Nagula Chavithi 2026: Date (Friday 13 November), Puja Muhurat by City, Naga Puja Vidhi, Samagri and Dates Abroad

Quick answer: Nagula Chavithi 2026 is on Friday 13 November 2026 in India (Drik Panchang). The Chaturthi tithi begins at 6:09 PM IST on Thursday 12 November and ends at 8:42 PM IST on Friday 13 November, so Friday morning is the time for the Naga puja. In the USA and Canada the day falls on Thursday 12 November; the UK, Australia and the UAE keep Friday 13 November, like India.

Last updated: 20 October 2026. Now with Drik Panchang's puja muhurat by city (Hyderabad 10:52 AM to 1:08 PM), a samagri list and wishes, alongside the tithi timings, country dates and kinder ways to keep the anthill custom.

Nagula Chavithi is the Telugu festival of the Naga devatas, the serpent deities. It falls on the fourth day (Chavithi, Chaturthi) of the bright fortnight of Karthika, five days after Diwali (Sunday 8 November), and it is one of the first festivals of Karthika Masam 2026, which begins in India on Tuesday 10 November. Families pray to the Nagas for the protection and wellbeing of their children and household, offer milk and simple sweets, and remember the serpents that appear throughout Hindu tradition.

Nagula Chavithi 2026 date and tithi timings

Nagula Chavithi 2026 puja muhurat by city (India)

Source: Drik Panchang day panchang for Hyderabad. Sunrise on 13 November is 6:20 AM and sunset 5:41 PM. A festival day is decided by the tithi that prevails at local sunrise. Chaturthi begins on Thursday evening and covers Friday's sunrise and the whole morning, so Friday 13 November is Nagula Chavithi across India. The tithi changes at the same moment everywhere in India, so the date does not change from city to city.

Muhurat source: Drik Panchang's Nagula Chavithi page for each city (checked 20 October 2026). The window is the midday (madhyahna) period, when the Naga puja is traditionally done. Families who prefer the morning may do the puja any time after sunrise while Chaturthi runs. See the Panchangam for Friday 13 November 2026 for the day's nakshatra and other details.

Nagula Chavithi 2026 dates abroad

Hindus abroad should not convert India's timings to their own clock. The Chaturthi tithi starts at one worldwide moment, which falls on Thursday afternoon in North America, so the tithi at sunrise, and therefore the festival date, shifts there.

Puja muhurat abroad (local time)

Source: Drik Panchang city pages, checked 20 October 2026. Times are local clock times; daylight saving has already ended in North America and Europe by November.

Each country has its own guide with sunset times and local puja tips: USA, Canada, UK, Australia, UAE, Singapore and Europe. Your local temple may follow a printed Telugu panchangam; when in doubt, keep the day your temple announces.

Why the Nagas are worshipped

Serpents are woven through Hindu worship. Adishesha, the great serpent, is the bed on which Lord Vishnu rests on the ocean of milk; Vasuki is worn by Lord Shiva and served as the rope at the churning of the ocean; and Lord Subrahmanya is worshipped in serpent form at many South Indian shrines. The Naga devatas are seen as guardians of the earth, of water and of the family line.

In Telugu homes Nagula Chavithi is above all a family prayer. Mothers traditionally pray to the Nagas for the health and safety of their children, and families who believe they carry a Naga-related affliction in their horoscope often pray on this day. These are matters of faith: the puja is an act of devotion and gratitude, and it does not promise any particular result.

The day also reflects an old respect for nature. In farming communities, snakes keep rodents away from the fields, and the custom of not digging the earth or harming any snake on this day is remembered as a way of living alongside them.

Nagula Chavithi puja vidhi at home

The steps below follow common Telugu practice. Family customs differ, so keep what your elders taught you and treat the rest as a guide.

1. Wake early, bathe and wear clean clothes. Many women keep the fast from the morning.
2. Clean the puja space. Place a picture or small idol of the Naga devata, a Naga stone, or a Subrahmanya picture. Some families draw a serpent with turmeric or rice flour.
3. Light a lamp and incense. Offer turmeric, kumkum, flowers and a little raw milk at the image.
4. Offer naivedyam. Common offerings are chimmili (sesame and jaggery balls), chalimidi (rice flour and jaggery), soaked chana, bananas and other fruit. Some families also offer an egg; follow your custom.
5. Pray for the family and children, and chant a short mantra (below). Some families tie a thread dipped in turmeric on the children's wrists after the puja.
6. Observe the old restraint of the day: many families avoid digging, cutting or frying, and avoid harming any living creature.
7. Break the fast in the evening, or as your family custom directs, with the prasadam.

No materials at hand? A lamp, a flower, a little milk in a cup placed before a Naga picture, and a sincere prayer are enough. Our Karthika Masam rules and food guide explains the month's other observances.

Nagula Chavithi puja samagri

• A picture or small idol of the Naga devata, a Naga stone or a Subrahmanya picture
• Turmeric, kumkum, sandal paste, akshata (rice with turmeric) and flowers
• Raw milk in a small vessel, and water for washing
• Lamp with ghee or oil, wicks, incense and camphor
• Naivedyam: chimmili (sesame and jaggery), chalimidi (rice flour and jaggery), soaked chana, bananas and seasonal fruit
• Betel leaves and nuts, and a coconut if your family offers one
• Turmeric-dipped thread for the children's wrists, if that is your custom

Puttalo palu: keeping the anthill custom kindly

The best-known custom of Nagula Chavithi is puttalo palu, pouring milk into a putta, the earth mound or anthill where snakes are believed to live, and offering eggs and chimmili there. Families walk to the putta in groups, sing, and pray for their children.

Today many devotees keep the spirit of the custom without disturbing wildlife:

• Snakes do not drink milk, and milk poured into a burrow can sour and harm the creatures sheltering inside. Offer the milk at a Naga idol or Naga stone, at a temple's Naga shrine, or at the base of a tree at home instead.
• Do not dig into, block or break open a mound, and never try to touch, feed or catch a snake. If you see one, keep your distance and leave it alone.
• Avoid leaving plastic, foil or wrappers near any shrine or tree. Take your waste home.
• Temples in many towns arrange a common Naga puja so that families need not go to a wild mound at all.

Mantras for Nagula Chavithi

Many families chant the name of Lord Shiva, whom Vasuki adorns, or of Lord Vishnu, who rests on Adishesha:

ॐ नमः शिवाय॥

oṃ namaḥ śivāya||

Meaning: Salutations to Shiva, the auspicious one.

ॐ नमो नारायणाय॥

oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya||

Meaning: Salutations to Narayana, Lord Vishnu.

Some families also recite a Naga prayer taught by their elders. Chanting is an act of devotion and does not promise any particular result.

Fasting on Nagula Chavithi

The Nagula Chavithi fast is a devotional choice, not an obligation. Many women eat nothing until the puja is over, or take only fruit and milk until the evening, and some families avoid fried and cooked food until the puja. Pregnant or nursing women, the elderly, children and anyone with diabetes, low blood pressure or another medical condition should eat normally and consult a doctor before fasting. A simple puja with a full stomach is complete.

Nagula Chavithi 2026 wishes

• Happy Nagula Chavithi! May the Naga devatas protect your children and bless your home with health and peace.
• On this Nagula Chavithi, may Lord Subrahmanya and the Nagas keep your family safe all year.
• Nagula Chavithi subhakankshalu! A lamp, a flower and a prayer for every child in the family.
• Wishing you a blessed Nagula Chavithi and a peaceful start to Karthika Masam.

Nagula Chavithi for Hindus abroad

• There are no village anthills in most cities abroad, and it is never wise to look for a snake burrow. Keep the puja at home with a picture or idol, or join your temple's Naga puja if it holds one.
• In the USA and Canada the date is Thursday 12 November, a working day. A short morning puja before work, with prasadam shared in the evening, keeps the essence.
• In Australia, 13 November falls in the warm season when snakes are active; admire the custom from a distance and keep the puja indoors.
• Use a small electric diya if your building does not allow open flames, and never disable a smoke alarm.
• Temple timings and events appear only on each temple's own website or notice board, so check before you go.

Our guide to celebrating Nagula Chavithi abroad has more ideas for families outside India.

Nagula Chavithi in the Karthika Masam calendar

Nagula Chavithi opens a busy week. Labh Panchami follows on Saturday 14 November, Skanda Sashti and Soora Samharam fall on Sunday 15 November (see our Skanda Sashti 2026 guide and the Singapore and Malaysia guide), and the first Karthika Somavaram is Monday 16 November (Karthika Somavaram 2026). Later come Ksheerabdi Dwadasi on Saturday 21 November (Ksheerabdi Dwadasi 2026) and Karthika Pournami on Tuesday 24 November (Karthika Pournami 2026). See every date in the Karthika Masam 2026 day-by-day calendar and the November 2026 Hindu festivals calendar.

Frequently asked questions

When is Nagula Chavithi in 2026?

Drik Panchang lists Nagula Chavithi on Friday 13 November 2026 in India. Chaturthi tithi begins at 6:09 PM IST on Thursday 12 November and ends at 8:42 PM IST on Friday 13 November, so Friday is the day of the puja.

Why is Nagula Chavithi on 12 November in the USA?

A tithi begins at the same moment worldwide, but that moment falls on a different local date and time in each country. For the USA and Canada, Drik Panchang places Nagula Chavithi on Thursday 12 November, a day before India. The UK, Australia and the UAE keep Friday 13 November, like India.

What is the Nagula Chavithi 2026 puja muhurat?

Drik Panchang gives 10:52 AM to 1:08 PM on Friday 13 November in Hyderabad (Vijayawada 10:43 AM to 1:00 PM, Visakhapatnam 10:33 AM to 12:49 PM). In New York it is 10:40 AM to 12:40 PM on Thursday 12 November. Never use India's timings in another country; see the city tables above.

Is it right to pour milk into an anthill?

Snakes do not drink milk, and pouring it into a burrow can harm the animals living there. Many families now offer the milk at a Naga idol or Naga stone in a temple, or pour it at the base of a tree or plant at home, and offer eggs or chimmili symbolically. The devotion lies in the prayer, not in the quantity of milk.

Who keeps the Nagula Chavithi fast?

Traditionally, many women keep the fast for the wellbeing of the family and children, but anyone may observe it. Pregnant or nursing women, the elderly, children and people with medical conditions can eat normally and simply do the puja.

How is Nagula Chavithi different from Naga Panchami?

Both honour the Naga devatas. Nagula Chavithi is on Karthika Shukla Chaturthi and is kept mainly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, while Naga Panchami is on Shravana Shukla Panchami and is kept more widely across India. Some families also keep Nagula Panchami, the day after Nagula Chavithi; follow your family custom.

Editor's note (20 October 2026)

20 October 2026: added Drik Panchang's puja muhurat for six Indian and fifteen overseas cities, confirmed the Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and Europe dates on Drik, and added a samagri list and wishes. This guide was first upgraded in place on 18 October 2026 with Drik Panchang's tithi data for Hyderabad, a date table for Hindus abroad and wildlife-friendly guidance on the anthill custom. Regional calendars and family traditions may differ; follow your family panchangam or temple.

Related guides

• Karthika Masam 2026
• Karthika Masam 2026: North and South India
• Nagula Chavithi 2026 in the USA
• Nagula Chavithi 2026 in the UK
• Skanda Sashti 2026: Soora Samharam
• Ksheerabdi Dwadasi 2026