There is a festival of color, excitement, and joy during the month of Phalgun. During this month, the nation celebrates Holi with great fervor. It is customary to do Holika Dahan on the evening of Phalgun Purnima.
The following day is Holi with colors. Due to a unique planetary alignment, there is some misunderstanding this year about the date of Holika Dahan. What is the auspicious time for Holika Dahan, and when is it this year? Let us learn from Pandit Nandkishore Mudgal, the astrologer of Deoghar.
According to renowned astrologer Pandit Nandkishore Mudgal of the Mudgal Astrology Center at the Pagal Baba Ashram in Deoghar, the nation will celebrate Holi on March 4th this year.
He states that the Falgun Purnima Tithi will start on March 2, 2026, at 5:56 p.m., and end on March 3, 2026, at 5:40 p.m. It is customary to perform Holika Dahan at the confluence of Purnima Tithi and Bhadra, however this time things are a little different.
As soon as the full moon appears on March 2nd, Bhadra will also start. On March 3rd, Bhadra will run till 5:20 a.m. Scripture states that the full moon day without the Bhadra period is when Holika Dahan is done.
Additionally, on March 3rd, there will be a lunar eclipse. It is forbidden to carry out auspicious tasks on the day of the eclipse. Thus, it would be improper to burn Holika on March 3.
The performance of Holika Dahan should only take place on March 2. It is possible to carry out the burning by paying particular attention to the auspicious time, even though Bhadra will be in effect on that day. According to him, on March 2, the auspicious period for Holika Dahan will be between 11:50 p.m. and 12:50 a.m. It will be regarded productive to do the ritualistic worship and burning during this hour.
Chant the mantra “Om Holikayai Namah” throughout Holika Dahan as well. Chanting this mantra is thought to drive out bad energy and bring prosperity and joy into the house. Holika Dahan represents the triumph of right over wrong. We learn from this festival that faith and truth are always victorious.
It is especially unlucky that Bhadra will be in the mortal realm this year. The timing of Holika Dahan should therefore be carefully considered. According to astrologers, worshiping during the auspicious period lessens the negative impacts of the planets and calms all negative ones.
On March 3, the lunar eclipse will start at 3:23 p.m. and end at 6:47 p.m. The eclipse will be visible in India from 5:59 p.m. to 6:47 p.m. Nine hours prior to the start of the eclipse, a Sutak period will commence.
Worship and other auspicious actions are also not carried out during this time. In general, unique planetary and constellation alignments will impact the celebration of Holi and Holika Dahan this year. To guarantee the festival’s complete fortunate outcomes, devotees should thus pay close attention to the Panchang and auspicious Muhurta.
