Rakher Upobash 2026: the five dates and lamp-lighting time in Bangladesh

Rakher Upobash 2026 begins on Tuesday, 16 Kartik 1433 by the panjika (3 November 2026), and the last fast is on Tuesday, 30 Kartik (17 November). The fast is kept on every Tuesday and Saturday of the last fifteen days of the Bengali month of Kartik, which gives five days this year. The list comes from the Barodi Sri Sri Baba Lokenath Brahmachari Ashram’s own announcement, and each day has been checked against MandirBD’s panjika.

Rakher Upobash (upobash means a fast) is a vow kept by devotees of Baba Lokenath Brahmachari. It is also called Kartik Brata (the Kartik vow), Gonsair Upobash (the fast of the gonsai, a title for a holy man) and Ghritaprodip Projjwalon (the lighting of ghee lamps). Devotees fast through the day and at sunset light ghee lamps together, praying for the people they love.

Rakher Upobash 2026 at a glance

• First fast: Tuesday, 16 Kartik 1433 (3 November 2026); sunset in Narayanganj 5:18 PM
• Second fast: Saturday, 20 Kartik (7 November); sunset in Narayanganj 5:16 PM
• Third fast: Tuesday, 23 Kartik (10 November); sunset in Narayanganj 5:15 PM
• Fourth fast: Saturday, 27 Kartik (14 November); sunset in Narayanganj 5:13 PM
• Fifth and last fast: Tuesday, 30 Kartik (17 November); sunset in Narayanganj 5:12 PM

The sunset times are calculated for the Barodi ashram in Sonargaon, Narayanganj, not announced by the ashram, which has published no clock time; by custom the lamps are lit at sunset. In Dhaka the sun sets about a minute later.

The dates follow the panjika, as the ashram’s list does. Bangladesh’s national calendar runs two days ahead: there 17 November is already 2 Agrahayan, but by the panjika it is 30 Kartik, the last day of the month.

Which days are fasting days?

By custom, the fast falls on the Tuesdays and Saturdays of Kartik’s last fifteen days. Those days land on different weekdays every year, so the dates and even the number of fasts change; in 2026 there are three Tuesdays and two Saturdays.

The ashram’s list, posted on its Facebook page on 24 October 2026, includes 17 November. Some event listings online leave it out, but the ashram and the panjika agree that it is a fasting day.

Kali Puja falls between the second and third fasts, on the night of Sunday, 21 Kartik (8 November): see Kali Puja on MandirBD.

Why the fast is kept

Popular belief holds that Baba Lokenath told his devotees to fast in Kartik and to light ghee lamps and incense in the ashram courtyard, so that they would be spared cholera and smallpox. This is a folk belief, not documented history: no founding year is known, and no scripture we found prescribes the vow. The word rakh means protection: it comes from the Sanskrit raksha, as does the rakhi of Raksha Bandhan, and the fast is a prayer to keep loved ones safe from illness and harm. More in our post on what Rakher Upobash is and why it is kept (in Bengali).

When to arrive and when the lamps are lit

News reports from Barodi describe devotees arriving from midday. Arriving between 3 and 4 PM gives you time to find a place to sit; this is our suggestion, not an ashram rule.

• Afternoon: devotees set out lamps, incense, flowers and fruit on a banana leaf and sit in rows.
• Sunset: amid bells and ulu (the ululation sounded at worship), everyone lights the ghee lamps together.
• While the lamps burn: silent prayer to Baba Lokenath; by custom no one talks once the lamps are lit.
• After the prayer: the fast is broken once the lamps have burned. At Barodi a rice-and-banana prasad is given out (Ajker Patrika, 2025).

The ashram sets each day’s programme, so check before you go, and keep loose clothing away from the lamps.

What to bring

The customary items are clay lamps, ghee, cotton wicks, a banana leaf or banana-stem tray, incense, flowers, fruit, paddy and durba grass, a green coconut and milk, with one lamp for each person you pray for. Not every ashram requires every item. The full list, the steps and Baba Lokenath’s pranam mantra are in our guide to keeping Rakher Upobash (in Bengali).

Where it is kept

The largest gathering is at the Barodi Sri Sri Lokenath Brahmachari Ashram (in Bengali) in Sonargaon, Narayanganj, the main ashram associated with Baba Lokenath. How to get there from Dhaka is in our Barodi guide (in Bengali).

In Dhaka, the Lokenath Brahmachari Ashram at Swamibag in old Dhaka also holds a large gathering (Prothom Alo, 2022), and many Lokenath temples across Bangladesh keep the fast. Everything about the observance is on Rakher Upobash on MandirBD.

Frequently asked questions

When does Rakher Upobash 2026 begin?

On Tuesday, 16 Kartik 1433 by the panjika (3 November 2026).

How many fasts are there in 2026?

Five: 16, 20, 23, 27 and 30 Kartik (3, 7, 10, 14 and 17 November).

Is 17 November a fasting day?

Yes. By the panjika it is Tuesday, 30 Kartik, and it is the last fast on the Barodi ashram’s 2026 list.

When is the fast broken?

By custom, after the lamps lit at sunset have burned and the prayer is over. What you break it with follows your ashram’s or family’s custom; at Barodi a rice-and-banana prasad is given.

Are the dates the same every year?

No. Kartik’s last fifteen days fall on different weekdays each year, so the dates are worked out from the panjika every year.

Read more

• Rakher Upobash on MandirBD
• Rakher Upobash 2026: dates and lamp-lighting time (in Bengali)
• How to keep Rakher Upobash: the rules, items and pranam mantra (in Bengali)
• What Rakher Upobash is and why it is kept (in Bengali)
• Rakher Upobash at Barodi: getting there and what to expect (in Bengali)
• Baba Lokenath Brahmachari

Sources

• The Barodi Sri Sri Baba Lokenath Brahmachari Ashram’s Facebook page, 24 October 2026: its list of the 1433 Kartik fasts (five days).
• Panjika dates: MandirBD panjika, 16 Kartik 1433 (3 November 2026) and the days after it (in Bengali).
• Sunset in Narayanganj: an astronomical (NOAA) calculation for the Barodi ashram’s position.
• The days, the rite and the two main centres: Prothom Alo, 2022 (in Bengali).
• Arrival, the previous day’s restraint, the silence and the prasad: Ajker Patrika, 2025 (in Bengali).
• Breaking the fast after the evening lamps: bdnews24.com, 2020 (in Bengali).
• One lamp per loved one, bells and ulu at sunset, the popular story: Press Narayanganj, 2020 (in Bengali).

Arrangements and timings at each ashram can change. Check with the ashram before you go.