Diwali Festival of Lights 2026: Jaipur, Ayodhya and Amritsar Guide

Diwali 2026 peaks on Sunday, November 8, when Lakshmi Puja is performed at dusk; the New Delhi muhurat runs from 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM ¹. The festival opens with Dhanteras on Friday, November 6, and closes with Bhai Dooj on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, in Indian panchang calendars ¹.

The Chaturdashi tithi runs from 10:49 AM on November 7 to 11:30 AM on November 8, so Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) and Lakshmi Puja fall on the same Sunday in India ². The Amavasya that follows begins at 11:30 AM on November 8 and ends at 12:33 PM on November 9 ¹. Because the next tithi only holds at sunrise on Tuesday, Govardhan Puja falls on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 ^{1 3}.

What each day means for a traveller:

• Friday, November 6, 2026 (Dhanteras): jewellers and steel-utensil shops stay open late, because buying metal is considered lucky ¹.

• Saturday, November 7, 2026: the fullest market evening, and the Deepotsav weekend in Ayodhya ⁵.

• Sunday, November 8, 2026: a pre-dawn oil bath for Naraka Chaturdashi, Lakshmi Puja at dusk, then firecrackers ^{1 2}.

• Monday, November 9, 2026: a quiet day once the Amavasya ends at 12:33 PM, good for travel ¹.

• Tuesday, November 10 and Wednesday, November 11, 2026: Annakut food offerings in temples for Govardhan Puja, then Bhai Dooj ^{1 3}.

Families light clay diyas on Diwali night to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and, across North India, to recall how Ayodhya lit lamps for Rama's return after fourteen years of exile ⁶. The story changes with the city. In Amritsar, Sikhs mark Bandi Chhor Divas, the return of the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind, in 1619, after the Mughal emperor Jahangir released him together with 52 princes held at Gwalior ⁸. In Kolkata and much of Bengal the main night is Kali Puja, with the goddess Kali in neighbourhood pandals rather than Lakshmi at a home altar.

Inside a house the evening follows a pattern. The floor is washed in the afternoon, a rangoli of coloured powder, rice flour or marigold petals is drawn at the threshold, and a small altar holds images of Lakshmi and Ganesh with coins, sweets and a lamp meant to burn through the night. When the prayers end, children run out with sparklers and the lane fills with firecracker smoke.

What visitors can join:

• Watch: rows of lamps on rooftops and parapets in Jaipur's walled city at dusk.

• Do: light a diya at a neighbourhood temple, or join a host family's puja if invited.

• Eat: ghewar in Jaipur, pinni in Amritsar, kaju katli and besan laddoo everywhere.

Tip: Step around the rangoli on doorsteps.

Jaipur suits a first Diwali, Ayodhya suits travellers who want the largest lamp display, and Amritsar suits those who want a quieter, devotional night.

Jaipur. The walled city, founded in 1727 by Jai Singh II and painted pink for the Prince of Wales's visit in 1876 ¹⁰, hangs lights across Johari Bazaar, MI Road and Kishanpole Bazaar. For Diwali 2025 the Jaipur Vyapar Mahasangh planned to hand out potter-made lamps to more than 100,000 shops ¹¹.

Ayodhya. The 10th Deepotsav is scheduled for November 5 to 7, 2026, with a target of 33 lakh (3.3 million) earthen lamps along about two kilometres from Ram Ki Paidi to the Saryu ghats, plus a stage for cultural programmes ⁵. The Incredible India event listing gives November 6, 2026, so confirm the lamp-lighting evening before booking ⁶. In 2025 Guinness counted 26,17,215 oil lamps and 2,128 people performing aarti together ⁷.

Amritsar. The Golden Temple is lit for Bandi Chhor Divas, which coincides with Diwali there ⁸. Fireworks over the Amrit Sarovar are not a given: in 2022 they were limited to green crackers for at most 10 minutes ⁸, and in 2024 there were none, with only the sanctum and the Akal Takht illuminated ⁹.

Varanasi. Its own festival of lamps, Dev Deepawali, falls on Tuesday, November 24, 2026, with diyas set along the ghats from Ravidas Ghat to Rajghat ⁴.

Tip: Pick one city for the main night and stay put.

Bad enough to plan around. On 21 October 2025, the day after Diwali, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) rated New Delhi's air “very poor” at an AQI of 350, while the private monitor IQAir read 442 the same morning ¹³. An analysis of CPCB data found that average PM2.5 reached 488 micrograms per cubic metre in the 24 hours after Diwali 2025, more than three times the pre-festival level of 156.6 ¹⁴.

The CPCB scale explains what those numbers mean. An AQI of 301 to 400 is “very poor” and may cause respiratory illness on prolonged exposure; 401 to 500 is “severe” and can affect even healthy people ¹². Firecracker rules are set again every year. For Diwali 2025 the Supreme Court allowed only certified green crackers in Delhi-NCR from October 18 to 21, to be burst from 6 AM to 7 AM and 8 PM to 10 PM ¹⁵.

Early November is dry after the monsoon across Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, with warm afternoons and cool nights.

How to plan around it:

• Put Delhi first: see Chandni Chowk and the Red Fort before Diwali, not the morning after.

• Pack N95 masks for the main night and the day that follows.

• Book a room with an air purifier if anyone in the group has asthma.

Note: Watch the lights at dusk and be indoors before the heaviest firecrackers start.

The Indian e-Visa portal accepts applications at least 4 days before arrival and up to 120 days ahead of travel ¹⁶. A traveller landing on Dhanteras, Friday, November 6, 2026, therefore has to apply by Monday, November 2, 2026 ¹⁶.

The e-Tourist Visa comes in three lengths ¹⁶:

• 30 days: multiple entries, counted from the first arrival, non-extendable and non-convertible.

• One year: multiple entries, valid from the date the ETA is granted, with stays capped at 180 days in a calendar year.

• Five years: the same conditions over five years, also capped at 180 days in a calendar year.

The passport needs at least six months of validity when the application is made, and at least two blank pages for the immigration stamp ¹⁶. Biometric details are captured at immigration on arrival, so allow extra time in the queue at Delhi or Mumbai during Diwali week ¹⁶.

The portal states that the e-Visa service is entirely online and needs no agent, and it warns about intermediaries who ask for extra payment ¹⁶.

Before the flight:

• Confirm your nationality is eligible on the official portal.

• Upload a clear passport scan and photo to avoid a rejection that costs days.

• Print the ETA approval and the address of your first night's room.

Tip: Type the portal address by hand; look-alike sites add their own fee.

Trains fill first. Since November 1, 2024, Indian Railways has opened reserved bookings 60 days before departure, while the foreign tourist quota keeps a 365-day window ¹⁷. A few daytime trains, such as the Taj Express and the Gomti Express, keep shorter limits ¹⁷. For travel on November 6 or 7, 2026, the general quota opened 60 days earlier ¹⁷, so check the foreign tourist quota on IRCTC before giving up on a sold-out train.

The Delhi Metro runs normally on Diwali day until the evening. On October 20, 2025, the last trains left all terminal stations, including on the Airport Express Line, at 10:00 PM ¹⁸. Expect a similar notice for Sunday, November 8, 2026, and plan the ride back to the hotel before then.

Ayodhya has its own airport, Maharshi Valmiki International Airport, with Lucknow and Varanasi as alternatives, and two railway stations, Ayodhya Dham Junction and Ayodhya Cantt ⁶. In Jaipur, a car with a driver is the easiest way to reach Amber Palace, about 11 km away ¹⁰.

Getting around on the main night:

• Arrive at your viewing spot before dusk; police close lanes around bazaars and ghats.

• Save your hotel address in Hindi to show auto-rickshaw drivers.

• Book a ride before the puja ends, when prices jump.

Tip: In Jaipur's walled city, walking back is often faster than a car.

Stay inside or right beside the walled city if the lights are the point of the trip. Haveli guesthouses near Johari Bazaar, Chandpole and the lanes behind Hawa Mahal, built in 1799 ¹⁰, put the illuminated bazaars a short walk away. The trade-off is noise until late, firecrackers on the lane and no car access on Lakshmi Puja night.

Just outside the walls, C-Scheme, Bani Park and the streets around MI Road are quieter and easier for drivers, with MI Road's own lights close by.

The same logic holds elsewhere. In Ayodhya, rooms within walking distance of Ram Ki Paidi are scarce during Deepotsav, scheduled for November 5 to 7, 2026, so book early or stay in Lucknow and come in for one evening ⁵. In Amritsar, the pedestrian heritage street leading to the Golden Temple lets you walk to the parikrama at night and again for the early-morning prayers.

What to look for when booking:

• Free cancellation, in case trains or flights shift.

• Walking distance to Johari Bazaar, Ram Ki Paidi or the Golden Temple.

• A rooftop with a view over the old city for the main night.

• Sealed windows or an air purifier if smoke worries you.

Tip: Book one room for the whole stay; changing hotels on Sunday, November 8, 2026 means dragging bags through closed lanes.

A Diwali mithai box is the gift every household exchanges, and its contents change with the city. In Jaipur it usually holds ghewar, a honeycomb disc of fried batter soaked in syrup, alongside kaju katli wrapped in silver vark, besan laddoo and milk barfi. In Amritsar, pinni and dry-fruit boxes take the place of ghewar. Savoury pyaaz kachori, bought hot in the morning, is Jaipur's everyday festival breakfast. On Govardhan Puja, Tuesday, November 10, 2026, temples build Annakut, a hill of dishes offered to Krishna and then shared with visitors ³.

Dhanteras shopping is a ritual of its own. Families buy steel pots, silver coins or gold, and jewellery counters on Johari Bazaar stay busy late into the evening.

Money works in two systems. Many sweet shops and stalls show a UPI QR code, but paying that way needs an Indian bank account or a payment app that accepts foreign cards. Cash still matters for rickshaws, temple offerings and small stalls, and ATMs in busy markets can run dry on the main night.

Money habits that help:

• Withdraw cash a day or two early from ATMs inside bank branches.

• Carry small notes for offerings, tips and street food.

• Use cards at hotels, larger shops and sweet chains.

Tip: Buy gift boxes on Saturday, November 7, 2026, before the counters thin out on the main day.

Cover your head, remove your shoes and wear clothes that cover shoulders and knees. Everyone entering the Golden Temple complex, of any faith, covers their head; a cotton scarf or bandana works, and spare cloths are usually available at the entrance. Shoes and socks go to the free shoe counters, and visitors walk through a shallow foot-washing channel before stepping onto the parikrama. Tobacco and alcohol are not allowed anywhere in the complex.

For a Lakshmi Puja at a host family's home, festive clothes are the norm. Many visitors buy a kurta or a salwar suit in Jaipur's bazaars a day before and blend in better for it.

Etiquette that matters:

• Accept sweets and prasad with your right hand.

• Ask before photographing anyone at prayer, and keep the flash off inside temples.

• Never step over or onto a rangoli.

• Do not point your feet towards an altar or the Guru Granth Sahib.

• Follow your host on when to sit, stand or offer flowers.

What to pack:

• A cotton scarf for head covering and cold evenings.

• Slip-on shoes for repeated temple visits.

• Cotton clothes for firecracker nights; synthetic fabric melts.

• N95 masks and earplugs for smoke and noise.

• A power bank and a cross-body bag that zips shut.

Tip: Hold out both hands to receive rotis at the Golden Temple langar.

Keep a few metres from anyone lighting firecrackers and never pick up or relight one that failed to go off. On Lakshmi Puja night rockets and ground spinners are set off at street level in narrow lanes, often by children, and burns are the commonest festival injury.

India's single emergency number is 112, which brings together the police (100), fire (101) and health (108) lines ¹⁹. On a smartphone, pressing the power button three times activates a panic call, and you can also call for help through the free 112 India app or send an SOS alert from the state's ERSS website ¹⁹.

Crowds are the other risk. Pickpockets work the packed stretches of Chandni Chowk and Johari Bazaar, so keep phones and passports in a zipped front bag and carry a copy of the passport page and visa.

Connectivity makes these steps easier. An India eSIM installed over Wi-Fi at home and switched on after landing gives data for ride apps, live location sharing and the 112 India app from the arrival hall, while the home SIM stays available for bank codes.

With young children or older relatives:

• Choose dusk for lamp-watching and be back inside before the late firecrackers.

• Protect ears with earmuffs for babies and earplugs for adults.

• Write your phone number on a card in each child's pocket.

• Agree on a meeting point, such as a temple gate or bazaar corner.

Note: Smoke and noise can worsen asthma; consult a doctor before travelling.