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Bhai Dooj 2026

calendar11th Nov 2026
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Bhai Dooj
Falls on Kartika Shukla Dwitiya, the closing day of Diwali, and is also called Yama Dwitiya. Sisters mark the brother's forehead with tilak and feed him a meal — a re-enactment of Yamuna hosting her twin brother Yama, who in return promised that any brother eating at his sister's home today escapes the torments of Yamaloka.
Panchanga
Panchanga For 11th Nov 2026
Upcoming Dates For Bhai Dooj
11th Nov 2026
Wednesday
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31st Oct 2027
Sunday
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About
The Yama Dwitiya story explains why the meal, not the gift, is the heart of the day. Yama and Yamuna are twin children of Surya. When Yama finally visited his sister, she fed him with such love that he offered her a boon — and she asked that every brother who eats at his sister's house on this tithi be spared his messengers at the hour of death. So on Bhai Dooj, brothers worship Yama, Chitragupta (the scribe of deeds) and the Yamadutas in the afternoon muhurta, and a four-wick lamp is lit outside the door for Yama. Names shift by region — Bhau Beej in Maharashtra, Bhai Phonta in Bengal, where the sister draws the mark with sandalwood, kajal and ghee using her little finger. A bath at Vishram Ghat on the Yamuna in Mathura is held to be especially purifying.
PRARTHANA FOR BHAI DOOJ
Yama Gayatri Mantra
1. Yama Gayatri Mantra
Yamuna Gayatri Mantra
2. Yamuna Gayatri Mantra
Prarthanas & mantras for Bhai DoojListen to devotional prarthanas and chants for Hindu festivals

Festival Pooja & Pandit Booking

Want a Pandit-led pooja for this festival at home, or online if you live abroad? Dharmayana connects you with verified Pandits for all major Hindu festivals — Diwali, Navratri, Shivratri, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi and more.

You can book:

  • Festival pooja at home with a verified Pandit
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  • Same-day sankalp for time-sensitive festivals

Bookings, samagri lists and Pandit assignment are all handled inside the Dharmayana app — choose the festival, pick a date and the rest is taken care of.

Prarthana, Mantras & Vrat Katha

Every festival has its own prarthanas, stotras and vrat kathas. Reading or listening to them on the festival day is the simplest way to observe the tradition at home.

Inside the Dharmayana app you can listen to:

  • 1000+ prarthanas, mantras and stotras with clear audio
  • Festival-specific kathas — Lakshmi, Durga, Shiva, Ganesha, Krishna
  • Multilingual versions: Sanskrit, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and more

Browse the full collection of prarthanas or get the app to play them on the festival morning without ads.

Festival Date, Tithi & Muhurat

Hindu festivals are tied to a specific Tithi, not a fixed date — so the day shifts every year and even varies slightly across cities.

Open the Panchanga for the festival day to see the exact Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga, Karana and Shubh Muhurat for pooja in your location.

The Dharmayana app keeps track of all upcoming festivals on the Hindu calendar and reminds you in advance.

Personalised Astrology Around Festivals

Festivals are also a good time to look at your kundali — many families plan sankalp, donations or new beginnings around them.

Inside the app you can:

  • Generate your personal Vedic kundali
  • Talk to a Jyotisha for guidance around career, relationships or health
  • Run kundali matching before fixing a marriage during the festival season

All of this is available inside the Dharmayana app — no fixed schedule, use it whenever you need it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hindu festivals — like Diwali, Navratri, Mahashivaratri, Holi and Janmashtami — mark sacred moments tied to deities, seasons and lunar/solar cycles. Each festival has its own story, vrat, prarthana and rituals, and is timed using the Panchanga so the date moves slightly every year against the Gregorian calendar.

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