Kaalashtami 2026
1st Nov 2026
Kaalashtami 2026 is on Sunday, 1 November 2026.
| Abhijit Muhurta | 11:49 AM – 12:33 PM |
|---|---|
| Times for | Ujjain (IST) |
कालाष्टमी 2026 कब है?
कालाष्टमी 2026 रविवार, 1 नवंबर को है।
On this page: prarthanas and mantras with audio · questions about Kaalashtami
Saptami
Ashtami
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
- Online / virtual pooja with live video and digital prasad
- 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
When is Kaalashtami in 2026?
Kaalashtami 2026 falls on Sunday, 1 November 2026.
What is Kaalashtami?
Each lunar month on Krishna Paksha Ashtami, devotees of Bhairava — Shiva's skull-bearing form who beheaded Brahma's fifth head — keep a night-long vigil. Because the fast must fall when Ashtami covers the night, it sometimes shifts back to Saptami. Dogs, his vahana, are fed as part of the worship.
Why is Kaalashtami observed?
The story behind the fast comes from the Shiva Purana. Brahma's fifth head spoke arrogantly of Shiva, who flicked out Bhairava to clip it off with a thumbnail. The skull stuck to his palm as a begging bowl — the mark of brahmahatya, the sin of killing a Brahmin — and only fell away when he reached Kashi. That is why Bhairava is called the Kotwal (police chief) of Kashi, and why the Kashi Khand of the Skanda Purana promises that eight circumambulations of his shrine wipe out all sins. The vrat follows this Kashi pattern. Worship is done in each of the four praharas (night-watches) with three arghya offerings, then a jagarana (all-night vigil). Coconut, sindoor, mustard oil and black sesame are offered, and street dogs are fed as Bhairava's own.
What are the other names for Kaalashtami?
Kaalashtami is also known as Kalabhairav Ashtami.
Which prarthanas are recited on Kaalashtami?
Kalabhairavashtakam and Batuk Bhairava Gayatri Mantra are recited on Kaalashtami. You can listen to them with audio on this page.
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