Vrat · 2026
Sankashti Chaturthi 2026 — all dates
Sankashti Chaturthi is Ganesha’s monthly fast on the fourth day of the waning moon, broken only after the moon rises.
Dates in 2026
| Name | Date | Tithi | Moonrise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lambodara (Sakat) Sankashti | 6 Jan 2026Tuesday | 6 Jan, 8:02 AM – 7 Jan, 6:53 AM | 8:55 PM |
| Dwijapriya Sankashti | 5 Feb 2026Thursday | 5 Feb, 12:10 AM – 6 Feb, 12:22 AM | 9:35 PM |
| Bhalachandra Sankashti | 6 Mar 2026Friday | 6 Mar, 5:53 PM – 7 Mar, 7:17 PM | 9:14 PM |
| Vikata Sankashti | 5 Apr 2026Sunday | 5 Apr, 12:00 PM – 6 Apr, 2:11 PM | 9:54 PM |
| Ekadanta Sankashti | 5 May 2026Tuesday | 5 May, 5:24 AM – 6 May, 7:51 AM | 10:30 PM |
| Vibhuvana Palaka Sankashti | 3 Jun 2026Wednesday | 3 Jun, 9:21 PM – 4 Jun, 11:30 PM | 9:59 PM |
| Krishnapingala Sankashti | 3 Jul 2026Friday | 3 Jul, 11:20 AM – 4 Jul, 12:40 PM | 9:48 PM |
| Gajanana Sankashti | 2 Aug 2026Sunday | 1 Aug, 11:07 PM – 2 Aug, 11:15 PM | 9:20 PM |
| Heramba Sankashti | 31 Aug 2026Monday | 31 Aug, 8:51 AM – 1 Sep, 7:42 AM | 8:25 PM |
| Vighnaraja Sankashti | 29 Sep 2026Tuesday | 29 Sep, 5:10 PM – 30 Sep, 2:55 PM | 7:39 PM |
| Vakratunda Sankashti | 29 Oct 2026Thursday | 29 Oct, 1:07 AM – 29 Oct, 10:10 PM | 8:12 PM |
| Ganadhipa Sankashti | 27 Nov 2026Friday | 27 Nov, 9:48 AM – 28 Nov, 6:40 AM | 8:13 PM |
| Akhuratha Sankashti | 26 Dec 2026Saturday | 26 Dec, 8:05 PM – 27 Dec, 5:13 PM | 8:14 PM |
Times for New Delhi (our own calculation, Lahiri ayanamsa). Full festival calendar
Dates in 2027
| Name | Date | Tithi | Moonrise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lambodara (Sakat) Sankashti | 25 Jan 2027Monday | 25 Jan, 8:10 AM – 26 Jan, 6:00 AM | 9:12 PM |
| Dwijapriya Sankashti | 24 Feb 2027Wednesday | 23 Feb, 9:49 PM – 24 Feb, 8:40 PM | 9:59 PM |
| Bhalachandra Sankashti | 25 Mar 2027Thursday | 25 Mar, 12:38 PM – 26 Mar, 12:43 PM | 9:44 PM |
| Vikata Sankashti | 24 Apr 2027Saturday | 24 Apr, 4:21 AM – 25 Apr, 5:42 AM | 10:26 PM |
| Ekadanta Sankashti | 23 May 2027Sunday | 23 May, 8:42 PM – 24 May, 10:59 PM | 9:58 PM |
| Krishnapingala Sankashti | 22 Jun 2027Tuesday | 22 Jun, 1:07 PM – 23 Jun, 3:43 PM | 9:52 PM |
| Gajanana Sankashti | 22 Jul 2027Thursday | 22 Jul, 4:47 AM – 23 Jul, 6:56 AM | 9:23 PM |
| Heramba Sankashti | 20 Aug 2027Friday | 20 Aug, 6:53 PM – 21 Aug, 8:05 PM | 8:23 PM |
| Vighnaraja Sankashti | 19 Sep 2027Sunday | 19 Sep, 7:09 AM – 20 Sep, 7:08 AM | 8:03 PM |
| Vakratunda Sankashti | 18 Oct 2027Monday | 18 Oct, 5:52 PM – 19 Oct, 4:42 PM | 7:30 PM |
| Ganadhipa Sankashti | 17 Nov 2027Wednesday | 17 Nov, 3:42 AM – 18 Nov, 1:35 AM | 8:21 PM |
| Akhuratha Sankashti | 16 Dec 2027Thursday | 16 Dec, 1:22 PM – 17 Dec, 10:34 AM | 8:25 PM |
What is Sankashti Chaturthi?
Sankashti Chaturthi is kept on Chaturthi, the fourth tithi, of the Krishna paksha, the fortnight after the full moon. It comes once a month and is dedicated to Ganesha as Vighnaharta, the remover of obstacles; sankashti means deliverance from trouble. Each month honours a different form of Ganesha — Bhalachandra in Chaitra, then Vikata, Ekadanta, Krishnapingala, Gajanana, Heramba, Vighnaraja, Vakratunda, Ganadhipa, Akhuratha, Lambodara, and Dwijapriya in Phalguna, with Vibhuvana Palaka in an adhik month. On a Tuesday it becomes Angaraki Sankashti.
The story most often told is of Ganesha and the moon. When the moon laughed at Ganesha’s round belly and his mount, the mouse, Ganesha cursed him to lose his light. The moon repented, and the curse was softened into the waxing and waning we see each month, with the promise that whoever worships Ganesha on Chaturthi and then offers water to the moon will be freed of their troubles. The name Angaraki comes from Mangal (Angaraka), who is said to have worshipped Ganesha on a Tuesday Chaturthi.
People keep Sankashti to ask Ganesha’s help with obstacles in work, health, family or study, and many mothers keep it for their children. It is a monthly discipline that ends in a warm family moment: waiting together for the moon, offering it water, then sharing modak or ladoo. Sakat Chauth in Magha, kept widely by mothers in North India, and Vakratunda Sankashti, which falls on the same day as Karwa Chauth, are among the best known.
How it is observed
- The fast begins at sunrise and ends only after moonrise; the moonrise time for your place is shown in the list.
- During the day many take fruit, milk, sabudana, peanuts or sweet potato, and some keep a nirjala fast. These are customs, and every family has its own way.
- Ganesha is worshipped in the evening with durva grass, red flowers and modak or ladoo, and the Sankashti katha for that month is read.
- When the moon rises, water mixed with a little milk, sandal and rice is offered to it (chandra arghya), and the fast is broken with the prasad and a simple meal.
- On a cloudy night, many break the fast at the moonrise time by offering water towards the moon’s direction, or after the Ganesha puja.
- Those who are pregnant, elderly, diabetic or unwell need not go without food all day; a lighter fast with fruit and milk, or simply the evening prayer, is enough. Ask a doctor if you have a health condition.
How the date is fixed
Sankashti is kept on the day when Krishna paksha Chaturthi is running at moonrise, because the fast is broken after seeing the moon. If Chaturthi is running at moonrise on two days, the first of them is chosen. If it is running at moonrise on neither day, the vrat goes to the day on which Chaturthi is running at sunrise. The day is called Angaraki when it falls on a Tuesday, and the name of the Ganesha form comes from the purnimanta month.
Where practice differs
Sankashti is kept most widely in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where it is often a temple occasion, and Angaraki Sankashti draws large crowds at Ganesha temples. In North India the Magha Sankashti is kept as Sakat Chauth, with an offering of sesame and jaggery and a katha about a mother and her son. Because amanta calendars count months differently, the same Sankashti may carry the previous month’s name there, and some places call the day Sankatahara Chaturthi.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
How is Sankashti different from Vinayaka Chaturthi?
Sankashti falls on the Krishna paksha Chaturthi, after the full moon, and its fast ends at moonrise. Vinayaka Chaturthi falls on the Shukla paksha Chaturthi, after the new moon, with worship at midday; Ganesh Chaturthi in Bhadrapada is the biggest Vinayaka Chaturthi of the year.
What if I cannot see the moon because of clouds?
Many families break the fast at the listed moonrise time after offering water towards the moon’s direction. In the tradition, the intention and the prayer are what matter.
What is Angaraki Sankashti?
A Sankashti that falls on a Tuesday. It is considered especially auspicious; the fast and the worship stay the same.
What can I eat during the Sankashti fast?
Common choices are fruit, milk, sabudana khichdi, peanuts, sweet potato and rock salt, and grains are usually avoided until moonrise. The meal after moonrise is usually simple and vegetarian.