Chhath Puja in Bhubaneswar

Date and timing in this city

In Bhubaneswar, Chhath Puja falls on Kartik Shukla Shashthi. For 2026, the date computed for Bhubaneswar is Sunday 15 November 2026. For 2027, it is Thursday 4 November 2027. The city observes Indian Standard Time (Asia/Kolkata).

Chhath is a sun-centred observance. The vrata is offered to Surya and to Chhathi Maiya, with worship performed at rivers. Because the tithi is tied to the sunrise and sunset of a given place, the day is read locally rather than borrowed from another region's calendar.

Why the date can differ from India

Chhath Puja is observed across Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Nepal, and it is also kept by communities living elsewhere. A single "all-India" date is a convenience, not a rule. The Shashthi tithi is reckoned from the local sunrise, and sunrise in Bhubaneswar does not occur at the same moment as sunrise in Patna, Ranchi or Kathmandu. Where the tithi begins or ends close to a sunrise, that difference can move the observance by a day.

Traditions also differ in how the lunar month is counted — amanta in some regions, purnimanta in others — and Smarta and Vaishnava households may read the same tithi differently. This is why a panchang prepared for Bhubaneswar is the safer reference for a family observing in Bhubaneswar. For personal charts and vrata questions, consult a qualified jyotishi.

Where and how the community celebrates

The form of the observance is consistent: a disciplined fast, offerings of fruit and thekua, arghya to the setting sun on the evening of Shashthi, and arghya to the rising sun the following morning. In Bhubaneswar, as wherever the festival is kept, families gather at rivers and other water edges for the evening and morning offerings. The brief does not name specific ghats, temples or organisers in the city; households generally follow the riverbank or water body their family or community has long used.

Devotees who have moved to Bhubaneswar from Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh or Nepal often keep the same rituals they grew up with, adapting only the location.

Practical tips

• Check a panchang computed for Bhubaneswar's own sunrise before fixing your vrata day.
• Confirm the 2026 date as Sunday 15 November 2026 and the 2027 date as Thursday 4 November 2027 against your local panchang closer to the time.
• Plan the evening arghya and the next morning's arghya together; they fall on consecutive sunrises and sunsets.
• If you are new to the city, ask elders or your community group which water edge they use.
• Keep the fast within what is safe and customary for you; this article makes no health claims.