If you’re searching for the Rajasthan Calendar October 2026, you’ve landed on one of the most festival-heavy months of the entire year. October brings Gandhi Jayanti, the end of Pitru Paksha, all nine nights of Sharad Navratri, Durga Ashtami, Dussehra, and a fasting Ekadashi — all packed into roughly three weeks. Whether you’re trying to book leave around Dussehra, plan a puja schedule, or simply confirm which days offices and schools will actually be shut, this guide walks through every date on the calendar in plain language, backed by a clear table and a free PDF you can save for the rest of the month.
What Exactly Is the Rajasthan Calendar?
The “Rajasthan Calendar” that most people search for online is really two calendars layered on top of each other. The first is the Hindu Panchang, the traditional lunisolar system that most households in the state use to work out festival dates, fasting days, and auspicious timings. The second is the official state holiday list, published each year by Rajasthan’s Administrative Reforms Department, which decides which of those Panchang dates actually translate into a day off work or school.
This second layer matters because not every religious date is a public holiday. The state government splits its holiday calendar into two categories:
- Gazetted holidays — government offices, most banks, and schools are closed by default. Dussehra falls into this category in 2026.
- Restricted holidays — employees can choose to take a small number of these per year for festivals that matter to them personally, but offices otherwise stay open.
Knowing which category a date falls under is often more useful than the date itself, especially if you’re planning travel or need to request leave in advance.
Download the Rajasthan Calendar October 2026 PDF
Scrolling back to this page every time you need a date is not exactly convenient, so we’ve put together a downloadable version of the full Rajasthan Calendar October 2026 as a free, print-ready PDF and HD image. It carries every date from the table below in one place — Gandhi Jayanti, Mahalaya, all nine Navratri nights, Durga Ashtami, Dussehra, and Papankusha Ekadashi — so you’re not stuck searching separately for each one as the month goes on. Download it once, save it to your phone for quick reference without needing the internet, forward it to your family or office group on WhatsApp, or print a copy to pin up at home or on your desk.
Rajasthan Calendar October 2026 – Festival and Holiday Table
| Date (2026) | Day | Festival / Vrat | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2 | Friday | Gandhi Jayanti | National Holiday |
| October 10 | Saturday | Ashwin Amavasya (Mahalaya) | Lunar / Vrat |
| October 11 | Sunday | Ghatasthapana (Navratri Begins) | Festival |
| October 19 | Monday | Durga Ashtami (Maha Ashtami) | State Holiday |
| October 20 | Tuesday | Dussehra / Vijayadashami | Gazetted Holiday |
| October 22 | Thursday | Papankusha Ekadashi | Ekadashi / Vrat |
These dates are worked out for Jaipur and the broader Rajasthan region. Tithi start and end times can shift by a few hours depending on your exact city, so for a precise puja muhurat, check the sunrise-based tithi for your own location rather than relying only on the calendar date.
Every Date on the October 2026 Calendar, Explained
Gandhi Jayanti (October 2)
Gandhi Jayanti is a fixed national holiday held every year on October 2 to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary. Unlike most other entries on this list, it isn’t tied to the lunar calendar at all — it falls on the same Gregorian date every single year. Government offices, banks, schools, and the majority of private offices across Rajasthan close for the day, and many towns hold prayer meetings, cleanliness drives, and cultural programs at Gandhi statues and public grounds.
Ashwin Amavasya / Mahalaya (October 10)
This new moon closes out Pitru Paksha, the sixteen-day period devoted to remembering and honouring ancestors, and is widely known as Mahalaya. Families typically perform Tarpan and Shraddha rituals on this day as a final tribute to departed elders. Once Mahalaya passes, Devi Paksha begins — and the very next day kicks off Navratri, which is why this particular Amavasya is treated as a genuine turning point in the month rather than just another lunar date.
Ghatasthapana and the Nine Nights of Navratri (October 11–19)
Sharad Navratri 2026 opens with Ghatasthapana — the ceremonial installation of the kalash — on Sunday, October 11. Over the nine nights that follow, homes and temples across Rajasthan worship the nine forms of Goddess Durga, collectively known as the Navadurga, through daily puja, fasting, and evenings of Garba and Dandiya in many towns. A tray of barley seeds is typically sown inside or beside the kalash at the very start of the festival, and by the closing nights the visible sprouts are treated as a small symbol of growth, devotion, and renewal.
The nine forms worshipped, one per night, in fixed order:
- Shailputri — the daughter of the mountains, and the first form of Parvati
- Brahmacharini — the ascetic form, representing penance and discipline
- Chandraghanta — the warrior form, symbolising courage
- Kushmanda — said to have created the universe with her smile
- Skandamata — mother of Skanda (Kartikeya), representing maternal strength
- Katyayani — a fierce warrior form closely associated with Durga Puja
- Kalaratri — the fierce, protective form believed to destroy fear and ignorance
- Mahagauri — the serene, fair form worshipped on Durga Ashtami
- Siddhidatri — the form said to grant spiritual perfection, worshipped on the final night
Durga Ashtami / Maha Ashtami (October 19)
Falling on the eighth night of Navratri, Durga Ashtami is treated as a state holiday in Rajasthan and several other Indian states, and is considered one of the most spiritually significant days of the entire festival. The highlight is Sandhi Puja, performed at the precise moment the Ashtami tithi ends and Navami begins — a window that traditionally lasts only around 48 minutes. Many households also conduct Kanya Pujan on this day, worshipping young girls as living representations of the goddess and offering them food and small gifts.
Dussehra / Vijayadashami (October 20)
Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami, closes out the ten-day Navratri-Dussehra festival cycle and is a gazetted public holiday across Rajasthan and most of India. It commemorates Lord Rama’s victory over the demon king Ravana, and is celebrated with Ramlila performances and large Ravana-dahan (effigy-burning) events in towns and cities across the state — Jaipur and Kota are particularly known for drawing big crowds to their evening celebrations. Since October 20 falls on a Tuesday in 2026, many families stretch the break by taking a restricted holiday on the Monday or Wednesday around it.
Papankusha Ekadashi (October 22)
Two days after Dussehra, Papankusha Ekadashi falls on the eleventh day of Ashwin Shukla Paksha. The fast is dedicated to Lord Padmanabha, a form of Vishnu, and is believed to help devotees clear accumulated sins when observed with sincere prayer. The typical practice involves avoiding grains from the previous day (Dashami), fasting through Ekadashi itself, and breaking the fast the following morning within the Parana window, once Dwadashi tithi has begun.
Weather and Travel Notes for October in Rajasthan
October usually marks the point where the monsoon fully retreats from Rajasthan and the long, comfortable winter tourist season starts to take hold — which makes it one of the most popular months to visit forts, palaces, and desert towns such as Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, and Jaisalmer. Evenings noticeably cool down by the second half of the month, right around the time Navratri and Dussehra celebrations peak. If you’re planning a trip around the Dussehra weekend specifically, it’s worth booking hotels and transport a little early, since major cities see a combined rush of religious visitors and tourists during this stretch.
How This Calendar Was Put Together
The dates on this Rajasthan Calendar October 2026 are based on standard Hindu Panchang calculations for Jaipur, cross-checked against the pattern of gazetted and restricted holidays typically published by the state government each year. Even so, exact tithi timings can vary by a few hours depending on where in Rajasthan you’re located, and government holiday notifications for a given year are sometimes finalised close to the date itself. For anything time-critical — requesting leave, booking travel, or fixing a puja muhurat — it’s worth cross-checking against your organisation’s official holiday circular or a local pandit closer to the date.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Navratri start in October 2026? Sharad Navratri 2026 begins with Ghatasthapana on Sunday, October 11, 2026, and runs for nine nights.
Is Dussehra a gazetted holiday in Rajasthan in 2026? Yes. Dussehra on October 20, 2026, is a gazetted public holiday, so government offices, schools, and banks remain closed.
When is Durga Ashtami in 2026? Durga Ashtami (Maha Ashtami) falls on Monday, October 19, 2026, and is observed as a state holiday in Rajasthan.
Is Gandhi Jayanti a Rajasthan-specific holiday? No. Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 is a national holiday observed across every Indian state, including Rajasthan.
When is Papankusha Ekadashi in October 2026? Papankusha Ekadashi falls on Thursday, October 22, 2026.
How many holidays does Rajasthan typically get in October? October is usually one of the two or three busiest holiday months of the year in Rajasthan, since Navratri, Durga Ashtami, Dussehra, and Gandhi Jayanti all fall within a few weeks of one another.
Which goddess is worshipped on the first night of Navratri? The first night, October 11, 2026, is dedicated to Goddess Shailputri, the daughter of the mountains and the first form of Parvati.
Are schools closed for the entire Navratri week in Rajasthan? Not usually. Most schools stay open through the early nights of Navratri and close specifically around Durga Ashtami and Dussehra, though some add a short autumn break around these dates. It’s worth checking your own school’s notice board for the exact schedule.
Conclusion
The Rajasthan Calendar October 2026 runs from Gandhi Jayanti at the very start of the month, through the close of Pitru Paksha, all nine nights of Navratri, Durga Ashtami, Dussehra, and finally Papankusha Ekadashi. With Gandhi Jayanti, Durga Ashtami, and Dussehra all falling on different types of holidays — national, state, and gazetted respectively — it’s one of the trickier months to plan around without a clear reference. Use the table above to lock in your leave, travel, and puja dates ahead of time, and download the free PDF or HD image so you have the full month at hand without needing to look it up again.