Ahoi Ashtami 2026 (Sunday 1 November): Date, Puja Muhurat, Star-Sighting Time, Vrat Katha and NRI Guide

Quick answer: Ahoi Ashtami 2026 is on Sunday 1 November 2026. Saptami ends at 2:51 PM and Ashtami prevails through the evening, which is when the vrat is completed. In New Delhi, Drik Panchang gives the puja muhurat as 5:36 PM to 6:54 PM, the evening time for sighting stars as 6:00 PM and moonrise at 11:40 PM. Mothers fast for the wellbeing of their children, worship Ahoi Mata in the evening and break the fast after sighting the stars, or at moonrise in some families.

Last updated: 21 October 2026. Date and city timings from Drik Panchang's Ahoi Ashtami 2026 page; Hyderabad tithi times from Drik's day panchang. See also the full panchang for 1 November 2026.

Ahoi Ashtami is one of the most tender vrats in the Hindu calendar. It is kept by mothers, and often grandmothers, for the long life, health and welfare of their children. It falls on Kartik Krishna Ashtami in the North Indian (purnimanta) calendar, four days after Karwa Chauth 2026 and one week before Diwali 2026.

Ahoi Ashtami 2026: key details

Timings are from Drik Panchang for New Delhi. Other Indian cities differ by a few minutes; Hyderabad's sunset on 1 November is 5:45 PM and moonrise 11:55 PM.

Ahoi Ashtami 2026 kab hai: puja muhurat and tare dekhne ka samay by city

Drik Panchang lists Sunday 1 November 2026 as Ahoi Ashtami in all these cities. Times are local (IST), from Drik's Ahoi Ashtami page for each city, checked on 21 October 2026. 'Star sighting' is Drik's sanjh (evening) time for sighting stars, when most families offer arghya and complete the fast.

Ashtami tithi begins at 2:51 PM on 1 November and ends at 1:10 PM on 2 November (IST), so the evening puja and star sighting fall in Ashtami everywhere in India. For other cities, use your own city's panchang rather than adding minutes to Delhi's times.

Significance of Ahoi Ashtami

Ahoi Mata (also called Ahoi Bhagavati) is worshipped as a protective form of the Divine Mother. The vrat is a mother's offering of love and prayer for her children, and it carries a second theme: repentance and forgiveness for harm done unknowingly. Many families also see the day as a reminder to protect all young life, which is why the syahu (porcupine) and its young appear beside Ahoi Mata in the traditional wall drawing.

Coming a week before Diwali, Ahoi Ashtami also opens the festive season in many North Indian homes. In some families the water kept in the karwa or kalash during the puja is saved and used again on Diwali.

Ahoi Ashtami vrat katha

Long ago, a mother of seven sons lived in a village. A few days before Diwali she went to the forest to dig soil to plaster and repair her home. While digging, her spade accidentally struck and killed the cub of a syahu (porcupine) hidden in its den.

Full of grief and regret, she returned home. In the year that followed, her sons died one by one, and she believed the sorrow of the mother syahu had come upon her.

Heartbroken, she confessed everything to the elder women of the village. They advised her to worship Ahoi Mata, the mother goddess who protects children, on Kartik Krishna Ashtami: to fast, to draw Ahoi Mata on the wall with the syahu and its cubs beside her, and to pray sincerely for forgiveness.

She kept the vrat with deep devotion year after year. Moved by her repentance, Ahoi Mata forgave her and blessed her, and her sons were restored to her. From then on, mothers have kept Ahoi Ashtami for the welfare of their children. Families tell the story with small differences; what they share is the message of humility, repentance and a mother's love.

Ahoi Ashtami puja vidhi: step by step

1. Morning: wake before sunrise, bathe and wear clean clothes. Some families take a light pre-dawn meal (sargi) before the fast begins.
2. Sankalpa: with water in your palm, take a simple vow to keep the vrat for the wellbeing of your children.
3. Ahoi Mata drawing: in the afternoon, draw Ahoi Mata on a clean wall with geru (red ochre) or kumkum, with the syahu and its young beside her and small figures for your children. A printed Ahoi Mata picture is fine.
4. Altar: place a low stool with a red cloth before the picture. Set a kalash or karwa (earthen pot) of water, a ghee lamp, roli, rice and flowers.
5. Evening puja: after sunset and within the muhurat, light the lamp and incense, apply roli and rice to Ahoi Mata, and offer flowers and the food offerings.
6. Katha: read or tell the Ahoi Ashtami katha aloud, ideally with the children sitting close. Many families hold a few grains of wheat or rice in the hand while listening.
7. Prayer: chant a short mantra of the Divine Mother, such as the one below, and pray for your children by name.
8. Star sighting: when the first stars appear, offer water (arghya) to them from the kalash or karwa, with folded hands.
9. Completing the fast: take water and the prasad, then share the meal with the family, beginning with the children.

A mantra for the evening puja

Many households chant a simple salutation such as Om Ahoi Mata Namah. Because Ahoi Mata is a form of the Divine Mother, a widely chanted Devi mantra also suits the evening puja (11, 27 or 108 times, with attention rather than speed):

ॐ दुं दुर्गायै नमः॥

oṃ duṃ durgāyai namaḥ||

Meaning: "Om, salutations to Durga", with Dum as her seed syllable.

Offerings and items for Ahoi puja

Star sighting and completing the fast

The fast is traditionally completed in the evening after the first stars are seen. The mother offers water to the stars, prays for her children and then breaks the fast. Some families wait for moonrise instead, but on Ahoi Ashtami the moon rises late (11:40 PM in New Delhi in 2026), so most follow the star-sighting custom.

If clouds hide the sky, families usually complete the fast at the panchang's star-sighting time. Sincerity matters more than a few minutes either way.

Regional and family variations

• In Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana, the wall drawing of Ahoi Mata with the syahu and seven sons is central, and the katha is read in the evening.
• In Punjab and Rajasthan, some families include a silver Ahoi pendant that the mother wears from Ahoi Ashtami to Diwali.
• Many homes keep the water of the kalash or karwa and use it again on Diwali; others offer it to a tulsi plant.
• Some mothers keep a strict nirjala fast; many take water, fruit or milk. Both are accepted in practice.
• At Govardhan near Mathura, Drik Panchang lists Radha Kund Snan on the same day (Sunday 1 November 2026): many couples bathe in Radha Kund at midnight, praying for a child. It is a local tradition and an act of faith.
• Ahoi Ashtami is mainly a North Indian vrat. In South India, including Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, families of North Indian origin and others who follow the custom keep it at home.

Follow the practice of your own family and elders; there is no single correct version.

Ahoi Ashtami 2026 timings abroad (Drik Panchang)

Drik Panchang lists Sunday 1 November 2026 as Ahoi Ashtami in every city below. All times are local to each city, taken from Drik's Ahoi Ashtami page for that city on 9 October 2026.

For any other city, check your local panchang. Do not shift Indian times by the time-zone difference: star-sighting and moonrise depend on your own location.

Guidance for families abroad

• USA and Canada: Drik places Ahoi Ashtami on Sunday 1 November here too. Ashtami is already running at sunrise in New York and Toronto, and in Los Angeles it ends late that night (11:40 PM local), so the evening of 1 November remains the Ashtami evening. Daylight saving time ends early that Sunday morning in the USA and in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada (not in Manitoba, Alberta or most of British Columbia, which keep daylight time this winter), so evenings there get dark about an hour earlier than the day before; make sure your phone or app has updated.
• A few North American temples follow their own calendars and may announce a different date. If your temple does, follow its guidance for community puja.
• Australia and Singapore: Drik also lists 1 November, though in Sydney the Ashtami tithi itself begins only around 8:21 PM local time. Families who follow a local temple panchang should confirm with it.
• UK, Europe and the Gulf: Sunday evening timings are in the table above. In the UK the clocks went back a week earlier, on 25 October.
• Indian grocery stores in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia often stock Ahoi Mata calendar pictures and puja items before Diwali; a printed picture works well.
• Join your mother or mother-in-law in India by video call for the katha, but keep your own local evening for the puja and star sighting.
• On a busy Sunday, a short puja, the katha and star sighting with the children is a complete observance.

Health note

The Ahoi Ashtami fast is an offering of love, not a test of endurance. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, older women, and anyone with diabetes, low blood pressure, kidney problems or another medical condition should not keep a waterless (nirjala) fast. Consult a doctor before fasting. Taking water, fruit or milk, or keeping only the evening puja and katha, is a full and valid way to observe the day. The vrat is a prayer; it does not guarantee a child's health, and medical care for children should never be delayed for any ritual.

Ahoi Ashtami and Karwa Chauth

For Karwa Chauth timings, see Karwa Chauth 2026: date and city-wise moonrise times and Karwa Chauth 2026 USA moonrise times.

Frequently asked questions

When is Ahoi Ashtami in 2026?

Ahoi Ashtami 2026 is on Sunday 1 November. In the Hyderabad and New Delhi panchang, Saptami ends at 2:51 PM and Ashtami prevails through the evening, which is when the Ahoi Mata puja and star sighting take place. Drik Panchang lists the same Sunday for New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, London, Dubai, Singapore and Sydney.

What is the Ahoi Ashtami puja muhurat in 2026?

For New Delhi, Drik Panchang gives the puja muhurat as 5:36 PM to 6:54 PM (1 hour 18 minutes), with the evening time for sighting stars at 6:00 PM and moonrise at 11:40 PM. Times differ by city, so check your local panchang.

Do we break the Ahoi Ashtami fast at star rise or moonrise?

Most families break the fast after sighting the first stars in the evening and offering water (arghya) to them. Some families wait for moonrise, which is late on Ahoi Ashtami (11:40 PM in New Delhi in 2026). Follow your family's custom.

Is Ahoi Ashtami on 1 November in the USA too?

Drik Panchang lists Sunday 1 November 2026 for New York, Los Angeles and Toronto as well, with star sighting at 5:21 PM in New York and 5:26 PM in Los Angeles (local time). Daylight saving time ends that morning in the USA and in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada; Manitoba, Alberta and most of British Columbia keep daylight time this winter. A few temples may follow their own calendar, so confirm with yours.

Can pregnant women keep the Ahoi Ashtami fast?

Pregnant women, nursing mothers, and anyone with diabetes, low blood pressure or another medical condition should not keep a waterless (nirjala) fast. Consult a doctor first. Water, fruit and milk, or simply the evening puja and katha, keep the spirit of the vrat.

Can Ahoi Ashtami be observed for daughters?

Yes. The seven sons in the katha belong to the story. Today families observe Ahoi Ashtami for all their children, daughters and sons alike, and many grandmothers keep it for grandchildren.

How many days before Diwali is Ahoi Ashtami?

In 2026 Ahoi Ashtami falls on Sunday 1 November and Diwali Lakshmi Puja on Sunday 8 November, one week later. It also comes four days after Karwa Chauth (Thursday 29 October in India).

Related reading

• Diwali 2026: complete 5-day guide
• Hindu festival calendar 2026-2027
• November 2026 Hindu festival calendar
• Panchangam 1 November 2026: Ahoi Ashtami, Bhanu Saptami and Kalashtami
• October 2026 Hindu festival calendar
• Karthika Masam 2026 (from 10 November in the Telugu calendar)

Sources

• Drik Panchang: Ahoi Ashtami 2026 date and time (New Delhi and the city pages for New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Dubai, Singapore and Sydney, accessed 9 October 2026; India city pages for Chandigarh, Jaipur, Lucknow, Patna, Kolkata and Mumbai accessed 21 October 2026)
• Drik Panchang day panchang for Hyderabad, 1 November 2026 (tithi, sunset and moonrise)

Editor's note (21 October 2026)

On 21 October 2026 we added a city table for India (New Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Lucknow, Patna, Kolkata and Mumbai) with Drik Panchang's puja muhurat, star-sighting and moonrise times for each city, and a note on the Radha Kund Snan listed by Drik for the same day. The date and the New Delhi timings are unchanged. Earlier, on 9 October 2026, we re-checked the date of Ahoi Ashtami 2026 against Drik Panchang: it is Sunday 1 November, in India and in the cities listed above. We added the puja muhurat, star-sighting and moonrise times, city timings abroad, a step-by-step vidhi, family variations and a health note. We also corrected the katha to the syahu (porcupine) cub of the commonly told story, matching our panchang page, and removed a prayer text we could not verify.

Image credit: आशीष भटनागर, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sri_Ahoi_mata.jpg), cropped.