Dadaji Dhuniwale Punyatithi — Dada Darbar Khandwa Plan (2026)

Dadaji Dhuniwale's punyatithi in 2026 falls on Tuesday, 22 December, the Margashirsha Shukla Trayodashi, and the Sansthan builds a three-day utsav around it at Dada Darbar in Khandwa. The darbar is about 3 km from Khandwa Junction, so a Yatri getting off a train for Omkareshwar can take darshan, eat at the bhandara and still make the taxi.

This guide gives the dates, what happens each day, and an hour-by-hour plan that fits between trains.

📅 The dates and how the three days run

Dadaji Dhuniwale, Swami Keshavanand Maharaj, took samadhi in Khandwa on 3 December 1930, which was Agahan Sudi Teras that year. The Sansthan therefore marks the punyatithi by the tithi, not the Gregorian date. In 2026 Margashirsha Shukla Trayodashi begins around 5:35 pm on 21 December and ends around 2:25 pm on 22 December.

Most panchangs list the day as 22 December 2026. One widely used calendar assigns it to 21 December, because the tithi starts the evening before. If you can only come for one day, 22 December is the safe choice, and the Sansthan's own notice settles it.

The trust runs the barsi as a three-day utsav. Past years followed this pattern:

• Day 1: utsav opens, bhandara begins, naam-jaap at the samadhi.

• Main day (Trayodashi): darshan all day, the 108-deep mahaarti of Maa Narmada in the evening.

• Day 3: closing bhandara and prasadi.

🔥 What you actually see inside

Dada Darbar houses two samadhis: Bade Dadaji, Swami Keshavanand, and his disciple Chhote Dadaji, Swami Hariharanand, born Bhurilal in Dindwana, Rajasthan. The complex is set on open ground on Dada Darbar Road, with a long paved approach.

The name says it all. Dadaji sat for years before a sacred fire, and the akhand dhuni lit near his samadhi has not gone out since 1930. Yatris take its ash, the vibhuti, as prasad. During the utsav the dhuni area is the slowest-moving part of the queue, so leave it for last if your train is tight.

On festival days Yatris also bring a nishan, a flag, to offer at the samadhi. It is a Guru Purnima tradition first, but you will see flags in December too.

🚉 From Khandwa Junction: about 3 km, ten minutes

Khandwa Junction (KNW) sits on the Mumbai–Itarsi trunk line, which is why Maharashtra-side Yatris land here for Omkareshwar. Dada Darbar is about 3 km by road, roughly 10 minutes in an auto or e-rickshaw. From the bus stand it is about 2 km.

• Autos wait outside the main exit. Agree the fare before you sit; there is no prepaid counter.

• The darbar has its own parking and a shoe stand, so a taxi can pull up close on normal days.

• On the main utsav evening the approach road fills with bhandara stalls and foot traffic. Expect your vehicle to stop short and plan a few hundred metres on foot.

For the onward leg, read our Khandwa to Omkareshwar distance, bus and taxi guide. It is 70–76 km, about 1.5 hours by road, and there is no direct train.

🕉️ Timings, bhandara and what to carry

On ordinary days the darbar is open through the day, roughly 6 am to 9 pm. During the utsav the Sansthan keeps the samadhi open much longer, and on Guru Purnima 2026 darshan ran right through the night. Confirm the December hours with the Sansthan a week before; we could not verify a published schedule.

The bhandara is free and runs all three days. At Guru Purnima 2026 about 1,200 sewadars handled food, queues, medical posts and traffic, and prasadi was served at every step of the approach. December is quieter, but the free meal is the same tradition.

What to carry:

• A light woollen for the evening aarti. December lows in Khandwa are around 14–17°C.

• A small cloth bag; phones and bags go with you, but shoes go to the stand.

• Cash for autos and offerings. Card machines are not something to count on.

Stay inside the complex is basic. The listing shows rest rooms and sleeping quarters run by the trust, but we found no bookable dharamshala. Treat it as a place to rest, not a room for the night.

⏱️ A half-day plan between trains

This assumes a morning arrival and a taxi on to Omkareshwar after lunch, the shape most Yatris follow.

For the Omkareshwar half, our station-to-Omkareshwar same-day plan covers the ghat, the jyotirlinga queue and the return.

If your train comes in the evening of 22 December, reverse it. Go straight to the darbar for the 108-deep mahaarti, eat at the bhandara, sleep in Khandwa and leave for Omkareshwar at dawn.

🧭 Which should you choose?

• With elders: come on the morning of the 22nd, not the evening. The samadhi hall has a short approach and the morning queue moves fast. Avoid the mahaarti crowd.

• On a budget: auto from the station, bhandara for lunch, MSRTC or MP bus on to Omkareshwar. The darbar costs nothing.

• On a tight schedule: a taxi that waits. A 90-minute stop is enough for darshan and prasadi, and you lose no time finding a second vehicle.

• Here for the utsav itself: book a Khandwa room for the nights of 21 and 22 December and do Omkareshwar on the 23rd.

What to avoid: arriving at the darbar between 6 pm and 9 pm on the main day with luggage and a train to catch. That is the one window where the queue can cost you the connection.

🛏️ Where to stay

Khandwa's hotels cluster around Ghantaghar and the station road, both within an auto ride of the darbar. For a one-night stop before Omkareshwar that is all you need. If you want to sleep closer to the jyotirlinga, our Omkareshwar and Maheshwar two-day plan covers rooms there.

For the utsav nights, book a week or two ahead. Khandwa is a small town and the few decent hotels fill with the Sansthan's own guests.

Take the vibhuti, eat the prasadi, and let the same driver carry you on to the Narmada. Jai Dadaji Dhuniwale.