Skanda Shashthi 2026
Skanda Shashthi 2026 falls on Saturday, Saturday, January 24, 2026.
Exact date, puja muhurat & city-wise timings for Skanda Shashthi 2026
Key Information
Festival Date
Saturday, January 24, 2026
2026 Calendar Context
Weekday
Saturday
Vikram Samvat
2083
Shaka Samvat
1948
This year Skanda Shashthi falls on a Saturday, 19 days later than 2025 (2025-01-05) — typical lunar-calendar drift.
Falling on a Saturday brings a Shani emphasis — ancestral rites and black-sesame offerings carry extra weight, mitigating Shani's shadow.
The 2025 observance fell on Sunday, 2025-01-05 — this year arrives 19 days later in the Gregorian calendar, the Adhika-masa pattern when an intercalary lunar month pushes the cycle forward.
Looking ahead to 2027, Skanda Shashthi will fall on Thursday, 2027-01-14 (10 days earlier than this year). So planning ritual schedules across years means anchoring to the tithi rather than the Gregorian date.
Astronomical context for Skanda Shashthi 2026
On Saturday, January 24, 2026, sunrise in Delhi (the reference city for this page) falls at 07:12 IST and sunset at 17:53 IST — a daylight span of 10h 41m. Across the six pan-Indian cities tabulated below, sunrise on this date varies from 06:18 (Kolkata) at the eastern edge to 07:14 (Mumbai) in the west — a 56-minute difference that drives the city-by-city muhurat shift you see in the table.
For Skanda Shashthi 2026, the central rite of udaya tithi (sunrise) depends on the festival tithi being present during that window on 2026-01-24 — confirmed across 6 reference cities in this year's computation pass. Cities further east (Kolkata, Chennai) see the window open ~15-25 minutes before Delhi; cities west of Delhi (Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore) see it start later by a similar margin.
City-Wise Timings for Skanda Shashthi 2026
| City | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 7:12 AM | 5:53 PM |
| Mumbai | 7:14 AM | 6:26 PM |
| Bangalore | 6:46 AM | 6:16 PM |
| Chennai | 6:35 AM | 6:06 PM |
| Kolkata | 6:18 AM | 5:19 PM |
| Pune | 7:09 AM | 6:23 PM |
Click any city for detailed local timings, puja vidhi & samagri list
Why This Date?
Skanda Shashthi follows the Udaya Tithi rule – the festival is observed on the day when the required tithi prevails at sunrise. This is the default Dharmasindhu convention for festivals without a special time-window requirement.
Deity
Lord Murugan (Kartikeya)
Legend & History
Lord Murugan (Kartikeya/Skanda), the son of Shiva, defeated the demon Surapadman on this day after a six-day battle. Surapadman was split in two – one half became a peacock (Murugan's mount) and the… Read full legend →Show less ↑
Lord Murugan (Kartikeya/Skanda), the son of Shiva, defeated the demon Surapadman on this day after a six-day battle. Surapadman was split in two – one half became a peacock (Murugan's mount) and the other a rooster on his battle flag.
How to Observe
A six-day festival (Shashthi begins on Pratipada and culminates on Shashthi). Devotees fast, recite Skanda Sashti Kavacham, and worship Murugan. Grand celebrations at Murugan temples, especially in Tamil Nadu.
Significance
Celebrates the victory of good over evil – Murugan's defeat of the Asura army. Devotees pray for courage, protection from negativity, and the strength to overcome personal obstacles.
Looking for Skanda Shashthi 2027?
Skanda Shashthi 2027 Date & Muhurat