HinduCalendar.in New Delhi

Shashti

Also called Skanda Shashti, Kanda Sashti, Subrahmanya Shashti

When

Thursday, 17 September 2026 in 21 days

New Delhi ยท change location

Sunrise6:10 AM
Sunset6:20 PM
Shashthi until 10:48 AM
at sunrise. This observance is governed by madhyahna, not by the sunrise tithi โ€” which is why the tithi named here is often not the one the festival is named for.
Anuradha until 7:53 PM
1:46 PM โ€“ 3:17 PM

See the complete panchang for that day โ†’

Governed by

Why this date?

The sixth tithi of each paksha; the Shukla Paksha Shashti is the one generally kept. The great annual observance โ€” Skanda Shashti in Kartika โ€” runs six days from Pratipada and its concluding day is settled by a governed consensus rule rather than by the tithi alone.

  • Computed by the panchanga engine for your location
  • Follows a written selection rule, not a copied list
  • The governing period is stated, and the rule is applied to it
  • The written guide has not yet been reviewed by a named scholar

Dates come from the calculation engine and are independent of the written guide. How we calculate โ†’

Dates in the coming years

Published to 2030. Later years appear as the dataset is extended and validated.

What In short

The monthly observance of Kartikeya. The Kartika Skanda Shashti is the annual six-day form, concluding in the Soorasamharam.

Why The reason behind it

Shashti is Kartikeya's tithi. The six days of the annual observance correspond to the six faces and to the campaign against Surapadma, which the concluding Soorasamharam enacts.

Traditional basis

Skanda Purana โ€” The Kartikeya narrative and the Shashti vrata.

Kanda Puranam (Tamil, Kachiyappa Sivachariyar) โ€” The Tamil recension that the Soorasamharam performance follows.

How At home, step by step

  1. Keep the fast on the Shashti; many households keep only a single meal.
  2. Perform the Murugan puja; offer flowers and the household's usual naivedya.
  3. During the annual six days, attend the Soorasamharam on the concluding day where a temple performs it.
What you'll need
  • Flowers, particularly red
  • Fruit and the household's naivedya
  • A ghee lamp
  • Vibhuti
Fasting and breaking the fast

A single-meal fast is the common rule; the annual six days are kept more strictly.

Fasting guidance here describes traditional practice. It is not medical advice โ€” if you are pregnant, diabetic, on medication or unwell, ask a doctor about your own circumstances.

Personal In your region

For children

Murugan is Shiva's son who led an army when he was still very young. Once a month is his day, and once a year there is a six-day one that ends with the big battle.

Common questions

Is Skanda Shashti the same as the monthly Shashti?
The annual Kartika observance is the great instance of the monthly one. Note that Bengali Shashthi observances are addressed to Shashthi Devi and are a separate tradition despite the shared tithi.

Not the same day

These fall nearby or share the tithi, and are often confused with this observance. They are separate, and this site dates them separately.

This guide has not yet been reviewed by a named scholar or practising priest. The dates and times on this page come from the calculation engine and are independent of it; the explanatory text is editorial and may not reflect your family's practice. Tell us if something is wrong.