Dhanteras 1948
Dhanvantari and Lakshmi worship — the buying day that opens Diwali.
Festival days follow the classical attribution rules — udaya (sunrise), pradosha (evening), nishita (midnight), madhyahna or aparahna vyapini as each festival prescribes — computed for Kashi/Varanasi (IST). Regional observance can differ by a day in some years.
Read the Dhanteras puja vidhi, vrat rules and kathaDhanteras — Frequently Asked Questions
What should be bought on Dhanteras?
Metal — silver, steel or brass — and traditionally an empty vessel, which is filled before it is carried into the house. Gold and utensils are the common choices; the vessel is the older custom.
Why is a lamp placed facing south on Dhanteras?
It is the Yama deepam, offered after dusk to Yama for the safety of the household. It is set outside the house, facing south, and is not brought back in.
Who is worshipped first on Dhanteras?
Dhanvantari, the physician who rose from the churned ocean with the pot of amrita. Lakshmi and Kubera are invoked after him — health precedes wealth on this day.
Other major festivals in 1948
- Makar Sankranti — 14 January 1948
- Vasant Panchami — 15 February 1948
- Maha Shivaratri — 9 March 1948
- Holika Dahan — 24 March 1948
- Holi — 25 March 1948
- Chaitra Navratri begins — 10 April 1948
- Ram Navami — 17 April 1948
- Akshaya Tritiya — 11 May 1948
- Jagannath Rath Yatra — 8 July 1948
- Guru Purnima — 21 July 1948
- Nag Panchami — 9 August 1948
- Raksha Bandhan — 19 August 1948
- Krishna Janmashtami — 27 August 1948
- Hartalika Teej — 6 September 1948
- Ganesh Chaturthi — 6 September 1948
- Anant Chaturdashi — 17 September 1948
- Pitru Paksha begins — 19 September 1948
- Sharad Navratri begins — 3 October 1948
- Durga Ashtami — 10 October 1948
- Maha Navami — 11 October 1948
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami — 12 October 1948
- Karwa Chauth — 21 October 1948
- Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) — 31 October 1948
- Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) — 31 October 1948
- Govardhan Puja — 2 November 1948
- Bhai Dooj — 3 November 1948
- Chhath Puja — 7 November 1948
- Kartik Purnima (Dev Deepawali) — 16 November 1948
- Guru Nanak Jayanti — 16 November 1948
- Hindu Festivals 1948 →