Panchangam 15 November 2026, Sunday: Skanda Sashti, Soora Samharam and Chhath Puja Sandhya Arghya (Hyderabad)

Quick answer: Sunday 15 November 2026 is Skanda Sashti with Soora Samharam, and the day of Chhath Puja's Sandhya Arghya. The tithi is Kartika Shukla Shashthi until 02:00 AM on 16 November and the nakshatra Uttara Ashadha until 11:28 PM (Hyderabad, IST). Tamil and South Indian devotees celebrate Lord Murugan's victory over Surapadman, while families from Bihar and eastern India stand in water at sunset to offer arghya to Surya and Chhathi Maiya.

Both festivals are covered in depth elsewhere on HinduTone. Read the Skanda Sashti 2026 and Soora Samharam guide and the Chhath Puja 2026 guide. This page gives the day's panchang and a short, practical overview.

Today's panchang (Hyderabad)

Timings are from Drik Panchang for Hyderabad in IST. Tithi and nakshatra end times are the same instant across India; sunrise and sunset vary by city.

This is the sixth day of amanta Karthika Masam. North India counts this as Kartik Shukla Shashthi in the purnimanta month that ends on 24 November. For Rahu Kalam and muhurtas, please check a local panchang.

Religious significance

Skanda Sashti and Soora Samharam

Lord Murugan, also known as Skanda, Kartikeya, Subrahmanya and Shanmukha, is the son of Shiva and Parvati and the commander of the divine army. As commonly told in Tamil tradition, drawing on the Skanda Purana and the Tamil Kanda Puranam, the asura Surapadman troubled the worlds until Murugan, armed with the Vel (the spear given by Parvati), defeated him on the sixth day of battle. Surapadman was transformed into a peacock and a rooster: the peacock became Murugan's vehicle and the rooster his banner. The story is read as the defeat of ego by divine wisdom.

The Kanda Sashti vratam began on Tuesday 10 November with Pratipada and culminates today. At Tiruchendur and other Murugan temples, Soora Samharam is enacted in the evening, and Thirukalyanam (Murugan's divine marriage) is often celebrated on the following day. In the Telugu states, Kartikeya is worshipped as Subrahmanya Swamy; the larger Subrahmanya Shashthi comes in Margashirsha, on Tuesday 15 December this year.

Chhath Puja: Sandhya Arghya

Chhath is the great Sun festival of Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and the Nepal Terai. After Nahay Khay on Friday and Kharna on Saturday, vratis keep a strict fast and, on Shashthi evening, stand in a river, pond or tank to offer arghya to the setting Sun, with baskets of thekua, fruits and sugarcane. The vrat ends after the Usha Arghya to the rising Sun on Monday 16 November. Sunset in Hyderabad is 05:40 PM; for Patna, Varanasi and other cities see our Chhath arghya time city-wise page.

A Sunday Shashthi is a beautiful coincidence: Sunday (Ravivar) belongs to Surya, the deity of Chhath, and Shashthi belongs to Skanda, so the day honours both.

Simple Murugan puja at home

• Morning: bathe after an early rise (sunrise 06:21 AM in Hyderabad) and set up a picture of Murugan with his Vel.
• Offerings: red flowers or hibiscus, a ghee lamp, incense, and fruit. Many families offer panchamritam or milk.
• Recitation: Tamil households often recite Kanda Sashti Kavacham; others simply chant the mantra below.
• Naivedyam: fruit, sweet pongal or plain rice and dal, according to family custom.
• Evening: light the Karthika deepam after sunset; if you can, join a temple's Soora Samharam.

No materials? Draw a simple Vel with kumkum or turmeric on a plate, light a lamp, and chant the mantra. Devotion is the essential offering; the flowers, the kavacham and the vehicle images are customs that enrich it.

Mantra for the day

oṃ śaravaṇabhavāya namaḥ (Om Saravanabhavaya Namah). Meaning: "Salutations to the one born in the Saravana reed pond," a name of Murugan recalling his birth. Sa-ra-va-na-bha-va is regarded as Murugan's six-syllable mantra. Chant it with devotion; it is a prayer, not a formula for guaranteed results.

Vrat guidance

Devotees who kept the six-day Kanda Sashti vratam usually take only one meal or fruit and milk, and many conclude today. Chhath vratis keep a demanding nirjala (waterless) fast from Kharna evening until the morning arghya. These fasts are acts of devotion, not obligations. Elderly people, pregnant women, people with diabetes or other medical conditions, and children should not feel obliged; consult a doctor before any strict or waterless fast, and family members can support a vrati by preparing prasad instead.

What you can do today

• Watch or attend a Soora Samharam at a nearby Murugan temple in the evening.
• Offer a lamp to Murugan and chant Om Saravanabhavaya Namah 108 times.
• If neighbours keep Chhath, help them carry baskets or prepare the ghat; it is a community festival.
• Offer water to the setting Sun at 05:40 PM (Hyderabad) as a simple Sunday prayer to Surya.
• Share thekua or pongal prasad with friends of another tradition.
• Light the Karthika deepam and keep the evening quiet and sattvic.

With family and children

Children love the Surapadman story: a proud asura who turned into a peacock and a rooster. Ask them what each might mean (pride turned into beauty and alertness). For Chhath, show them how the family offers the setting Sun its thanks for the harvest and for life itself. Keep children well away from deep water at ghats and from open lamps.

For Hindus abroad

Use local times only; never convert the Hyderabad timings. Here is the tithi at sunrise on 15 November in major cities:

These abroad figures are computed with HinduTone's panchang calculator, validated against Drik Panchang; festival dates abroad can differ by a day — follow your temple's panchang. Times are local to each city and are not conversions of the India timings above.

See Skanda Sashti 2026 in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia, Skanda Sashti in Singapore and Malaysia, and Chhath pages for the USA, the UK and Europe.

Previous and next day

Previous: Panchangam 14 November 2026: Labh Panchami. Next: Panchangam 16 November 2026: first Karthika Somavaram, Jalaram Jayanti. Monthly hub: November 2026 Hindu festivals.

Frequently asked questions

Is Skanda Sashti on 15 November 2026?

Yes, in India. Drik Panchang lists Skanda Sashti and Soora Samharam on Sunday 15 November 2026. Kartika Shukla Shashthi lasts from sunrise until 02:00 AM on Monday 16 November (Hyderabad, IST).

When is the Chhath Sandhya Arghya in 2026?

The evening arghya to the setting Sun is offered on Sunday 15 November 2026, and the Usha Arghya to the rising Sun on Monday 16 November. Sunset differs by city; in Hyderabad it is 05:40 PM. For Patna and other cities, see our Chhath arghya time page.

What is Soora Samharam?

Soora Samharam is the enactment of Lord Murugan's victory over the asura Surapadman, held on the sixth day of the Kanda Sashti festival. It is celebrated most famously at the seashore temple of Tiruchendur in Tamil Nadu and at Murugan temples worldwide.

Is Skanda Sashti on a different day abroad?

In the USA and Canada, Shashthi prevails a day earlier, so Skanda Sashti there was on Saturday 14 November. Elsewhere it generally matches India. Follow your local Murugan temple's calendar.

How do people break the Kanda Sashti fast?

Many devotees who kept the six-day vratam break it after the Soora Samharam or on the next morning, often after Thirukalyanam celebrations at temples. Family customs differ; follow your elders or temple.

A closing thought

One Sunday, two lights: the Vel of wisdom that cuts through pride, and the setting Sun thanked by the water's edge. Whichever you honour today, may it leave you humbler and more grateful.

Editor's note

Editor's note (9 October 2026): Panchang timings and festival observances can vary by location, regional calendar and family tradition. This guide follows Drik Panchang for Hyderabad (IST). Please verify local puja timings with a trusted panchang or priest.

Related guides

• Skanda Sashti 2026: Soora Samharam date
• Chhath Puja 2026: dates, arghya timings and vidhi
• Chhath Puja prasad recipes: thekua and fruits
• Subrahmanya Shashti 2026
• Karthika Masam 2026 calendar, day by day
• Karthigai month 2026: Tamil festivals