Yama Deepam 2026 (Yama Deepdaan) on Friday 6 November: Why a South-Facing Lamp Is Lit on Dhanteras Evening, the Story and How to Do It

Quick answer: Yama Deepam (Yama Deepdaan) 2026 is on Friday 6 November 2026, the evening of Dhanteras. Drik Panchang gives Hyderabad's evening window as 05:43 PM to 06:58 PM. The custom is to light one lamp outside the home, facing south, for Yamaraja, with a prayer for the family's protection from untimely death.

Last updated: 10 October 2026. Dates and evening windows are from Drik Panchang (Hyderabad, with London, Toronto and Ashburn pages checked). Use your own city's times.

Most Dhanteras guides focus on gold, utensils and the Dhanvantari puja. Yama Deepam is a quieter ritual that gets less attention: a single lamp set at the door after sunset. This guide explains the date, why the lamp faces south, the story behind it as traditionally told, and a simple way to do it at home or in a flat abroad. For the rest of the day, see our Dhanteras 2026 guide.

Yama Deepam 2026 date and time

Our calendar data for 6 November also lists Yama Panchaka begins. This is the five-day stretch from Trayodashi to Yama Dwitiya (Bhai Dooj), when Yama is traditionally remembered across Diwali week. In India, Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya) falls on Wednesday 11 November 2026. The full day's panchangam is at Panchangam 6 November 2026.

What Yama Deepam is

Yamaraja, also called Yama or Dharmaraja, is the deity who governs death and the moral order in Hindu tradition. He is not a figure of evil. In the scriptures he is the just judge, the son of Surya, and the brother of Yamuna, whose visit to his sister is remembered on Bhai Dooj. Drik Panchang describes the custom simply: a lamp for Yamaraja is lit outside the home on Trayodashi tithi during Diwali to ward off untimely death in the family.

Families do it as an act of humility and protection. It is a once-a-year acknowledgement of mortality at the start of a festival of light, with a prayer that every member of the household lives a full life. As with every vrat or offering, it is a devotional practice, not a guarantee.

Why the lamp faces south

In Hindu tradition each direction has a guardian deity, and the south (dakshina) belongs to Yama. That is why, in many homes, lamps are not usually placed facing south through the year. Yama Deepam is the deliberate exception. On this one evening, the lamp is turned towards Yama's direction as an offering to him.

• The flame is pointed south, or a four-wick lamp is set so that one wick faces south.
• The lamp goes outside the threshold, not on the puja shelf. The offering is meant for the one who stands outside, watching over life's end.
• Many families light it after the main Dhanteras puja, during the evening twilight.

The story behind Yama Deepdaan, as traditionally told

The best-known story linked to Yama Deepam is told in many versions across North and West India. In its usual form:

A king named Hima had a son whose horoscope, the astrologers said, showed death by snakebite on the fourth night after his marriage. The prince married, and on that fateful night his young wife refused to let him sleep. She heaped her gold ornaments and silver coins at the doorway of their room, lit lamps all around, and spent the night telling him stories and singing songs.

When Yama arrived in the form of a serpent, he was dazzled by the glitter of the gold and the brilliance of the lamps. He could not enter. He settled on the heap of jewels and listened to the songs all night, and at dawn he quietly went away. The prince lived.

The story is traditionally given as one reason for buying gold or new metal on Dhanteras and for lighting a lamp to Yama that evening. Regional retellings differ in names and details, and we share it as a story that carries the festival's meaning, not as history.

A second idea often attached to the day is that Yama himself said lamps offered to him on this Trayodashi would protect a household from untimely death. Families pass this on in different words; the common thread is the lamp at the door.

How to do Yama Deepam at home

There is no single rule book, and family customs vary. A simple, widely followed way is:

1. After sunset on Dhanteras, preferably within your city's evening window, take a clay lamp. Many families use a four-wick (chaumukha) lamp; a single diya is also fine.
2. Fill it with mustard oil or sesame oil, as your family does.
3. Clean the main entrance. Place the lamp outside the threshold, on a small heap of grain or on a plate, with the flame facing south.
4. Light it, fold your hands and remember Yamaraja. Pray in your own words for the long life and good health of everyone in the family. Families who know a traditional Yama deepdaan verse recite it.
5. Some families sprinkle a little water around the lamp or offer a flower, then go back inside without looking back. This is a widespread custom, but not universal.
6. Let the lamp burn safely. Do not leave it unattended near curtains, doormats, shoes or children's play areas.

If you want to chant something, some families use the Mahamrityunjaya mantra (Rigveda 7.59.12), the traditional prayer for health and freedom from the fear of death:

ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम्। उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय माऽमृतात्॥

oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam| urvārukamiva bandhanānmṛtyormukṣīya mā'mṛtāt||

Meaning, in brief: we worship the three-eyed Lord who nourishes all; may he free us from death as a ripe cucumber is freed from its vine, but not from immortality.

In a flat or apartment

Many families in apartments, in India and abroad, cannot keep an open flame in the corridor. Keep the lamp just inside the front door on a steel plate, facing south. Or place it on a balcony ledge sheltered from wind, or use one lamp for the few minutes of prayer and then put it out. Building fire rules come first. An electric diya facing south is an acceptable substitute where flames are not allowed.

Yama Deepam and the other Diwali lamps

In Bengal, families light fourteen lamps (choddo prodip) on the night before Kali Puja to guide the ancestors. In Tamil Nadu the big lamp festival is Karthigai Deepam on 24 November 2026. For the Gujarati night ritual, see Kali Chaudas 2026 in Gujarat; for the five days, see the Diwali 2026 complete guide.

Yama Deepam 2026 abroad

Dhanteras and Yama Deepam fall on Friday 6 November 2026 in the US, Canada and the UK, the same date as India. The evening window is set by each city's own sunset, so never convert India's times.

For the rest of Diwali week abroad, the dates differ from India. In the USA, Canada, the UK and the Gulf, Govardhan Puja is on Monday 9 November and Bhai Dooj on Tuesday 10 November, a day earlier than in India. See Narak Chaturdashi 2026 in the USA and Bhai Dooj 2026 in the USA.

Quick checklist for Friday 6 November

• Morning or afternoon: Dhanteras shopping and cleaning the entrance.
• After sunset: Dhanteras puja (Dhanvantari, Lakshmi, Kubera) as per your family custom.
• Then: one lamp outside the door, facing south, with a short prayer for the family.
• Keep water nearby, and never leave the flame unattended.
• Keep the lamp and oil ready for Naraka Chaturdashi morning and Diwali night.

Frequently asked questions

When is Yama Deepam in 2026?

Yama Deepam 2026 is on Friday 6 November, the evening of Dhanteras. Drik Panchang gives the evening (Sayan Sandhya) window for Hyderabad as 05:43 PM to 06:58 PM. Trayodashi tithi runs from 10:30 AM on 6 November to 10:47 AM on 7 November.

Why is the Yama Deepam lamp placed facing south?

In Hindu tradition the south (dakshina) is the direction of Yamaraja, the lord of death and dharma. The lamp is turned towards him as an offering, with a prayer that he protect the family from untimely death. It is the one evening of the year when a lamp is deliberately set facing south.

Where should the Yama Deepam be kept?

Traditionally it is lit outside the home, at the main entrance or on the doorstep, facing south. Flat dwellers can keep it at the front door or on a balcony ledge, on a plate, away from curtains, shoes and anything flammable.

What is the story behind Yama Deepdaan?

As traditionally told, a prince was destined to die of a snakebite on the fourth night after his wedding. His wife heaped her jewellery and coins at the doorway, lit lamps all around and kept him awake with stories and songs. Yama came as a serpent, was dazzled by the light, listened to the songs and left at dawn. The lamp to Yama on Dhanteras recalls this story.

Is Yama Deepam the same as Dhanteras puja?

Both are on the same day, but they are different rituals. Dhanteras puja honours Lord Dhanvantari, Lakshmi and Kubera for health and prosperity. Yama Deepam is a single lamp offered outside the home to Yamaraja, for the family's protection.

When is Yama Deepam in the USA, UK and Canada?

Drik Panchang lists Friday 6 November 2026 for Ashburn, Virginia (05:04 PM to 06:26 PM), London (04:25 PM to 05:53 PM) and Toronto (05:02 PM to 06:26 PM), each in local time. Check your own city's panchang for exact times.

Editor's note (10 October 2026)

Dates and evening windows are from Drik Panchang for Hyderabad, London, Toronto and Ashburn (Virginia), checked on 10 October 2026, and from HinduTone's Oct to Dec 2026 calendar data. The King Hima story is presented as traditionally told; versions differ by region. We do not give a Sanskrit Yama deepdaan verse because we could not verify a standard text. Families who know one from their tradition should use it. See Drik Panchang's Yama Deepam page for your city.