Rishi Panchami date and time 2026: Check Saptarishi puja muhurat, tithi, rituals, vrat and Vrat Katha

Rishi Panchami is observed on the fifth day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Bhadrapada in the Hindu calendar. This year, the festival will be observed on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, a day after Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations begin across the country.

The festival is dedicated to the Saptarshi, or seven revered sages in Hindu tradition: Kashyapa, Atri, Bharadvaja, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni and Vashistha. Devotees observe the day with prayers, fasting and rituals dedicated to the seven sages.

Rishi Panchami 2026 Tithi and Puja Muhurat

Rishi Panchami will be observed on September 15 this year. The Panchami Tithi begins at 7:44 AM on September 15 and ends at 8:59 AM on Wednesday, September 16.


The main Rishi Panchami Puja Muhurat is from 11:02 AM to 1:30 PM on September 15, giving devotees a puja window of 2 hours and 28 minutes.

What mantras to recite on Rishi Panchami 2026?

One of the principal prayers associated with Rishi Panchami is the Saptarishi Shloka, which invokes all seven sages:

कश्यपोऽत्रिर्भरद्वाजो विश्वामित्रोऽथ गौतमः।
जमदग्निर्वसिष्ठश्च सप्तैते ऋषयः स्मृताः॥

दहन्तु पापं मे सर्वं गृह्णन्त्वर्घ्यं नमो नमः॥

The prayer invokes the seven sages and asks them to remove one’s sins while accepting the devotee’s humble offerings.

Devotees may also chant individual mantras dedicated to each of the Saptarshi:

कश्यपाय नमः

अत्रये नमः

भारद्वाजाय नमः

विश्वामित्राय नमः

गौतमाय नमः

जमदग्नये नमः

वसिष्ठाय नमः

How to observe Rishi Panchami 2026?

Devotees traditionally begin Rishi Panchami by waking up during Brahma Muhurat and taking a ritual bath. Some traditions include adding holy water or leaves such as chichida or datiwan to the bath.

After bathing, devotees generally wear clean clothes, with white, yellow or cream considered preferred in some traditions. Those observing the vrat may keep a daylong fast and take a Sankalpa as part of the observance.

The puja area and altar should be cleaned before worship. Devotees then offer white flowers, sandalwood, incense, lamps and naivedya while reciting the Saptarishi prayers and individual mantras.

The puja is traditionally concluded by listening to or reading the Rishi Panchami Vrat Katha.

Why is Rishi Panchami 2026 observed?

The significance of Rishi Panchami is traditionally linked to the worship of the Saptarshi and the seeking of their blessings for spiritual purification. The observance and its associated vrat are described in Hindu religious traditions as a way of expressing devotion and seeking forgiveness for past transgressions.

The story associated with Rishi Panchami is found in the Brahma Purana and centres on a Brahmin named Uttank, who lived in Vidarbha with his wife, Sushila.

The couple also lived with their widowed daughter, whose husband had died young. According to the traditional story, the parents one night discovered that their daughter’s body was infested with worms.

Uttank meditated on the cause and realised, according to the legend, that his daughter had committed Rajaswala Dosha in a previous life. She then undertook a fast dedicated to the seven sages to atone for the alleged transgression. Through her devotion and observance, she was believed to have overcome the affliction.

The story forms an important part of the festival’s traditional narrative and explains the association of Rishi Panchami with repentance, purification and devotion to the Saptarshi.