua

Thekua is one of the most important offerings of Chhath Puja. It is a traditional sweet prepared using wheat flour, jaggery and ghee.

2. Seasonal fruits

Bananas, apples, oranges, sweet lime and other seasonal fruits are arranged in the soop and offered to Surya Dev.

3. Sugarcane

Sugarcane is an important part of Chhath offerings. It is also used in certain family and regional rituals.

4. Coconut

Coconut is placed in the bamboo basket along with other fruits and traditional offerings.

5. Turmeric, ginger and seasonal produce

Fresh turmeric, ginger, radish and other locally available agricultural produce are also included in the offerings.

6. Earthen lamps and ghee

Diyas are lit at the ghat as part of the evening worship. Ghee is traditionally used for lighting the lamps.

Sandhya Arghya vs Usha Arghya: What's the difference?

Both rituals are dedicated to Surya Dev, but they take place at different times and mark two important stages of Chhath Puja.

Sandhya Arghya	Usha Arghya
November 15, 2026	November 16, 2026
Offered in the evening	Offered at sunrise
Worship of the setting Sun	Worship of the rising Sun
Third day of Chhath	Fourth and final day
Fast continues overnight	Fast concludes after the ritual

The worship of both the setting and rising Sun makes Chhath Puja distinct from many other Hindu festivals. It represents gratitude for the Sun's role in sustaining life, regardless of whether it is rising or setting.