Chhath Puja 2026 in Ludhiana: Events, Puja & Where to Celebrate
TL;DR
- Chhath Puja 2026 runs November 13–16, culminating with Usha Arghya at sunrise on Nov 16 🌅
- Devotees offer arghya at water bodies across the city — confirm your local ghat early
- Navratri begins Oct 11, Dussehra falls Oct 20, Diwali lights up Nov 8
- Bhai Dooj follows Diwali on Nov 11, completing the festive sequence
- Listings and updates at desi.net/ludhiana
The Festival Sequence: October Through November
Ludhiana's autumn calendar moves quickly. Four major observances fall in rapid succession, each with its own preparations, rituals, and community dimensions — and the season concludes with one of the most physically committed acts of devotion in the Hindu calendar.
Navratri opens on October 11. Nine nights of devotion to the Goddess, marked across the city by jagrans, dandiya programs, special temple arti, and the preparation of the nine-day fast by households following the vrat. The energy builds through the nine nights and breaks open on Navami.
Dussehra follows on October 20. In Ludhiana, the Dussehra Mela at Daresi Ground is one of the largest gatherings of the festival calendar, drawing families from across the district to watch the burning of the Ravana effigy. The effigies at Daresi Ground have earned a regional reputation for their scale, and the crowds reflect that. Get there early.
Eighteen days later, Diwali falls on November 8. Ludhiana's residential neighbourhoods — from the old city lanes to the newer sectors along the bypass — fill with earthen diyas, string lights, and fireworks after sundown. Sweets are exchanged, lamps are lit at doorways, and Lakshmi puja is performed in homes and shops alike.
Bhai Dooj arrives on November 11, the day after Chhat Dwitiya, when sisters perform the tika ceremony for their brothers, offering saffron and rice grain marks on the forehead and prayers for protection. This is one of the quieter moments in a loud festive season — intimate, family-centred, and easy to miss in the noise of Diwali's aftermath.
Chhath Puja 2026: The Four-Day Ritual
Chhath Puja 2026 begins on Thursday, November 13 and concludes on Sunday, November 16 with the Usha Arghya — the morning offering made to the rising sun while standing waist-deep in water.
The four days follow a fixed sequence. Nahay Khay on November 13 opens the puja: devotees bathe in a river or clean water source, cook a sattvic meal, and begin the purification period. Kharna on November 14 brings the first day of the fast, ending with the prasad preparation of kheer (rice milk) and roti, which is distributed to family and neighbours after sunset.
Sandhya Arghya — the evening offering to the setting sun — takes place on November 15. This is the heart of Chhath Puja. Vratin (those observing the fast) wade into the water at sunset holding bamboo soop baskets filled with sugarcane, seasonal fruits, thekua, coconuts, and betel leaves. The offering is made in silence and devotion, with family gathered at the bank. In cities across North India and wherever the Bihari and Purvanchali communities have migrated, these riverbank and pond-side scenes on Sandhya Arghya evening are among the most visually striking of the entire Hindu calendar year.
Usha Arghya completes the puja on the morning of November 16. Devotees return before dawn to offer the morning arghya to the rising sun. The fast is broken after this offering, concluding a ritual period that has lasted 36 hours without water for many vratin.
Insider Tip: Chhath Puja ghats in Ludhiana draw significant crowds on Sandhya Arghya evening and Usha Arghya morning. Arrive well ahead of the arghya timings — traffic near water bodies fills up hours before sunset on November 15. Confirm ghat locations through your local community network or check desi.net/ludhiana for updated listings.
Where Ludhiana Gathers: Water Bodies and Ghats
Chhath Puja requires water, and Ludhiana's relationship with its water bodies is complicated but essential for this festival. The Budha Dariya, the historic watercourse running through the city, has served as a ritual site for generations of devotees. Gurdwara Gau Ghat on Budha Nala road is one of Ludhiana's historically significant ghats — a point on the Budha Nala that carries both Sikh heritage and, during Chhath season, serves as a gathering point for the puja community.
The migrant communities from Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh who settled in Ludhiana for work in the textile and manufacturing sectors have brought Chhath Puja with them and maintained it across generations. Ludhiana's Chhath celebrations, while not as formally organized as those in Patna or Varanasi, reflect this community's rootedness in the city. Neighbourhood committees often organize temporary ghats or maintain established ones for the festival.
For specific ghat locations and this year's arrangements, check with your local mohalla committee, the Municipal Corporation notices, or desi.net/ludhiana as November approaches.
Gurdwara Shri Reru Sahib and the City's Spiritual Landscape
Ludhiana's religious geography runs deep. Gurdwara Shri Reru Sahib Patshahi 10 (Shanewal) stands on Sher Shah Suri Marg (the GT Road) and commemorates the passage of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru — hence "Patshahi 10." The Shanewal location gives it a particular character, sitting at the junction of the historic highway and the city's expanding periphery. Gurdwara Shri Reru Sahib draws sangat throughout the year and its langar operates continuously.
During the Navratri and Diwali season, gurdwaras across Ludhiana hold extended akhand paths and special divan programs. The GT Road corridor has a high density of religious institutions — Hindu mandirs and Sikh gurdwaras often sit within a few hundred metres of each other — and the festive season brings activity to all of them simultaneously.
Preparing for Chhath: The Practical Side
Chhath Puja preparation begins well before November 13. The ritual requires specific items: bamboo or brass soop baskets, fresh sugarcane stalks, seasonal fruits, thekua (wheat and jaggery sweet), coconuts, and clean water containers. In Ludhiana's markets — particularly the lanes near the old vegetable market and the residential wholesale areas — these items appear reliably in the days before the festival.
Households observing the fast should prepare the space for prasad preparation on Kharna evening (November 14) with clean, dedicated utensils. The prasad — kheer and thekua primarily — is prepared by the vratin with particular care and distributed without touching processed or commercial foods.
For those new to the city or observing Chhath for the first time away from their home state, connecting with established Bihari and Purvanchali samaj organizations in Ludhiana is the most direct path to finding the community ghats and participation guidelines.
FAQ
Q: When exactly is Chhath Puja 2026? A: The four days of Chhath Puja 2026 run November 13 to 16. Sandhya Arghya is November 15 at sunset; Usha Arghya is November 16 at sunrise.
Q: Where in Ludhiana can I observe Chhath Puja? A: Established water bodies including ghats on the Budha Nala and temporary ghats organized by neighbourhood committees serve as Chhath sites. Confirm locations through local community networks or check desi.net/ludhiana closer to the date.
Q: Is Chhath Puja observed by Punjabis or only by migrants? A: Chhath Puja is primarily observed by communities from Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh. In Ludhiana, these communities are well established and the festival is a recognised part of the city's autumn calendar.
Q: What is Sandhya Arghya? A: Sandhya Arghya is the evening offering of the Chhath Puja on the third day — vratin stand in water at sunset and offer prayers and a filled soop basket to the setting sun.
Q: Where can I find more Ludhiana festival listings? A: desi.net/ludhiana carries events and community listings. Ludhiana Online at ludhianaonline.com also documents the city's major festival cycle.
Bottom Line 🙏
The October–November sequence in Ludhiana is the year's most concentrated stretch of celebration. Navratri from October 11, Dussehra at Daresi Ground on October 20, Diwali on November 8, Bhai Dooj on November 11, and then Chhath Puja from November 13 to 16 — five major observances in five weeks. Gurdwara Shri Reru Sahib Patshahi 10 (Shanewal) anchors the city's GT Road spiritual corridor throughout. For Chhath specifically, plan your ghat visit early: the evenings of November 15 and 16 draw the largest gatherings of the season.