Diwali & Annakut at Dwarka from Rajkot — Dates & Darshan Plan (2026)

Diwali falls on Sunday 8 November 2026, and the Dwarkadhish Annakut follows on the Gujarati New Year, 10 November. From Rajkot the Jagat Mandir is a 4.5–5.5 hour drive. A Yatri can take the Annakut darshan, cover Nageshwar and Bet Dwarka next morning, and close the Kartik month at Somnath on Dev Diwali, 24 November.

📅 The Kartik calendar at Dwarka (2026)

Diwali week in Gujarat runs on the Vikram Samvat calendar, so the New Year is the day after the Amavasya. The Indian panchang puts Bestu Varas and the Annakut on Tuesday 10 November; a few calendars print 9 November. The mandir follows the Gujarati panchang, so check its notice board the week before.

Sharad Purnima, the full moon before Diwali, falls on the night of 25–26 October. It is a smaller crowd and a gentler first visit if you cannot travel in Diwali week.

🛕 How Annakut day runs at the Jagat Mandir

The Annakut is a manorath, a special offering, so the day does not follow the normal 6:30 am to 1 pm and 5 pm to 9:30 pm darshan windows. In past years the temple notice has run like this:

• 6:30 am — Mangla aarti, the first darshan of the New Year. The queue starts before dawn.

• About 11:30 am — Govardhan pooja by the Vedic pujaris, with the rice mound that stands for the mountain.

• About 1 pm — Anosar, the mandir closes.

• 5–7 pm — Annakut darshan during the Utthapan. Thakorji in white shringar, the whole offering laid out in front.

• About 9:45 pm — Shayan, later than the usual 9:30 pm close.

The evening window is the one that matters. Two hours for the whole town plus visiting Yatris means the line reaches well past the 56-step entrance, so stand in it by 4 pm.

🚗 Rajkot to Dwarka for the festival

The road is 225–235 km via Jamnagar and Khambhalia, and takes 4.5 to 5.5 hours with one tea stop. On Diwali week the Jamnagar bypass is slower in the evening, so a morning start is the safer one.

• Leave Rajkot by 6 am and you reach the Gomti ghat parking before the 1 pm close.

• Leave after lunch and you arrive for the 5 pm Annakut darshan with no time to check in first.

• Night driving on the Khambhalia stretch is fine on the road itself, but hotel check-in after 10 pm is a problem in Diwali week.

The full route detail is in our Rajkot to Dwarka distance and darshan-day guide. A train exists, but on festival days a taxi that waits at the ghat is the difference between one darshan and two.

🔱 Nageshwar and Bet Dwarka on Bhai Beej

The morning after Annakut is the quietest of the week at the two smaller shrines. Nageshwar Jyotirlinga is 17 km from Dwarka and opens from 6 am to 12:30 pm, then 5 pm to 9:30 pm.

• Do Nageshwar first, at opening, while the Dwarka crowd is still at Mangla aarti.

• Drive on to Okha and cross the 2.32 km Sudarshan Setu bridge to Bet Dwarka; the ferry is no longer necessary.

• Bet Dwarka darshan runs roughly 9 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 6 pm, so plan to be on the island by 10 am.

• Back in Dwarka by evening for a second, calmer Dwarkadhish darshan.

Timings for both are in our Nageshwar and Bet Dwarka darshan timings guide.

🌊 Closing the month at Somnath on Dev Diwali

Kartik Purnima on 24 November is the biggest night of the month at Somnath. The Jyotirlinga is about 236 km from Dwarka down the coast via Porbandar, 4 to 5 hours of driving.

• Somnath darshan runs 6 am to 9:30 pm, with aartis at 7 am, 12 noon and 7 pm.

• The light and sound show is at 8 pm, and on Purnima the seafront is full before that.

• The mela runs for several days around the full moon, with the deep-daan at Triveni Sangam on the night itself.

Our Somnath Kartik Purnima mela guide from Rajkot has the night plan. From Somnath, Rajkot is about 195 km, roughly 4 hours, so a Yatri can take the 7 am aarti and be home for lunch.

🧭 Which plan should you choose?

• One trip, four days (9–12 Nov): Rajkot to Dwarka on the 9th, Annakut on the 10th, Nageshwar and Bet Dwarka on the 11th, Somnath on the 12th and home. Busiest, but every shrine lit for Diwali.

• Two short trips: Dwarka for Annakut on 10–11 November, then Somnath for Dev Diwali on 23–24 November. Easiest on elderly parents, two separate nights away.

• Avoiding crowds: Sharad Purnima on 25–26 October or Labh Pancham weekend, 14–15 November. Rooms are easier and the darshan is unhurried.

• With children: Go for the Annakut evening only, stay one night, and skip Bet Dwarka if the day runs late.

What to avoid: arriving in Dwarka at 1 pm on Annakut day with no room booked. The mandir is shut, the town is full, and the queue has not opened yet.

🛏️ Where to stay for Annakut

Dwarka's rooms within a kilometre of the mandir go first in Diwali week, and the town is full from Dhanteras to Bhai Beej. Book the moment your dates are fixed, and prefer a room you can walk from, because parking near the ghat is closed on festival evenings.

For Dev Diwali, the Somnath Trust guest houses on the temple road are the ones to try first, and they are booked only on the Trust's own website.

Take the Annakut darshan at Dwarka and let the Kartik moon bring you to Somnath. Jai Dwarkadhish, Har Har Mahadev.