Akhuratha Sankashti Chaturthi 2026: Date (Saturday 26 December), Moonrise Time by City, Vrat Vidhi and Sankatanashana Stotram

Quick answer: Akhuratha Sankashti Chaturthi 2026 falls on Saturday 26 December 2026 in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru, per Drik Panchang. The moon rises at about 8:19 PM in Delhi and 8:32 PM in Hyderabad. In Kolkata it falls on Sunday 27 December (moonrise 8:47 PM). Abroad it is Saturday 26 December in the Americas, the UK, Europe, the Gulf and Africa, and Sunday 27 December in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand.

Last updated: 25 October 2026. The dates and moonrise for Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, New York, London and Singapore are from Drik Panchang. The other cities are calculated with HinduTone's panchang calculator, which reproduces Drik's moonrise for those six cities to within a minute.

Akhuratha Sankashti 2026 date and Chaturthi time

This month the timing is unusual. Chaturthi begins at 8:04 PM IST, at about the hour the moon rises over India. In Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and the south, the moon rises after 8:04 PM on Saturday, so Saturday is the Sankashti. In Kolkata the moon rises earlier, just before Chaturthi begins. By Sunday's moonrise Chaturthi has already ended at 5:12 PM. When neither moonrise falls in Chaturthi, Drik Panchang takes the day on which Chaturthi ends, so Kolkata keeps Sunday 27 December. If you live in eastern India, check your local panchang.

Akhuratha Sankashti 2026 moonrise by city

Local date and moonrise. Canada uses its 2026–27 clocks: British Columbia UTC−7, Alberta UTC−6 and Manitoba UTC−5 all winter. Times marked Drik are from Drik Panchang; the others are calculated and may differ by a minute or two. Hills, buildings and cloud can delay the moment you actually see the moon.

In Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand, Chaturthi begins late on Saturday night or early on Sunday by local time. The Sankashti moonrise there is on Sunday 27 December.

What is Sankashti Chaturthi?

Sankashti Chaturthi is the fourth day of the waning moon, kept every month for Ganesha. The name comes from sankata, trouble, and the day is a prayer for release from difficulties. Ganesha is worshipped as Vighnaharta, the remover of obstacles, and the fast is broken only after the moon has been seen and worshipped.

Each of the twelve monthly Sankashtis is linked with a name of Ganesha. The Sankashti of Pausha Krishna Paksha is linked with Akhuratha, the one whose vehicle is the mouse (akhu). The mouse is a small creature that can slip into any gap. It is often read as a sign that Ganesha's grace reaches every corner of life, and that even restless desire, like a darting mouse, can be brought under control. When Sankashti falls on a Tuesday it is called Angaraki; in 2026 this one falls on a Saturday.

The moon and the Sankashti story

The story most often told with the Sankashti moon goes like this. Ganesha was riding his mouse after a feast of modakas when the mouse stumbled and he fell. The Moon laughed at him. Ganesha cursed the Moon to lose his light. The gods pleaded for the Moon, the Moon begged forgiveness, and Ganesha softened the curse so that the Moon would wane and wax again. He also declared that seeing the moon and worshipping Ganesha on Krishna Chaturthi would remove troubles. Vrat books give different kathas for each month, so if your family reads a particular Akhuratha katha, follow it. For more on the moon rules, see our guide to Sankashti Chaturthi moon rules.

How to observe Akhuratha Sankashti

1. Bathe in the morning and take a sankalpa (resolve) to keep the Sankashti vrat for Ganesha.
2. Fast through the day as your family does: fully, or with fruit, milk, sabudana or other fasting foods.
3. In the evening, set up an idol or picture of Ganesha. Offer durva grass, red flowers, a lamp, incense, sandal paste, kumkum and modak or another sweet.
4. Chant Om Gam Ganapataye Namah and recite the Sankatanashana Ganesha Stotram (first verses below). Then read the vrat katha.
5. When the moon has risen, look at it and offer water (arghya) with a little milk, rice and flowers. Then do aarti to Ganesha.
6. Break the fast with the prasad and a simple meal.

Fasting and health

Customs range from a strict fast until moonrise to a fruit-and-milk fast. This month the moon rises late (after 10:30 PM in Singapore and Sydney), so a long fast may not suit everyone. Children, older people, pregnant or breastfeeding women, people with diabetes or other conditions, and anyone whose medicines need food should speak to a doctor first. They can keep the day with prayer and suitable meals.

What to offer Ganesha

• Durva grass, traditionally in bunches of 21 blades
• Red flowers such as hibiscus
• Modak, laddoo or til (sesame) sweets, which suit the winter month
• Fruits, a coconut, a lamp and incense
• Sandal paste, kumkum and akshata (unbroken rice)
• Water, milk and flowers for the moon's arghya

Sankatanashana Ganesha Stotram (first verses)

This short hymn from the Narada Purana is traditionally recited on Sankashti. It gives Ganesha's twelve names. The text is from sanskritdocuments.org.

प्रणम्य शिरसा देवं गौरीपुत्रं विनायकम् ।
भक्तावासं स्मरेन्नित्यमायुःकामार्थसिद्धये ॥ १॥

praṇamya śirasā devaṃ gaurīputraṃ vināyakam |
bhaktāvāsaṃ smarennityamāyuḥkāmārthasiddhaye || 1||

"Bowing the head to the god Vinayaka, son of Gauri, the abode of his devotees, one should remember him always, for long life and the fulfilment of one's aims."

प्रथमं वक्रतुण्डं च एकदन्तं द्वितीयकम् ।
तृतीयं कृष्णपिङ्गाक्षं गजवक्त्रं चतुर्थकम् ॥ २॥

prathamaṃ vakratuṇḍaṃ ca ekadantaṃ dvitīyakam |
tṛtīyaṃ kṛṣṇapiṅgākṣaṃ gajavaktraṃ caturthakam || 2||

लम्बोदरं पञ्चमं च षष्ठं विकटमेव च ।
सप्तमं विघ्नराजेन्द्रं धूम्रवर्णं तथाष्टमम् ॥ ३॥

lambodaraṃ pañcamaṃ ca ṣaṣṭhaṃ vikaṭameva ca |
saptamaṃ vighnarājendraṃ dhūmravarṇaṃ tathāṣṭamam || 3||

नवमं भालचन्द्रं च दशमं तु विनायकम् ।
एकादशं गणपतिं द्वादशं तु गजाननम् ॥ ४॥

navamaṃ bhālacandraṃ ca daśamaṃ tu vināyakam |
ekādaśaṃ gaṇapatiṃ dvādaśaṃ tu gajānanam || 4||

The twelve names in verses 2 to 4 are Vakratunda (curved trunk), Ekadanta (one tusk), Krishnapingaksha (dark and tawny eyed), Gajavaktra (elephant faced), Lambodara (large bellied), Vikata (of unusual form), Vighnarajendra (king of obstacles), Dhumravarna (smoke coloured), Bhalachandra (moon on the forehead), Vinayaka (the leader), Ganapati (lord of the ganas) and Gajanana (elephant faced). Many families recite the full eight verses.

The root Ganesha mantra:

ॐ गं गणपतये नमः॥

oṃ gaṃ gaṇapataye namaḥ||

Tips for NRI families

• Check the date first: Saturday 26 December in North America, the UK, Europe and the Gulf; Sunday 27 December in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand.
• Holiday weekend: 26 December is Boxing Day in the UK, Canada and Australia, and a Saturday this year, so family members may be home for the evening puja.
• Cloud and snow: If clouds hide the moon, many families pray facing the moon's direction at the listed moonrise and then break the fast.
• Durva grass: Indian grocery stores sometimes stock it. A few clean blades of grass offered with devotion are a common substitute abroad.
• Temples: Many Ganesha temples abroad hold a Sankashti abhishekam in the evening. Check the time on your temple's website.
• Children: Let them offer the durva or pour the arghya, and tell them how Ganesha rides a tiny mouse.

Frequently asked questions

When is Akhuratha Sankashti Chaturthi 2026?

It is on Saturday 26 December 2026 in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru, per Drik Panchang. Krishna Chaturthi runs from 8:04 PM on 26 December to 5:12 PM on 27 December (IST). In Kolkata it is Sunday 27 December (Drik).

What is the moonrise time on Akhuratha Sankashti 2026?

Drik Panchang gives 8:19 PM in Delhi and 8:32 PM in Hyderabad on 26 December. On 27 December it gives 8:47 PM in Kolkata. Abroad, Drik gives 8:02 PM in New York and 7:20 PM in London on 26 December, and 10:33 PM in Singapore on 27 December. Other cities are in the table on this page.

Why is Kolkata a day later than Delhi?

Sankashti is kept on the evening when Chaturthi tithi is running at moonrise. In Kolkata the moon rises on 26 December just before Chaturthi begins at 8:04 PM IST. On 27 December it rises after Chaturthi has ended. When neither moonrise falls in Chaturthi, the day on which Chaturthi ends is taken, which is Sunday 27 December. Drik Panchang shows the same date.

What does Akhuratha mean?

Akhu means mouse and ratha means chariot or vehicle. Akhuratha is the Ganesha who rides the mouse. It is the name linked with the Sankashti of Pausha Krishna Paksha in the North Indian calendar.

Which month is this Sankashti in?

In the Purnimanta calendar used in North India it is Pausha Krishna Chaturthi, as Pausha begins on 25 December. In the Amanta calendar used in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Gujarat, the same day is Margashirsha Krishna Chaturthi.

Can I observe Sankashti without fasting?

Yes. Prayer, the vrat katha, Ganesha's names and the moon worship are the heart of the day. Anyone who is pregnant, diabetic, elderly, unwell or on regular medication should not fast without a doctor's advice.

When is the next Sankashti after this one?

The next is Sakat Chauth (Lambodara Sankashti), on Monday 25 January 2027 in India, per Drik Panchang for Hyderabad. The previous one was Ganadhipa Sankashti on Friday 27 November 2026.

Editor's note

Editor's note (25 October 2026): This is a new guide for the Sankashti of December 2026. The dates and moonrise for Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, New York, London and Singapore come from Drik Panchang list pages cached on 23 October 2026. The other cities are calculated with HinduTone's panchang calculator, using Drik's moonrise convention (the centre of the moon on the horizon), which matches those six Drik cities to within a minute. The next Sankashti date is from Drik Panchang for Hyderabad. Stories are presented as commonly told; vrat books differ. The Sanskrit is from sanskritdocuments.org. Fasting is optional; please follow medical advice.

Also read

• Sankashti Chaturthi moon rules
• Ganadhipa Sankashti Chaturthi 2026 (27 November)
• December 2026 vrat and fasting calendar
• Panchangam for 26 December 2026
• Ganesha Gayatri Mantra
• December 2026 Hindu festival calendar