Diwali 2026 in Ghana: Dates, Lakshmi Puja Muhurat and Temples

Quick answer: in Ghana, Lakshmi Puja (main Diwali) is on Sunday 8 November 2026, and the Accra muhurat is 6:09 PM to 8:06 PM Ghana time. Dhanteras is on Friday 6 November, Naraka Chaturdashi on Saturday 7 November, Govardhan Puja on Monday 9 November and Bhai Dooj on Tuesday 10 November. The same dates apply in every city in Ghana; only the evening timings shift by a few minutes. Accra has several Hindu temples, including Africa's first Hindu monastery, so most families in and around the capital have a place to gather as well as celebrating at home.

Editor's note (1 November 2026): HinduTone calculated these local dates from Drik Panchang tithi times using Drik's own rules for each festival, and checked our method against Drik's published dates for 15 countries. The Lakshmi Puja muhurat is the Vrishabha (Taurus) lagna that falls within Pradosh Kaal, following the Drik method, worked out for each city's own sunset. We do not list event schedules, because they change every year. Temples and community groups usually announce Diwali programmes a few weeks ahead; check their websites and social pages.

Diwali 2026 dates in Ghana

These are the five days of Diwali for Accra. The same dates apply throughout Ghana, which keeps a single time zone (GMT, UTC+0) all year.

Amavasya in Ghana runs from Sun 8 Nov, 5:57 AM to Mon 9 Nov, 7:01 AM local time (11:27 AM 8 Nov to 12:31 PM 9 Nov IST). Sunday evening is therefore the only evening when Amavasya covers Pradosh Kaal, which is why Lakshmi Puja is on Sunday 8 November. Pratipada, the tithi of Govardhan Puja, follows on Monday 9 November, and Dwitiya, the tithi of Bhai Dooj, on Tuesday 10 November.

Diwali 2026 city by city in Ghana

Ghana is compact, and the whole country shares one time zone, so timings differ by only a few minutes from city to city. The dates are identical everywhere. Times below are local Ghana time.

If you live in Tema, Ho, Koforidua or another town not shown, use the nearest city in the table; the difference will be a few minutes at most.

Lakshmi Puja muhurat in Ghana explained

Lakshmi Puja is done in the evening of Amavasya, during Pradosh Kaal, the window of a little over two hours that begins at sunset. In Accra on Sunday 8 November, sunset is at 5:41 PM, so Pradosh Kaal runs from 5:41 PM to 8:06 PM.

Within Pradosh Kaal, the most auspicious part is when Vrishabha (Taurus) lagna is rising. Vrishabha is a fixed (sthir) sign, and worshipping Lakshmi in a fixed lagna is traditionally understood to help her stay in the home. In Accra, Vrishabha rises at 6:09 PM and Pradosh ends at 8:06 PM, which gives the muhurat of 6:09 PM to 8:06 PM. In every city in the table this year, Vrishabha rises during Pradosh, so each has a proper muhurat of roughly two hours.

If you cannot be ready in time for the muhurat, doing the puja anywhere within Pradosh Kaal is still correct. Here are the figures for each city:

Hindu temples in Ghana for Diwali

Ghana's Hindu places of worship are concentrated in Greater Accra, with smaller branches of the Hindu Monastery of Africa in a few other towns. We have confirmed the places below from reliable published sources, including news reports and the organisations' own listings. We could not confirm a current Hindu temple in Tamale, Takoradi, Sekondi or Obuase, so if you live there, contact one of the Accra temples or local Indian families, and plan a home puja.

Accra and Greater Accra

• Hindu Monastery of Africa, Odorkor, Accra: founded in 1975 by Swami Ghanananda Saraswati, the first African Hindu monk. Most of its members are Ghanaians, and it is the country's largest centre of Hindu worship.
• ISKCON Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir, Medie, near Accra (off the Accra–Nsawam road): the Hare Krishna temple, opened in 1998, which marks Diwali and Govardhan Puja and keeps the Kartik month with lamp offerings.
• Indian temple in Osu, Accra: the long-standing temple of the Indian community, which grew out of the Sindhi traders who brought Hinduism to Ghana from the late 1940s.
• Shri Jagannath temple, Accra: built by the Utkala Ghana Association and consecrated in February 2024, with shrines to Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra, and to Shiva, Ganesha, Lakshmi and Hanuman.
• Hindu Monastery of Africa, Tema branch, Tema.

Ashanti and Central regions

• Hindu Monastery of Africa, Kumasi branch, Kumasi.
• Hindu Monastery of Africa, Ashanti-Mampong branch, Mampong.
• Hindu Monastery of Africa, Cape Coast branch, Cape Coast.

The branch listings come from published accounts of the monastery rather than a current directory, so contact the Odorkor headquarters to confirm what is happening near you. The High Commission of India in Accra and Indian community associations have also held Diwali gatherings in past years and are useful contacts for news of community events. Temples and community groups usually announce Diwali programmes a few weeks ahead; check their websites and social pages.

How Diwali is celebrated in Ghana

Ghana has no history of indentured migration. Indian traders, many of them Sindhi, have been in Ghana for around a century, and they set up the first Hindu temple in Accra in the late 1940s. Since then the community has grown with merchants, professionals and families from many parts of India.What makes Ghana unusual is its large community of Ghanaian Hindus, many of them Akan, who came to the faith through the Hindu Monastery of Africa and through ISKCON. Diwali in Ghana therefore brings together Indian families and African devotees, often in the same hall.

At the monastery and ISKCON, Diwali is usually marked with aarti, bhajans, lamps and a shared meal, and Govardhan Puja on Monday 9 November brings an Annakut offering to Krishna. Gujarati and Sindhi families often keep chopda pujan (blessing of account books) on Lakshmi Puja night, and Bestu Varas, the Gujarati New Year, on Govardhan day. Odia families may gather at the Jagannath temple, and South Indian families may follow the Deepavali pattern, with the early oil bath on Naraka Chaturdashi morning, Saturday 7 November. Typical community programmes include cultural items by children, rangoli and food stalls. Ghana's Sikh community, which opened a gurdwara in Accra in 2026, marks Bandi Chhor Divas on the same night, and Jain families mark Mahavira's nirvana.

Diwali is not one of Ghana's statutory public holidays. Check the official 2026 holiday list for any changes.

Simple Lakshmi Puja at home

If you cannot reach a temple, a simple home puja is complete in itself. Begin within Pradosh Kaal, ideally during your city's muhurat.

1. Clean the house, especially the entrance, and make a rangoli at the door.
2. Set a clean cloth on a low table, place images or murtis of Lakshmi and Ganesha, and a kalash of water with mango leaves and a coconut if you have them.
3. Light a ghee or oil diya, and invoke Ganesha first with a short prayer such as "Om Gam Ganapataye Namah".
4. Offer flowers, kumkum, rice, sweets, fruit and a few coins to Lakshmi, chanting "Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah" or reading the Lakshmi Ashtakam.
5. Perform aarti, share the prasad with family, then light diyas at doors and windows.

Practical tips

• Lakshmi Puja falls on a Sunday this year, which makes the evening puja easier for most working families. Dhanteras (Friday) and Govardhan (Monday) are working days, so plan leave early if you need it.
• Sunset is early: 5:41 PM in Accra and 5:48 PM in Takoradi, and the muhurat starts soon after 6 PM. Have your puja things ready before you leave work on Sunday, or before the afternoon traffic.
• November is warm and humid in the south, and the dry Harmattan season is beginning in the north. Keep diyas away from curtains and dry vegetation, and never leave lamps unattended.
• Fireworks rules are set by the authorities; check before buying or lighting any.
• Medie is outside the city, so allow time for the journey if you plan to visit the ISKCON temple in the evening.
• If you want a family puja or Annakut offering at a temple, book well ahead, as Diwali is the busiest time of the year.

Frequently asked questions

When is Diwali 2026 in Ghana?

The main day, Lakshmi Puja, is Sunday 8 November 2026 everywhere in Ghana. Dhanteras is on Friday 6 November, Naraka Chaturdashi on Saturday 7 November, Govardhan Puja on Monday 9 November and Bhai Dooj on Tuesday 10 November.

What is the Lakshmi Puja muhurat in Accra?

In Accra the Lakshmi Puja muhurat is 6:09 PM to 8:06 PM on Sunday 8 November 2026, Ghana time (GMT, UTC+0). This is the Vrishabha (Taurus) lagna inside Pradosh Kaal, which runs from sunset at 5:41 PM to 8:06 PM.

Are there Hindu temples in Ghana?

Yes. The best known is the Hindu Monastery of Africa in Odorkor, Accra, founded in 1975, which also has branches in Tema, Kumasi, Cape Coast and Ashanti-Mampong. ISKCON's Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir is at Medie, outside Accra, and the Indian community has a temple in Osu and a Jagannath temple in Accra.

Is Diwali a public holiday in Ghana?

Diwali is not on Ghana's list of statutory public holidays, so Friday 6 November and Monday 9 November are normal working days. Check the official 2026 holiday list published by the government, and ask your employer early if you need leave.

Do the muhurat times differ between cities in Ghana?

Only by a few minutes. Ghana uses one time zone, and sunset differs by less than ten minutes across the cities in our table. Tamale has the earliest muhurat at 6:06 PM to 8:06 PM, and Takoradi and Sekondi the latest at 6:16 PM to 8:13 PM.

Can I light diyas and fireworks for Diwali in Ghana?

Diyas and candles at home are fine with sensible fire safety. Rules on fireworks are set by the authorities, so check locally before buying or lighting any, and never leave lamps burning unattended.

Related guides

• Diwali 2026 dates in every country, with Lakshmi Puja time
• Diwali 2026: complete festival guide
• Diwali 2026 date and Lakshmi Puja muhurat in India
• The 5 days of Diwali 2026 explained
• Naraka Chaturdashi 2026
• Govardhan Puja and Annakut 2026
• Bhai Dooj 2026
• Diwali 2026 in Nigeria
• Diwali 2026 in Uganda
• Diwali 2026 in Zambia