Chhath Puja 2026 begins with Nahay Khay on Friday 13 November and ends with Usha Arghya at sunrise on Monday 16 November. The main evening offering, Sandhya Arghya, falls on Sunday 15 November, when Drik Panchang puts sunset in Patna at 5:01 PM. Kharna is on Saturday 14 November.

This guide covers each day's rituals, the Patna ghats being prepared, safety and traffic, and how visitors can watch respectfully. Ghat lists and traffic plans come out close to the festival, so check local news before you go.

Key takeaways

  • Dates: Nahay Khay 13 November, Kharna 14 November, Sandhya Arghya 15 November, Usha Arghya 16 November 2026. Drik Panchang and news reports agree.
  • Patna times from Drik Panchang: sunset 5:01 PM on 15 November and sunrise 6:07 AM on 16 November.
  • Patna Municipal Corporation is preparing 92 Ganga ghats and 82 ponds, tanks and parks, according to a 29 October 2026 report.
  • The list of dangerous ghats for November 2026 had not been published when we checked. For Chaiti Chhath in March 2026, eight ghats were declared unsafe.
  • Bihar's 2026 holiday calendar gives 15 and 16 November as Chhath holidays, with Kharna on 14 November as an optional holiday.

Chhath Puja 2026 kab hai? The four dates

Chhath is a four-day festival. Its main day is the sixth day (Shashthi) of the bright half of the month of Kartik, which is why it is also called Surya Shashthi. Because the Hindu calendar follows the moon, the dates move every year. In 2025 the festival ran from 25 to 28 October. In 2026 it falls later, in mid-November.

DayRitualDate in 2026Patna sunrise and sunset (Drik Panchang)
Day 1Nahay KhayFriday 13 NovemberSunrise 6:05 AM, sunset 5:02 PM
Day 2Kharna (also called Lohanda)Saturday 14 NovemberSunrise 6:06 AM, sunset 5:01 PM
Day 3Sandhya Arghya, the evening offeringSunday 15 NovemberSunset 5:01 PM
Day 4Usha Arghya, the morning offering, and Parana (ending the fast)Monday 16 NovemberSunrise 6:07 AM

We checked these dates against several sources. Drik Panchang's 2026 Chhath calendar for Patna gives the four dates above. Navbharat Live, in a report dated 30 October 2026, gives the same four dates. Sunday Guardian, updated on 2 November 2026, also gives 13 to 16 November.

Where sources differ

  • 12 or 13 November? Sunday Guardian reported that some devotees were unsure whether the festival starts on 12 or 13 November. It said 13 November is correct. We found no reliable source that gives 12 November.
  • Exact minutes. One festival site gives Patna sunset on 15 November as 5:02 PM and sunrise on 16 November as 6:06 AM, a minute different from Drik Panchang. Small differences like this are normal between calculators.
  • Other cities. Many websites show Delhi times. Drik Panchang gives Delhi sunset on 15 November as 5:28 PM, almost half an hour later than Patna.

Drik Panchang says the Shashthi tithi begins at 11:23 PM on 14 November and ends at 2:00 AM on 16 November. That is why the evening offering falls on Sunday 15 November.

What is Chhath Puja and why does it matter in Bihar?

Chhath is a festival of thanks to Surya, the Sun, and to Chhathi Maiya (also called Chhathi Mata), a goddess described in tradition as the sixth form of Prakriti, or nature. Families pray to both for the health and well-being of their children and households. It is celebrated mainly in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and southern Nepal, and by people from these regions living in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and abroad.

The Bihar Tourism page on Chhath calls it "the only occasion where the setting sun is worshipped along with the rising sun." Chhath is not tied to one temple or shrine. Families go to a river, pond or tank and make the offering themselves. The person who keeps the fast is called a vrati. Many vratis are women, and men also keep the fast.

In Bihar, Chhath is one of the most important festivals of the year. Many people who live elsewhere travel home for it, and households clean the paths to the water before the festival begins. The Bihar government lists Chhath on 15 and 16 November 2026 as public holidays under its 2026 calendar, with Kharna on 14 November as an optional holiday, according to Patna Press.

What happens on each day of Chhath?

DayWhat vratis doWhat a visitor will see
Nahay Khay (13 Nov)Bathe, ideally in the Ganga or another water body, clean the house and cook one simple, pure meal. This is often lauki bhaat (bottle gourd with rice), eaten without onion or garlic.People bathing at the ghats in the morning. Little else in public.
Kharna (14 Nov)Fast through the day without water. In the evening, after worship, eat kheer made with jaggery (rasiyaav) and roti. Prasad is shared with family and neighbours.Mostly a home ritual. Neighbours may be invited to receive prasad.
Sandhya Arghya (15 Nov)Keep a strict fast without food or water. Carry baskets of offerings to the ghat and stand in the water to offer arghya to the setting sun.The largest crowds of the festival, songs, lamps and decorated ghats in the late afternoon.
Usha Arghya (16 Nov)Return to the water before dawn and offer arghya to the rising sun. Then break the fast (parana) with prasad and water.Ghats fill again in the dark from the small hours. Prasad is shared after sunrise.

The fast that starts after the Kharna meal is waterless and lasts about 36 hours, until the morning offering. Patna Press described it as "a 36-hour waterless fast" in its Chaiti Chhath coverage. After the evening offering, many families perform a further ritual called kosi bharai.

Which ghats in Patna are used for Chhath?

Patna stretches for many kilometres along the south bank of the Ganga, and almost every stretch of bank has a named ghat. The ones below appear again and again in news reports of Chhath in the city.

  • Collectorate Ghat: one of the largest. In March 2026, Patna Press reported that reaching it needed about a two-kilometre walk, either on a footpath from in front of Bankipore Club or along Ganga Path past Anta Ghat and Patna Medical College and Hospital. The Municipal Corporation's 2026 plan sets aside about Rs 1.01 crore for this ghat alone.
  • Gandhi Ghat: a busy ghat behind NIT Patna. Bihar Tourism says a Ganga aarti is held there on weekend evenings. News photographs from Usha Arghya in October 2025 show devotees there.
  • Kali Ghat (Darbhanga House): PTI named Kali Ghat among the crowded ghats on the evening of Sandhya Arghya in 2025.
  • Patna College Ghat, Kadam Ghat and Krishna Ghat: also named by PTI in 2025. In March 2026, Patna Press said paved platforms at Darbhanga House Kali Ghat, Patna College Ghat, Kadam, Krishna, Rani and Gai Ghats let devotees offer arghya without stepping into the riverbed.
  • Digha ghats: several numbered ghats in the west of the city, such as Digha 83, 88 and 93. These appear in the 2026 budget list.
  • Patna City ghats: 27 ghats between Hiranand Ghat and Didarganj in the Patna City circle, and 26 between Pathari Ghat and Keshav Rai Ghat in the Azimabad circle, according to Patna Press on 24 October 2026.

If you are staying in Patna City, the ghats there are close to Takht Sri Patna Sahib and the Patan Devi temple, though both areas will be very crowded during the festival.

What has Patna announced for Chhath 2026?

Three local reports published in late October 2026 describe the preparations. The ghat counts are different, probably because each report counts a different set of sites. Treat them as separate figures, not as a single total.

  1. 92 Ganga ghats and 82 ponds: 22Scope reported on 29 October 2026 that Patna Municipal Corporation will make arrangements at 92 Ganga ghats, from Nakta Diyara to Didarganj Balu Ghat, and at 82 permanent and temporary ponds, tanks and parks. The ghats are divided into 23 sectors with officers for each. The report says the plan was prepared under Municipal Commissioner Yashpal Meena. It lists barricading, toilets, changing rooms, lighting and sheds for vratis. It says dangerous ghats will be marked with warning boards and risky spots cordoned with red cloth.
  2. Rs 19.34 crore for 231 ghats: Patna Press reported on 25 October 2026 that the corporation plans to spend Rs 19.34 crore on 231 ghats across its six circles, with a target of finishing work by 12 to 13 November. It mentions wooden-pole barricades, and cloth barricades to keep people away from dangerous or sensitive stretches.
  3. Five artificial ponds in Patna City: Patna Press reported on 24 October 2026 that five artificial ponds are being built for people who live far from the river. They are at Mangal Talab, Karmalichak, Marufganj, Ranipur Paijawa and Mehandiganj.

As of 3 November 2026, we could not find the Patna district administration's list of dangerous ghats for this Chhath. In 2025 it named six dangerous ghats and seven unsuitable ones. For Chaiti Chhath in March 2026, Patna Press reported eight unsafe ghats: LCT, Rajapur Pul, Pehalwan, Bans, Shiv, Didarganj, Rikabganj and Bundel Toli. Boat services on the Ganga were also stopped for a few days. The list can change with the water level, so check the new one before you go.

Traffic

The November 2026 traffic plan had not been published when we checked. For a sense of what to expect, here is what Patna Press reported for Chaiti Chhath in March 2026:

  • JP Ganga Path (Marine Drive) was closed to vehicles, and all entry points to Ashok Rajpath were shut during the arghya hours.
  • Restrictions ran from 12 noon to 7 PM on the evening-offering day and from 2 AM to 8 AM on the morning-offering day.
  • Parking was arranged at the Patna College and Science College campuses and at Gandhi Maidan, and devotees walked the last stretch to the ghats.

Follow Patna Traffic Police announcements for the November roads and times.

How should visitors behave at a Chhath ghat?

The ghat is a place of prayer for people who have not had food or water for a day and a half. These tips are our own advice.

  • Arrive early and stay put. For the evening offering, families start arriving well before sunset at 5:01 PM. For the morning offering, crowds gather in the dark well before 6:07 AM. Moving through a packed ghat at the last minute is hard and unsafe.
  • Give vratis the way. People carrying baskets of offerings on their heads, or doing dandavat (lying down and rising again along the road), should never have to step around you.
  • Do not touch the offerings. The baskets, the prasad and the water are kept ritually pure. Wait to be offered prasad. It is usually shared after the morning offering.
  • Photograph with care. Ask before taking close pictures of a person, especially a woman in the water. Keep flash off, and do not stand between a vrati and the sun.
  • Dress simply and do not walk in shoes over the spots where families have laid out their offerings.
  • Keep the ghat clean. The 22Scope report says fines for littering have been ordered.

Safety near the water

  • Use only the ghats the administration has marked as safe, and stay inside the barricades.
  • Do not go beyond the red or coloured cloth markers. The river bottom can drop suddenly, and silt can be soft.
  • Watch for broken bricks and gravel on the banks. Patna Press warned of this at Digha Ghat in March 2026.
  • Do not hire private boats if a boat ban is announced.
  • In 2025, Patna's District Magistrate told ANI that "Aged, pregnant women and children should avoid going to ghats and do it at home." Follow any similar advice issued this year.
  • Agree a meeting point with your group. Phone networks can be slow in very large crowds.

What is the prasad of Chhath? Thekua and more

Chhath food is vegetarian and is cooked without salt, onion or garlic. Families usually make it at home in a part of the kitchen kept clean for the purpose. The best-known items are:

  • Thekua: a crisp, deep-fried sweet of wheat flour, jaggery and ghee. It is the offering most people link with Chhath.
  • Kheer with jaggery (rasiyaav): eaten with roti on the evening of Kharna.
  • Kasar: laddoos of rice or wheat flour and jaggery.
  • Rasabali and rice laddoos: other sweets of rice, milk or jaggery that some families make.
  • Seasonal fruit: sugarcane, sweet lime, bananas and coconut, carried to the ghat in small bamboo baskets.

If someone offers you prasad, take it with your right hand and thank them. Do not refuse it or throw it away.

What is Chaiti Chhath?

Chhath is kept twice a year. The big one, described in this guide, falls in Kartik (October or November). The second, Chaiti Chhath, falls in Chaitra (March or April). It follows the same four steps, but fewer families keep it and the crowds are smaller. In 2026, Chaiti Chhath ran from 22 March (Nahay Khay) to 25 March (Usha Arghya), as Patna Press reported.

Planning the rest of your trip

Trains and hotels can fill up early around Chhath, because many people travel home to Bihar. If you are visiting Patna for the festival, you might add a temple visit on the days before. Our guide to temples to visit in Patna lists timings, and the Mahavir Mandir visitor guide covers the city's best-known Hanuman temple. For travel after the festival, see our heritage day trips from Patna and the overview of pilgrimage circuits in Bihar.

Hard words explained

  • Arghya: an offering, usually of water, made to the sun.
  • Ghat: steps or a bank leading down to a river or pond.
  • Vrati: the person keeping the Chhath fast.
  • Nirjala: without water. The main Chhath fast is nirjala.
  • Parana: breaking the fast after the morning offering.
  • Tithi: a lunar day in the Hindu calendar. Shashthi is the sixth.

Common questions

Chhath Puja 2026 kab hai?

Chhath Puja 2026 runs from Friday 13 November (Nahay Khay) to Monday 16 November (Usha Arghya). Kharna is on 14 November and the main evening offering, Sandhya Arghya, is on Sunday 15 November.

What time is the Chhath arghya in Patna in 2026?

Drik Panchang gives sunset in Patna at 5:01 PM on 15 November and sunrise at 6:07 AM on 16 November. Devotees gather at the ghats well before both times.

Which ghats are dangerous in Patna for Chhath 2026?

The November 2026 list had not been published when we checked on 3 November. For Chaiti Chhath in March 2026, eight ghats were declared unsafe: LCT, Rajapur Pul, Pehalwan, Bans, Shiv, Didarganj, Rikabganj and Bundel Toli. Check the new list from the district administration before you go.

Is there a holiday for Chhath in Bihar in 2026?

Yes. Bihar's 2026 holiday calendar lists 15 and 16 November as Chhath holidays, and Kharna on 14 November as an optional holiday, according to Patna Press.

What is thekua?

Thekua is the best-known Chhath prasad. It is a crisp, deep-fried sweet made from wheat flour, jaggery and ghee, cooked without salt.

Sources

Last checked on 3 November 2026. We will update this page when Patna publishes its ghat list and traffic plan. Spotted a mistake? Tell us through our contact page.