Updated 22 September 2026
Doors open at 4:00 with the Bhasma Aarti and close at about 23:00 after the Shayan Aarti. Darshan continues between the aartis; the temple does not shut in the middle of the day.
Five aartis, two schedules
The timetable follows the Hindu calendar rather than the Gregorian one. The summer schedule runs from Chaitra Krishna Pratipada to Ashwin Purnima, the winter one from Kartik Krishna Pratipada to Phalgun Purnima. Bhasma and Shayan keep the same hours all year; the three in between shift by half an hour.
| Aarti | Summer | Winter |
|---|---|---|
| Bhasma Aarti | 04:00 – 06:00 | 04:00 – 06:00 |
| Dadyodak (Bal Bhog) | 07:00 – 07:45 | 07:30 – 08:15 |
| Bhog Aarti | 10:00 – 10:45 | 10:30 – 11:15 |
| Sandhya Aarti | 19:00 – 19:45 | 18:30 – 19:15 |
| Shayan Aarti | 22:30 – 23:00 | 22:30 – 23:00 |
The switch happens the day after the Purnima that ends each half of the year. Our calendar carries both switch dates so you can see which schedule applies to your visit.
Shravan runs on an earlier clock
Through Shravan and Bhadrapada the doors open at 3:00 and the Bhasma Aarti runs 3:00 to 5:00 — and on Mondays, when the Sawari goes out, from 2:30. The arrangement is announced every year by the district administration together with the temple committee, so treat the 2026 pattern as a guide until the new notice appears.
Paid and free options
General darshan costs nothing at any hour. Three things are paid: the Bhasma Aarti booking, a quick-darshan ticket that puts you in a shorter queue to the same viewing point, and since February 2026 a seated place at the Sandhya or Shayan aarti. Standing or moving darshan during those evening aartis remains free.
Closures
The temple does not publish a fixed list of closed days. What does happen is short, announced interruptions — an eclipse, an extraordinary ritual — posted on the official site a few days ahead. If a notice is out, it appears at the top of this page.
Quiet hours and busy ones
- Between roughly 12:00 and 16:00 on a weekday the queue is at its shortest.
- Mondays are the busiest ordinary day; in Shravan a Monday is in a class of its own.
- Maha Shivratri and the 1st of January are the two heaviest days of the year.
- April to June the afternoons are punishing — see the weather by month.