Kharna 2026: Chhath Puja Day 2 on 14 November, Kheer Prasad, Sunset Time and the 36-Hour Fast
Kharna 2026 is on Saturday, 14 November. It is the second day of Chhath Puja 2026, kept on Kartik Shukla Panchami. The Panchami tithi runs from 08:43 PM on Friday, 13 November to 11:25 PM on 14 November. The vratti fasts through the day and worships after sunset, which is at 05:01 PM in Patna and 05:28 PM in Delhi. In Gujarat the same day is Labh Panchami.
Kharna 2026: date and sunset time
- Kharna (Lohanda): Saturday, 14 November 2026
- Tithi: Kartik Shukla Panchami, 13 November 08:43 PM to 14 November 11:25 PM
- Sunset, Patna: 05:01 PM
- Sunset, Delhi: 05:28 PM
- Nirjala fast: from the Kharna prasad until Usha Arghya, Monday, 16 November
The Kharna puja begins once the sun has set. Sunset on 14 November, from our own panchang:
| City | Sunset |
|---|---|
| Patna | 05:01 PM |
| Gaya | 05:03 PM |
| Muzaffarpur | 05:00 PM |
| Darbhanga | 04:57 PM |
| Bhagalpur | 04:55 PM |
| Ranchi | 05:04 PM |
| Varanasi | 05:10 PM |
| Lucknow | 05:16 PM |
| Kolkata | 04:53 PM |
| Delhi | 05:28 PM |
| Mumbai | 06:00 PM |
Kharna puja vidhi
- The vratti keeps a fast through the day, usually without water.
- In the afternoon the prasad is cooked in the cleaned kitchen, on a clay chulha with mango wood: rasiao kheer (rice cooked in milk with jaggery, not sugar), plain roti or puri made with ghee, and bananas.
- After sunset a lamp is lit and the prasad is offered on a banana leaf to Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya.
- The vratti eats the prasad alone and in silence. Many families keep the house quiet at this time, since any noise is said to make the vratti stop eating.
- The prasad is then shared with the family, neighbours and anyone who comes to the house to receive it.
The 36-hour nirjala fast
The moment the Kharna prasad is eaten, the main fast of Chhath begins: no food and no water for about 36 hours, through the whole of Sunday and the Sandhya Arghya, until the Usha Arghya at sunrise on Monday, 16 November. The night after Kharna and the next day are spent preparing the thekua and the soop (bamboo basket) for the ghat.
The fast is demanding. Anyone who is unwell, pregnant or elderly should speak to a doctor, and many families let such members keep a lighter form of the vrat with water or fruit, which tradition accepts.
All four days of Chhath Puja 2026: Nahay Khay (13 Nov) · Kharna (14 Nov) · Sandhya Arghya (15 Nov) · Usha Arghya (16 Nov). Also read: the complete Chhath Puja 2026 guide, the Chhath vrat katha and Chhathi Maiya aarti and Chhath geet.
Kharna 2026: FAQs
When is Kharna in 2026?
On Saturday, 14 November 2026, the Kartik Shukla Panchami and the second day of Chhath Puja.
What time is Kharna puja on 14 November 2026?
After sunset: 05:01 PM in Patna, 04:53 PM in Kolkata, 05:10 PM in Varanasi and 05:28 PM in Delhi.
What is the Kharna prasad?
Rasiao kheer made with rice, milk and jaggery, roti or puri made with ghee, and bananas, first offered to Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya.
When does the nirjala fast end?
At the Usha Arghya at sunrise on Monday, 16 November 2026, after about 36 hours without food or water.
Chhath is kept above all for the health and long life of children and the family. To see what your own chart says about children and family, start with your free kundli or talk to an astrologer.
