Karwa Chauth 2026 Moonrise Time by City: India, USA, UK, UAE, Australia

Karwa Chauth 2026 falls on Thursday, October 29 in India, the UK, the UAE, Singapore and Australia, but on Wednesday, October 28 in the USA and Canada. Moonrise (chandrodaya) in New Delhi is at 8:17 PM, in Mumbai 9:00 PM, in New York 7:35 PM, in London 6:31 PM, in Dubai 8:29 PM and in Sydney 11:14 PM. The full city-by-city table is below, with the evening puja muhurat and the time your fast begins at sunrise.

Every time on this page was read from Drik Panchang's Karwa Chauth page for that city and then independently recalculated; the two agreed to within one minute for all 23 cities. Times are in each city's local clock.

What is the Karwa Chauth 2026 moonrise time in major Indian cities?

Karwa Chauth is observed on Thursday, October 29, 2026 across India. The fast runs from sunrise until the Moon is sighted and the arghya (water offering) is made. The evening puja muhurat is the window for the Karwa Chauth puja and katha, and it ends before moonrise.

Notice how much the moonrise moves within India alone: Kolkata sees the Moon at 7:47 PM while Mumbai waits until 9:00 PM, a gap of more than an hour. Even Delhi and Jaipur differ by about 11 minutes. This is why a single "India moonrise time" is never enough.

What time is Karwa Chauth moonrise in the USA, UK, UAE, Singapore and Australia?

Outside India the date itself can change. The table lists the day on which each city observes the vrat, along with local sunrise, puja muhurat and moonrise.

Clock changes matter here. UK clocks went back to GMT on Sunday, October 25, so London's times above are in GMT. US and Canadian clocks do not change until November 1, so the October 28 times are still daylight time. Sydney is on daylight time as well. The UAE and Singapore do not change their clocks.

Why is Karwa Chauth on October 28 in the USA but October 29 in India?

Karwa Chauth is tied to Krishna Paksha Chaturthi in the month of Kartik, and the vrat is kept on the day when Chaturthi is in force at moonrise in your city. In New Delhi, Chaturthi begins at 1:06 AM on October 29 and ends at 10:09 PM that night, so the Moon that rises on the evening of the 29th meets Chaturthi. The Moon on the evening of October 28 rises before Chaturthi has begun there.

In New York the tithi runs differently on the local clock: Chaturthi begins at 3:36 PM on October 28 and ends at 12:39 PM on October 29. That means the evening of October 28 has Chaturthi at moonrise, and by the evening of October 29 it is already over. So the US observes on Wednesday. This is not a mistake or a sect difference; it is the same rule applied to a different longitude. The result also holds for Canada and the cities in our table.

If you live somewhere not listed, check your own city on Drik Panchang rather than copying a nearby city or the India date. Hours past midnight are shown with the next day's date there, so read the notes carefully.

How is the Karwa Chauth moonrise time calculated, and when will I actually see the Moon?

The moonrise (chandrodaya) used by Drik Panchang is a calculated time for your city's coordinates, using the centre of the Moon's disc at the horizon with no allowance for atmospheric refraction. We reproduced that convention independently and matched Drik's published times to within about a minute in every city above.

That convention is not the same as the first glimpse of the Moon. By our own calculation, a clear, perfectly flat horizon would show the Moon's upper edge about five minutes earlier than the listed time. In reality, haze, buildings, hills and trees usually hide the Moon at the horizon for longer, so many families see it a little after the published time. Treat the listed time as the earliest sensible moment to look, and keep an eye out for a few minutes afterwards.

If the sky is cloudy and the Moon cannot be seen at all, many families go by the published chandrodaya time. Practice varies by family and region, so if this applies to you, it is worth asking your elders or your family priest what your tradition follows.

What is the Karwa Chauth schedule from morning to moonrise?

1. Before sunrise: many women eat sargi, the pre-dawn meal traditionally given by the mother-in-law. The nirjala fast starts at sunrise, which is the time in the first column of the tables.
2. Daytime: the fast is observed without food or water. Many keep to light household activity and prepare the puja thali.
3. Evening puja muhurat: gather for the Karwa Chauth puja, worship Shiva, Parvati and Ganesha with Chauth Mata, and listen to or read the Karwa Chauth katha.
4. At moonrise: sight the Moon, offer arghya from the karwa, and look at your husband through the sieve as is customary.
5. Breaking the fast: the husband offers water and something sweet, and the fast is then broken.

Karwa Chauth in 2026 coincides with Sankashti Chaturthi, the monthly fast dedicated to Lord Ganesha, so the Ganesha worship in the puja carries extra significance this year. Ahoi Ashtami follows a few days later (Sunday, November 1 in India), and Diwali after that.

How do I find the moonrise time for a city that is not listed?

Do not estimate from the nearest big city. Moonrise shifts with longitude and latitude, and the difference between two cities in the same country can be a few minutes or more than ten. In our own table, Pune and Mumbai are only 2 minutes apart, but Delhi and Jaipur are 11 minutes apart, and Kolkata and Mumbai are more than an hour apart.

• Look up your exact city or the nearest suburb on Drik Panchang's Karwa Chauth page and confirm the city name in the page title.
• Check the date shown on that page. In some places it will differ from the India date.
• Note whether the times are in your local clock, including any daylight saving adjustment.
• Allow a few minutes of margin for the Moon to clear your local horizon.

You can also use the Daanyam panchang for your location to see sunrise and sunset for the day, and our festival pages for the wider calendar around Karwa Chauth.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Karwa Chauth moonrise time in Delhi in 2026?

On Thursday, October 29, 2026, the Moon rises in New Delhi at 8:17 PM, with the evening puja muhurat from 5:38 PM to 6:56 PM.

Is Karwa Chauth on October 28 or 29, 2026?

It is October 29 in India, the UK, the UAE, Singapore and Australia, and October 28 in the USA and Canada, according to Drik Panchang's city pages. The difference comes from when Chaturthi is in force at moonrise in each place.

Can I drink water before moonrise on Karwa Chauth?

The traditional fast is nirjala, without food or water from sunrise until the Moon is sighted. Some families, and women with health concerns, follow a gentler form. Please consult your doctor if fasting is a concern for you, and follow the practice of your own family.

Is the Moon visible at the exact moonrise time?

Not always. The listed time is calculated for the horizon. Buildings, haze and hills often delay the first sighting by several minutes.

When does Ahoi Ashtami come after Karwa Chauth?

Ahoi Ashtami follows a few days later, on Sunday, November 1, 2026 in India. Our guide covers its date, vidhi and katha.

Offer gau seva on Karwa Chauth

Many families mark Karwa Chauth with an act of giving alongside the fast. Daanyam's gau seva lets you offer fodder to cows on your family's behalf, a long-standing charitable practice during vrats. It is a spiritual offering and not a substitute for the puja itself.

Timings are from Drik Panchang for each listed city as checked on October 11, 2026, and independently recalculated. Please re-check your own city's page on the day, as panchang sources can be revised.