Hartalika Teej is the most demanding of the three Teej vrats — a nirjala (waterless) fast kept for a full day and night by married and unmarried women alike. Falling on the Shukla Tritiya of Bhadrapada, it recalls how Parvati won Shiva as her husband through unbroken devotion, and women keep it for a long married life and for a worthy partner.
In 2026, Hartalika Teej falls on Monday, 14 September — the same day as Ganesha Chaturthi. Below are the exact Bhadrapada Shukla Tritiya timings for New Delhi, the evening pradosh puja window, the step-by-step vrat vidhi, the Hartalika vrat katha, and how this vrat differs from Hariyali and Kajari Teej.
Hartalika Teej 2026 at a glance
Festival day
Mon, 14 September 2026
Tithi
Bhadrapada Shukla Tritiya
Tritiya begins
13 Sep, 07:10
Tritiya ends
14 Sep, 07:08
Main puja
Pradosh kaal (evening)
The fast
Nirjala (waterless)
Sunrise · Sunset
06:05 · 18:27
Kept by
Married & unmarried women
Hartalika Teej 2026 date & pradosh muhurat
The Bhadrapada Shukla Tritiya timings and the evening window
Shukla Tritiya
13 Sep 07:10 → 14 Sep 07:08
Bhadrapada, New Delhi
Pradosh puja
after sunset 18:27
14 September, evening
In 2026 the Shukla Tritiya of Bhadrapada begins at 07:10 on 13 September and ends at 07:08 on 14 September (New Delhi). Because the Tritiya is present at sunrise on the 14th, Hartalika Teej is observed on 14 September. The signature Hartalika puja is done in the pradosh kaal — the evening twilight after sunset, which is at 18:27. Many families also worship in the early morning while the Tritiya still holds. Since the exact pradosh window depends on your local sunset, confirm the timing for your own city.
Hartalika Teej vrat vidhi
How the nirjala vrat is kept and Shiva-Parvati worshipped
Women rise early, bathe, and put on the solah shringar — the sixteen adornments — often in green or red. The nirjala vow is taken with a sankalp: no food and no water from before dawn until the parana the next morning. For the puja, idols of Shiva, Parvati and Ganesha are shaped by hand from clean sand or clay and placed on a chowki with a bed of leaves. In the pradosh evening they are worshipped with belpatra, dhatura, flowers, fruit and sweets, and sindoor, bangles and shringar are offered to Parvati. The Hartalika vrat katha is read aloud, the aarti is performed, and many women keep a night jaagran with bhajans, taking care not to sleep. The fast is broken the next morning after the concluding puja, and the idols are given to flowing water. Regional and family practices differ, so follow your own tradition where it varies from this general vidhi.
The Hartalika vrat katha
Why the vrat is named ‘Hartalika’
The name Hartalika comes from harat (to carry away) and aalika (a female friend). In the katha, Parvati — daughter of the mountain-king Himalaya — had resolved to marry only Shiva, and undertook a severe penance for him. When her father arranged her marriage elsewhere, her sakhis carried her away to a forest cave so the wedding could not take place. There Parvati made a Shivling from sand and worshipped it through the night without food or water, absorbed in devotion. Moved at last, Shiva appeared and granted that she would be his consort birth after birth. Women keep the Hartalika vrat invoking that same steadfast devotion, and the reading of this katha is held to be the heart of the observance.
The nirjala vow, saubhagya and the three Teejes
Why Hartalika Teej matters
Hartalika Teej is defined by its severity: the nirjala vow, the night without sleep, and the vrat kept lifelong once begun. Married women keep it for the long life of their husband and for akhand saubhagya — an unbroken married state — while unmarried girls keep it, as Parvati did, praying for a good husband. It is the third and strictest of the season’s Teej vrats, after Hariyali Teej in Shravan and Kajari Teej in early Bhadrapada. If a marriage is being considered for you or someone in your family, our Kundali Matching tool offers a Vedic guna-milan and compatibility summary.
If marriage is on your mind
Check the Teej timings for your city
These timings are for New Delhi. For your city’s sunrise, sunset, tithi and pradosh window, use our live tools.
Frequently asked questions
Hartalika Teej 2026 date, muhurat and vrat