Astha SangrahASTHA SANGRAHhttps://asthasangrah.comBhai Dooj 2026 on 11 November: Tilak Muhurat 1:10 to 3:20 PM
Bhai Dooj is on Wednesday, 11 November 2026. The auspicious time for the tilak is 1:10 to 3:20 PM (New Delhi).
- Bhai Dooj, Yama Dwitiya
- Wednesday, 11 November 2026
- Tilak muhurat (aparahna)
- 1:10 to 3:20 PM
- Dwitiya tithi
- 2:00 PM, 10 November to 3:53 PM, 11 November
Why 11 November, and why the afternoon
The Bhai Dooj tilak is done in the aparahna, the fourth of the five parts of the day, which falls in the afternoon. Dwitiya begins at 2:00 PM on 10 November, so only half of that day's aparahna is in Dwitiya. On 11 November both sunrise and the whole aparahna, 1:10 to 3:20 PM, fall in Dwitiya, so Bhai Dooj is on 11 November. Dwitiya ends at 3:53 PM that day, so finish the tilak before then.
The afternoon timing comes from the story: Yamuna fed her brother Yama at her home at this hour. So prepare in the morning, invite your brother for a meal, and do the tilak and serve him food in the afternoon.
The story of Yama and Yamuna
Yama and Yamuna, children of the Sun god, are brother and sister. Yamuna kept inviting her brother home, but Yama was always busy with his work. On Kartik Shukla Dwitiya he finally came, and Yamuna bathed him, applied a tilak, did his aarti and fed him lovingly. Pleased, Yama gave a boon: any brother who visits his sister on this day, receives her tilak and eats from her hand will have no fear of untimely death. That is why the day is also called Yama Dwitiya, and brothers and sisters bathe together in the Yamuna at Mathura's Vishram Ghat.
The tilak, step by step
- On a thali, place roli, akshat, a lamp, sweets, a coconut or gola, and kalava thread.
- Seat your brother facing east or north, with a handkerchief or cloth on his head.
- Between 1:10 and 3:20 PM, apply a tilak of roli and akshat on his forehead, do his aarti and tie the kalava.
- Feed him sweets and a meal; the brother gives his sister a gift and promises to protect her.
Chitragupta Puja and regional names
Yama Dwitiya is also the day of Chitragupta Puja, for Yama's divine record-keeper. Kayastha families worship pens, inkpots and account books, and in many of them reading and writing begin that day only after the puja. The festival is called Bhau Beej in Maharashtra, Bhai Phonta in Bengal and Bhai Tika in Nepal.
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Your questions
What if my brother lives far away?
Sisters do the puja and prepare a tilak thali in his name, and send kalava or sweets. Many families now do the tilak over a video call too.
Can the tilak be done after 3:20 PM?
The best time is the aparahna, 1:10 to 3:20 PM. If you're late, make sure the tilak is done before Dwitiya ends at 3:53 PM.
How is Bhai Dooj different from Raksha Bandhan?
Raksha Bandhan falls on Shravan Purnima and centres on the rakhi, while Bhai Dooj falls on Kartik Shukla Dwitiya after Diwali and centres on the tilak and a meal at the sister's home.
Dates and times checked against Drik Panchang and our own panchang, for New Delhi.
