Ayudha Puja 2026: 19 or 20 October? Date by State, Saraswati Puja, Vidhi and Vidyarambham

Last updated: 6 October 2026 · By Acharya Alok Pandit, Divine Hindu, Jayanagar 3rd Block East, Bengaluru 560011 · ~26 min read

When is Ayudha Puja 2026? Dates by state

The Ayudha Puja 2026 date is Monday 19 October in Tamil Nadu and Tuesday 20 October in Karnataka and Kerala. Whether you write Ayudha Pooja 2026 or Ayutha Pooja, the table gives each state's date and the source we checked it against.

In Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, Ayudha Puja and Vijayadashami are consecutive days; a listing that puts both on 20 October for the whole South has mixed the two reckonings.

Why does Ayudha Puja fall on two different days in 2026?

Because Navami tithi straddles two civil days, from 10:52 AM on Monday 19 October to 12:51 PM on Tuesday 20 October IST, and the South's two reckonings use different rules to decide which of them is Mahanavami.

A tithi is the time the Moon takes to gain twelve degrees on the Sun, so it can begin and end at any hour; this year Ashvayuja Shukla Navami lasts almost exactly 26 hours. Mahanavami 2026 is settled by a rule of its own.

What does the Dharmasindhu say about Mahanavami?

The Dharmasindhu, Kashinatha Upadhyaya's eighteenth-century manual of ritual timing, settles the question in its section on Mahanavami (pariccheda 2, mahānavamī-nirṇaya):

महानवमी तु बलिदानव्यतिरिक्तविषये पूजोपोषणादावष्टमीविद्धा ग्राह्या । सा च यद्यष्टमीदिने सायं त्रिमुहूर्ता स्यात्तदैव ग्राह्या । त्रिमुहूर्तन्यूनत्वे परैव ग्राह्या ॥

"For worship, fasting and the like, in every matter except the bali offering, Mahanavami is taken joined to Ashtami. It is taken on the Ashtami day only if Navami is present there for three muhurtas in the evening; if for less than three muhurtas, the following day alone is taken." Our translation, from leaf 103 of the archive.org scan of the Dharmasindhu.

A muhurta is one-fifteenth of the daytime, about 47 minutes in mid-October, so three muhurtas is roughly 2 hours 20 minutes. On Monday Navami begins at 10:52 AM; in Chennai that leaves almost seven hours of Navami before the 5:48 PM sunset, so the rule gives Monday with hours to spare. Tamil Nadu's government holiday, most Tamil calendars, the Telugu almanacs and the North Indian Navratri calendar all arrive at Monday 19 October.

Why do Karnataka and Kerala keep Tuesday?

The other reckoning takes the day whose sunrise Navami holds: at sunrise on Monday it is still Ashtami, at sunrise on Tuesday it is Navami. So Mahanavami is Tuesday 20 October, and the Karnataka and Kerala government lists agree. So does the Mysuru Palace calendar, drawn from the Palace, Ontikoppal and Melukote panchangas, which marks Monday as Ashtami and keeps Ayudha Puja for Tuesday. Drik Panchang's Ayudha Puja page uses the same reckoning, which is why it shows 20 October even when set to Chennai.

Which date should your family keep?

Keep the date your own panchangam gives; both are within the tradition. Families usually follow the almanac of the community they come from, so a Tamil household in Bengaluru generally keeps Monday. If your workplace follows the local holiday, nothing prevents a short puja of the tools at work on one day and the family's full puja on the other.

Navami tithi, sunrise and Rahu Kalam on 19 and 20 October

Navami runs from 10:52 AM on Monday 19 October to 12:51 PM on Tuesday 20 October IST throughout India; sunrise and the Rahu Kalam and Yamagandam that most families avoid vary by city.

Monday 19 October: Tamil Nadu, and Telugu Mahanavami

The morning still belongs to Ashtami. Families who want Navami running begin after 10:52 AM, and those who also avoid Yamagandam begin after it ends, close to noon.

Tuesday 20 October: Karnataka and Kerala

The whole morning is Navami, which ends at 12:51 PM. Tuesday's Rahu Kalam comes mid-afternoon, after Navami has ended, so the period to plan around is Yamagandam.

Rahu Kalam and Yamagandam are Shastra Panchangam's figures, which our own one-eighth-of-daylight calculation matches to within a minute; sunrise and sunset are our Swiss Ephemeris figures, rounded. Gulikai, for families who avoid it: 1:22–2:51 PM in Chennai on Monday, 12:04–1:33 PM in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

What is the Ayudha Puja muhurat in 2026?

No single muhurat is prescribed for Ayudha Puja in the texts we consulted; what matters is that it falls on Mahanavami as your tradition fixes it, outside Rahu Kalam and Yamagandam. Treat with care the "Vijaya Muhurat" of about 2 PM on 20 October that several websites print as the Ayudha Puja time. Dashami has begun by then, so it is a Vijayadashami window, the one North India uses for Shastra Puja, not a Navami one.

When is Ayudha Puja 2026 in the USA, UK, Singapore or the Gulf?

In the USA, Canada and the UK it is Monday 19 October by both rules, because Navami has begun by local sunrise; elsewhere it depends on your family's reckoning.

Sydney is the close case: Navami covers about 2 hours 49 minutes of Monday's daylight there, against the 2 hours 36 minutes that three muhurtas require. Local times include daylight saving. The table is our own calculation and matches Shastra Panchangam's diaspora table.

What is Ayudha Puja, and why are tools worshipped?

Ayudha Puja is the worship, on Mahanavami, of the implements a household lives by: once the weapons of kings, now also books, ledgers, instruments, machines, computers and vehicles, laid before the Devi as instruments of her power. Āyudha is Sanskrit for weapon or implement.

The idea is traditionally traced to the Devi Mahatmya, the thirteen chapters of the Markandeya Purana recited through Navaratri. In chapter 2 the radiance of the gods takes form as the Devi, and each god draws a weapon from his own and gives it to her (verses 2.19–2.31):

शूलं शूलाद्विनिष्कृष्य ददौ तस्यै पिनाकधृक् । चक्रं च दत्तवान् कृष्णः समुत्पाट्य स्वचक्रतः ॥ (2.20)

"The bearer of the Pinaka drew a trident out of his own trident and gave it to her; Krishna brought forth a discus from his own discus and gave it." Indra adds the thunderbolt, Varuna the conch and noose, Kala the sword and shield. Laying one's own tools before her on the ninth day is traditionally read as the same acknowledgement: the means of one's work is held in trust.

The second root is the Mahabharata. Before their year in disguise the Pandavas tie their weapons in a Shami tree near a cremation ground (Virata Parva, section 5 in Ganguli's translation; critical edition 4.5), and during the Kaurava cattle raid Arjuna has Prince Uttara bring them down (sections 40–44; critical edition 4.37–38). The Shami prayer of Vijayadashami remembers the tree that held Arjuna's arrows.

The third root is royal. Varahamihira's Brihat Samhita (sixth century) describes a nirajana, a lustration of the king's horses, elephants and soldiers, in Ashvina or Kartika, and the Dharmasindhu has kings worship their insignia, elephants, horses, weapons and war-drums from Pratipada to Ashtami. The Mysuru Palace still worships its weapons, elephants and horses on Mahanavami; the household custom carries that royal rite into every trade.

Is Ayudha Puja the same as Vishwakarma Puja?

No. Vishwakarma Puja, for the divine architect, is kept by artisans and factories mainly in eastern India at Kanya Sankranti in September. Ayudha Puja is a Navaratri rite to the Devi on Mahanavami; both honour tools, hence the confusion.

Is Ayudha Puja the same as Saraswati Puja?

Not quite: Saraswati Puja is the worship of the goddess of learning in books and instruments, and Ayudha Puja the worship of tools and vehicles. Tamil Nadu keeps both on Mahanavami, while Karnataka and the Telugu states begin Saraswati's worship on Mula nakshatra.

The Dharmasindhu directs that in the bright fortnight of Ashvina, on Mula nakshatra, Saraswati be invoked in books and worshipped (leaf 102 of the same scan). The sequence most almanacs print for Saraswati Puja 2026 follows four nakshatras: invocation on Mula, the main puja on Purva Ashadha, the offering on Uttara Ashadha and the farewell on Shravana.

Mula begins at 6:48 AM on Friday 16 October, just after sunrise, and holds the rest of the day, which is why the Mysuru Palace, the Kanaka Durga temple at Vijayawada and the Basara Gnana Saraswati temple keep their Mula-day observances on the 16th. The almanac's Saraswati Puja on Saturday 17 October is not Tamil Nadu's Saraswathi Pooja, which is on Monday 19 October with Ayutha Pooja. In Bengal and the North the principal Saraswati Puja is a different festival, Vasant Panchami.

Tamil Nadu: Saraswathi Pooja, Ayutha Pooja and the Golu

ஆயுத பூஜை 2026 (Ayutha Pooja 2026) and சரஸ்வதி பூஜை (Saraswathi Pooja) fall together on Monday 19 October, Aippasi 2 in the Tamil calendar, a public holiday under G.O.(Ms.) No.708. Vijayadashami follows on Tuesday 20 October.

• Books and instruments are stacked before Saraswati's picture on the Golu or puja shelf: the veena, the mridangam, account books and the children's school books.
• Tools, machines and vehicles are washed the day before, marked with turmeric, sandal paste and kumkum and garlanded; banana stems and a mango-leaf thoranam go up at gates and shop fronts.
• Naivedyam is laid on a banana leaf: pori, kadalai and aval, sundal, vadai and payasam.
• Thirushti poosanikai, an ash gourd marked with kumkum and carrying a camphor flame, is circled around the vehicle and broken, in the belief that it wards off the evil eye. Break it at your own gate and clear the pieces; shards on a road endanger two-wheelers.

On Vijayadashami the books and tools are taken back after a short puja, and children are initiated into letters. Dashami begins only at 12:51 PM, so families who want it running choose the afternoon (Rahu Kalam in Chennai that Tuesday is 2:51–4:19 PM); many others follow the calendar day and begin in the morning. The Koothanur Maha Saraswathi temple in Tiruvarur district draws families from across the state, and in the evening one Golu doll is laid down to close the nine nights.

Karnataka: Mahanavami, Ayudha Puje and Mysuru Dasara

ಆಯುಧ ಪೂಜೆ 2026 (Ayudha Puje) falls on Mahanavami, Tuesday 20 October, a state holiday, and Vijayadashami, with Mysuru's Jamboo Savari, on Wednesday 21 October.

Across Karnataka the day belongs to vehicles and workshops: autos, buses and lorries are washed and dressed with banana stems, mango leaves and sevanthige garlands, and an ash gourd is broken at the gate. If your vehicle carries a dashboard idol, include it; our guide to car dashboard idols covers placement. Many homes begin Saraswati Puja on Mula nakshatra, Friday 16 October. The state's river festival, Kaveri Sankramana, falls the same week, on Saturday 17 October.

At the Mysuru Palace, the Mysuru Dasara Committee's calendar lists for Mahanavami the Ayudha Puja, the Gaja–Ashva puja of the state elephants and horses, and the Hayagriva and Amaladevata pujas. On Vijayadashami, after the Shami and Aparajita pujas:

As published by the Mysuru Dasara Committee and reported identically by The Federal Karnataka; confirm locally before travelling.

Kerala: from Pooja Vaipu to Pooja Eduppu

Pooja Vaipu 2026 (പൂജവയ്പ്) is on the evening of Sunday 18 October, ആയുധ പൂജ (Ayudha Puja) on Mahanavami, Tuesday 20 October, and Pooja Eduppu with വിദ്യാരംഭം 2026 (Vidyarambham) on the morning of Wednesday 21 October.

Why Sunday, when Durgashtami is Monday? Books are placed on the evening that Ashtami holds at dusk. Ashtami ends at 10:52 AM on Monday, so the only Ashtami evening is Sunday's; Kochi's sunset that day is at 6:07 PM. Janmabhumi and other Malayalam papers give the same reasoning, and the Kerala government calendar, as reported, lists Pooja Vaipu on the 18th, Durgashtami on the 19th, Mahanavami and Ayudha Puja on the 20th, and Vijayadashami and Pooja Eduppu on the 21st.

Until Pooja Eduppu many families neither read nor write. The public holidays are Maha Navami on 20 October and Vijayadasami on 21 October. When we checked on 5 October we found no order making Monday 19 October a holiday, though teachers' and community bodies have asked for one; in 2024 a similar holiday came only a day ahead, so watch for a late order.

On Vijayadashami morning the books are taken back after a puja, and the first thing written is a sacred syllable. The Panachikkadu Saraswathy temple in Kottayam, the "Dakshina Mookambika", has announced Pooja Vaipu for the evening of 18 October and Vidyarambham from the early hours of 21 October. Thunchan Parambu at Tirur, birthplace of Thunchath Ezhuthachan, and Attukal in Thiruvananthapuram are other well-known centres.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana: Mahanavami, Dasara and the Jammi tree

Telugu almanacs put Mahanavami on Monday 19 October 2026 and Vijayadashami, Dasara, on Tuesday 20 October. Families who keep ఆయుధ పూజ (Ayudha Puja) on Mahanavami will do it on Monday; many others fold it into Dasara with the Jammi puja on Tuesday.

• Telangana: Saddula Bathukamma on Sunday 18 October is a general holiday, Maharnavami on the 19th an optional holiday, and Vijaya Dasami on the 20th and the day after, the 21st, are general holidays.
• Andhra Pradesh: Vijaya Dasami on Tuesday 20 October is a general holiday, and the state list also marks Durgashtami on Sunday 18 October.
• Durgashtami differs: most Telugu almanacs keep it on Sunday 18 October; some channels list it with Mahanavami on Monday 19 October.
• Kanaka Durga temple, Indrakeeladri, Vijayawada: the temple's schedule has the Saraswati alankaram on Mula, Friday 16 October; Mahishasuramardini on Mahanavami, Monday 19 October; and Rajarajeswari on Vijayadashami, Tuesday 20 October, closing by tradition with the Hamsa vahana teppotsavam on the Krishna that evening.
• Basara Gnana Saraswati temple: the Mula-nakshatra Aksharabhyasam falls on Friday 16 October, according to the temple's executive officer.

On Dasara evening Telangana families worship the Jammi (Shami) tree and exchange its leaves, and a sighting of the palapitta, the Indian roller that is Telangana's state bird, is considered a good omen.

Maharashtra and the North: Khande Navami and Shastra Puja

Maharashtra worships weapons and tools on Mahanavami as Khande Navami (खंडेनवमी), and the Hindi-speaking North performs its Shastra Puja (शस्त्र पूजा) on Dussehra, Tuesday 20 October 2026.

For Khande Navami the two readings apply again. By the Dharmasindhu rule, a text long followed in Maharashtra, Mahanavami for worship is Monday 19 October, while Navami holds sunrise on Tuesday 20 October. We could not find a 2026 Marathi almanac entry naming the day, so check your Kalnirnay or family almanac. Dasara, with Apta leaves exchanged as "gold" and the Seemollanghan, is Tuesday 20 October, a state holiday.

In the North, Vijayadashami is Tuesday 20 October because Dashami covers that whole afternoon, the aparahna of 1:14 to 3:30 PM in New Delhi, which Shravana nakshatra also holds. Shastra Puja is done in the aparahna or in the Vijay Muhurat within it, 1:59 to 2:45 PM in New Delhi: figures on which Amar Ujala, our Dussehra 2026 guide and our own calculation agree.

How to do Ayudha Puja at home, step by step

Clean the tools the day before, set them before the Devi with Ganesha worshipped first, mark each with turmeric, kumkum and sandal paste, offer flowers and naivedya, wave the camphor aarti, and leave everything at rest until Vijayadashami.

1. The day before: clean, oil and repair the tools, wash the vehicle, and dust the books. In Kerala the books go into worship at dusk on Sunday 18 October.
2. Arrange the altar: on a clean cloth or low stool, placed so that you face east or north as you worship, set Ganesha and Saraswati or Durga. Set books and instruments before them, and tools, laptops and ledgers on a second cloth. Dress vehicles with banana stems, mango leaves and flowers.
3. Sankalpa: after bathing, light the lamp and state the day, Ashvayuja Shukla Navami, with your name and gotra and the intention to worship the implements of your work. If your family installs a kalash, see our kalash sthapana vidhi.
4. Ganesha first, with a few flowers and his names, as at the start of every puja.
5. Invoke the Devi with the dhyana shloka below, and ask her to be present in the books and tools.
6. Mark each item with turmeric, then kumkum and sandal paste, on book covers, instruments, tool handles and the front of the vehicle, and add a flower or a little akshata.
7. Archana: offer flowers with the Saraswati or Durga ashtottara, or the names your family uses.
8. Naivedya: pori, roasted gram and aval with jaggery, sundal, fruit and payasam.
9. Aarti: wave the camphor flame before the Devi and then before each tool and vehicle; our guide to doing aarti gives the steps.
10. Vehicles: circle the ash gourd with kumkum and camphor, break it at the gate, and set a lemon under each wheel to be crushed as the vehicle first moves. Then sweep up.
11. On Vijayadashami, after a short puja, take the books and tools back, write a sacred syllable on a fresh page, read a little and start the vehicle: Tuesday 20 October in Tamil Nadu, Wednesday 21 October in Karnataka and Kerala.

Ayudha Puja samagri checklist

• Turmeric, kumkum, sandal paste and akshata
• Marigold, jasmine and chrysanthemum (sevanthi) flowers and garlands
• Mango leaves for the thoranam, banana stems for the gate or vehicle
• An oil or ghee lamp, camphor, agarbatti and a bell
• A picture or idol of Saraswati or Durga, and of Ganesha
• Betel leaves, areca nut, a coconut, bananas and fruit
• Naivedya: pori, roasted gram, aval or avalakki, jaggery, sundal and payasam
• For vehicles: an ash gourd and four lemons
• A new notebook and pen for the first writing on Vijayadashami

Mantras for Ayudha Puja, Saraswati Puja and Vidyarambham

Three verses carry most households through the two days: a dhyana shloka for Saraswati, the Vidyarambham prayer and, on Vijayadashami, the prayer to the Shami tree.

Saraswati dhyana: "Ya kundendu"

या कुन्देन्दुतुषारहारधवला या शुभ्रवस्त्रावृता
या वीणावरदण्डमण्डितकरा या श्वेतपद्मासना ।
या ब्रह्माच्युतशङ्करप्रभृतिभिर्देवैः सदा वन्दिता
सा मां पातु सरस्वती भगवती निःशेषजाड्यापहा ॥

"She who is white as jasmine, the moon, frost and a string of pearls, who is clothed in white, whose hands are graced by the veena, who is seated on a white lotus and ever honoured by Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and the gods: may that Saraswati, who dispels every trace of dullness, protect me." Verse 1 of the Saraswati Stotram traditionally attributed to the sage Agastya.

For Vidyarambham

सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यं वरदे कामरूपिणि ।
विद्यारम्भं करिष्यामि सिद्धिर्भवतु मे सदा ॥

"Salutations to you, Saraswati, giver of boons, who takes whatever form she wills. I am about to begin my learning; may it always bear fruit for me." Verse 5 of the same stotram, recited before a child's first letters. Our Saraswati mantras for students and Durga mantras for Navratri give more verses with their meanings.

For the Shami tree on Vijayadashami

शमी शमयते पापं शमी लोहितकण्टका ।
धारिण्यर्जुनबाणानां रामस्य प्रियवादिनी ॥

"The Shami quiets wrongdoing; the Shami bears red thorns; she held Arjuna's arrows and spoke kindly to Rama." The Dharmasindhu gives this verse for the Shami puja in its Vijayadashami section.

What is traditionally avoided on Ayudha Puja?

Traditionally, nothing placed in worship is used until it is taken back on Vijayadashami, and the puja is not begun in Rahu Kalam or Yamagandam; the rest is good sense.

• Using what is in worship. Books, instruments and tools stay before the Devi until they are taken back. Families who need a phone, laptop or vehicle for work often worship it and resume use after the puja, or place a symbolic item instead.
• Reading and writing in Kerala between Pooja Vaipu and Pooja Eduppu, in households that keep that rule.
• Beginning in Rahu Kalam or Yamagandam, and in Tamil Nadu beginning before Navami starts at 10:52 AM, for families who follow the tithi.
• Disrespect to the instruments: books on the floor, stepping over tools, feet pointed at the altar.
• Breaking the ash gourd on a public road, or leaving its pieces and the crushed lemons where riders can slip.
• Meat, alcohol and quarrels on the puja day, in the many homes that keep Navaratri sattvic.

Vidyarambham 2026: when and how does a child begin?

Vidyarambham 2026 is on Wednesday 21 October in Kerala and Karnataka and on Tuesday 20 October in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, each region's own Vijayadashami.

In Kerala, Dashami holds sunrise on the 21st and lasts until 2:12 PM, and the rite follows Pooja Eduppu in the morning. In Tamil Nadu, Dashami begins only at 12:51 PM on the 20th, so families who want Dashami running choose the afternoon, though many simply follow the calendar day. Telugu families also take children to Basara for Aksharabhyasam on Mula day, Friday 16 October.

The rite itself is short. The child sits on the lap of a parent, grandparent or teacher, facing east. Holding the child's finger, the elder writes "ॐ हरिः श्री गणपतये नमः", in Kerala ഓം ഹരിഃ ശ്രീ ഗണപതയേ നമഃ, in raw rice spread on a plate, then the first letters of the mother tongue, and traces the syllables on the child's tongue with a gold ring dipped in honey. The family offers betel leaves, areca nut and a coin to the teacher as dakshina. Adults, too, use the morning to begin music, dance or a new subject.

Vijayadashami 2026, state by state

Vijayadashami 2026 is Tuesday 20 October in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and North India, and Wednesday 21 October in Karnataka, Kerala and Bengal.

The split mirrors Mahanavami. The Dharmasindhu takes the day whose afternoon Dashami covers, preferring the first if both qualify: Dashami begins at 12:51 PM on Tuesday and fills that afternoon, while on Wednesday it ends at 2:12 PM. Shravana nakshatra also holds Tuesday afternoon, until 6:02 PM. The sunrise reckoning takes Wednesday, the only day whose sunrise Dashami holds. For Ravan Dahan and the Aparajita and Shami pujas, see our Dussehra 2026 guide.

How we checked these dates

Every date on this page was checked against at least two independent sources; where they disagree, we print both readings and the reason. Shastra Panchangam's state and diaspora results match our own calculation.

• Astronomy: tithi, nakshatra, sunrise and sunset come from our own Swiss Ephemeris calculation with the Lahiri ayanamsha, rounded to the nearest minute. Shastra Panchangam gives Navami as 10:52 AM to 12:51 PM and Drik Panchang as 10:51 AM to 12:50 PM; Drik drops the seconds rather than rounding.
• Government holiday lists: Tamil Nadu G.O.(Ms.) No.708 of 11 November 2025; Karnataka's 2026 general holidays as reproduced by greytHR and reported by Kannada Prabha; Kerala GAD public holidays 2026; the Telangana government calendar 2026; and Andhra Pradesh's list via greytHR.
• Texts: the Dharmasindhu scan on archive.org, leaves 102 to 106 (Saraswati in books, Mahanavami, weapons and horses, Vijayadashami); the Devi Mahatmya and Saraswati Stotram at sanskritdocuments.org; Ganguli's Virata Parva, section 5 and section 40; and the Brihat Samhita on nirajana. Background: Wikipedia on Ayudha Puja.
• Regional schedules: the Mysuru Dasara Committee; Janmabhumi on Pooja Vaipu; ETV Bharat on the Kanaka Durga schedule; Andhra Prabha on Basara; Amar Ujala on Delhi's Vijay Muhurat.

We could not confirm a 2026 Marathi almanac entry naming Khande Navami, a 2026 Vidyarambham notice from Thunchan Parambu, or any Kerala order on a 19 October holiday; each is flagged where it appears.

What comes next

After Ayudha Puja and Vijayadashami the festival year moves quickly: Sharad Purnima and Kojagiri on Sunday 25 October, the North Indian month of Kartik from 27 October, Karwa Chauth on 29 October, Dhanteras on 6 November, Naraka Chaturdashi with Tamil Deepavali and Diwali Lakshmi Puja on Sunday 8 November, and Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj on 10 and 11 November. Murugan devotees then begin the six-day Skanda Sashti vratham. The season opened with Mahalaya Amavasya on 10 October; for the whole year, see the Hindu festival calendar 2026.

Before you begin: setting out the thali

Lay out everything the night before, on one plate: turmeric, kumkum, sandal paste, akshata, flowers, camphor and a small lamp. Our guide to what goes on a puja thali explains the arrangement, and our note on cleaning brass puja items covers the after-care. To carry turmeric, kumkum, sandal paste and flowers from one tool or book to the next, a brass puja thali is traditionally used.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Ayudha Puja 2026?

Ayudha Puja 2026 is on Monday 19 October in Tamil Nadu and on Tuesday 20 October in Karnataka and Kerala. Navami tithi runs from 10:52 AM on 19 October to 12:51 PM on 20 October IST, and the two regions assign it to different days.

Why are there two dates for Ayudha Puja in 2026?

Because Navami begins mid-morning on 19 October. The Dharmasindhu keeps Mahanavami on that day if Navami covers three muhurtas of its evening, which it does, giving Monday. The other reckoning takes the day whose sunrise Navami holds: Tuesday, as in Karnataka and Kerala.

When is Ayudha Puja 2026 in Tamil Nadu?

In Tamil Nadu, Ayutha Pooja and Saraswathi Pooja are on Monday 19 October 2026, a public holiday under G.O.(Ms.) No.708, and Vijayadashami is on Tuesday 20 October. Navami begins at 10:52 AM, and in Chennai families who avoid Rahu Kalam and Yamagandam start after 11:54 AM.

When is Ayudha Puja 2026 in Karnataka?

In Karnataka, Ayudha Puja falls on Mahanavami, Tuesday 20 October 2026, a state holiday, and Vijayadashami with the Mysuru Jamboo Savari on Wednesday 21 October. Navami ends at 12:51 PM on Tuesday, and in Bengaluru Yamagandam runs from 9:07 to 10:36 AM.

When is Pooja Vaipu 2026 in Kerala?

Pooja Vaipu is on the evening of Sunday 18 October 2026, the only evening Ashtami holds this year. Durgashtami is Monday 19 October, Ayudha Puja Tuesday 20 October, and Pooja Eduppu with Vidyarambham the morning of Wednesday 21 October.

When is Ayudha Puja 2026 in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana?

Telugu almanacs place Mahanavami on Monday 19 October 2026 and Dasara on Tuesday 20 October. Families who keep Ayudha Puja on Mahanavami do it on Monday, and many others perform it on Dasara with the Jammi puja. Telangana's holidays: 19 October (optional), 20 and 21 October.

Are Ayudha Puja and Vijayadashami on the same day in 2026?

Not in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka or Kerala, where they are consecutive days: 19 and 20 October in Tamil Nadu, 20 and 21 October in Karnataka and Kerala. North India's Shastra Puja, and the tool worship some Telugu families keep on Dasara, fall on Vijayadashami, 20 October.

What is the Ayudha Puja muhurat in 2026?

The texts we consulted prescribe no single muhurat; the requirement is Mahanavami, and most families avoid Rahu Kalam and Yamagandam. That means after 11:54 AM on 19 October in Chennai, or before 9:07 AM or from 10:36 AM to 12:51 PM on 20 October in Bengaluru.

Can we use vehicles, phones or laptops on Ayudha Puja day?

Traditionally, whatever is placed in worship rests until it is taken back on Vijayadashami. Families who need a vehicle, phone or laptop for work often worship it and resume use after the puja, or place a symbolic item instead. Follow your family's custom.

When is Vidyarambham 2026, and when are books taken back?

In Kerala and Karnataka, books are taken back and Vidyarambham held on the morning of Wednesday 21 October 2026. In Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana it is Tuesday 20 October; in Tamil Nadu Dashami begins at 12:51 PM, so tithi-minded families choose the afternoon.

When is Ayudha Puja 2026 in the USA, UK, Singapore or the Gulf?

In the USA, Canada and the UK it is Monday 19 October by both rules. In Singapore, Malaysia, the Gulf, Sri Lanka and Australia it is Monday by the Tamil reckoning and Tuesday 20 October by the Karnataka and Kerala reckoning. New Zealand gets Tuesday by both.

Is Ayudha Puja a bank holiday in 2026?

In Tamil Nadu, yes: G.O.(Ms.) No.708 makes 19 October 2026 a holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act, which covers commercial and co-operative banks. Karnataka's general holiday list has Ayudha Puja on 20 October. Elsewhere, check the RBI holiday list for your state.

Tithi, nakshatra and sunrise times are IST from our Swiss Ephemeris calculation. Where traditions differ, as on Mahanavami this year, we give both readings. Confirm your family's puja time with your family purohit.