NEW DELHI, November 6: India celebrated Dhanteras on Friday, the first day of the Diwali festival, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi praying to Lord Dhanvantari for everyone’s good health, the government urging families to make health their first investment of the season, and railway stations handling a sharp rise in festive travellers. Diwali falls on Sunday, November 8, and Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan will attend the Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya on Saturday.
Key highlights
- PM’s greetings: Modi wished that Lord Dhanvantari’s blessings fill every life with happiness, peace and good health, and shared a Sanskrit verse in praise of Dhanvantari.
- Health message: the PMO shared an article by Ayush Minister of State Prataprao Jadhav urging preventive healthcare: mindful eating, regular yoga, enough sleep and timely health check-ups.
- Festive travel: Delhi’s major railway stations recorded about 2 crore passenger movements from October 1 to November 5, with daily footfall rising from about 5 lakh to about 8 lakh during November 1–5.
- Security: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inspected New Delhi station; 700 more AI cameras have been installed and holding areas set up at major stations.
- Ayodhya: the Vice-President will attend Deepotsav 2026 on November 7, pray at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple and take part in the symbolic coronation ceremony of Lord Ram.
The Prime Minister’s message
In his Dhanteras greeting, the Prime Minister prayed that “the divine blessings of Lord Dhanvantari illuminate everyone’s lives with happiness, peace and good health” and that every family be blessed with lasting joy. He shared a Sanskrit verse, “Namami Dhanvantarim adidevam…”, which in our translation reads: “I bow to Dhanvantari, the first god, whose lotus feet are worshipped by gods and demons alike, who destroys old age, disease, fear and death in the world, and who gives us many kinds of medicine.” Later in the day, the PMO shared Jadhav’s article with the message: “This Dhanteras, make a commitment to better health!”
Festive rush at railway stations
Inspecting New Delhi Railway Station on Friday, Vaishnaw said the festive season of Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath brings the year’s biggest rush, and that extra special trains and more Railway Protection Force personnel have been deployed. New Delhi station now has a dedicated holding area for passengers with reserved tickets, in addition to last year’s facility for unreserved passengers, and luggage checks have been moved outside the building.
| Station group | Passenger movements, Oct 1–Nov 5 | Usual daily footfall | Daily footfall, Nov 1–5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi (NDLS, Old Delhi, Anand Vihar, Nizamuddin, Sarai Rohilla) | About 2 crore | About 5 lakh | About 8 lakh |
| Mumbai (Bandra Terminus, LTT, CSMT) | About 1.5 crore | About 4 lakh | About 5 lakh |
| Bengaluru (City, SMVB, Yesvantpur, Yelahanka) | About 1 crore | About 2.5 lakh | About 3.5 lakh |
| Hyderabad (Secunderabad, Kacheguda, Charlapalli) | About 90 lakh | About 2.5 lakh | About 4 lakh |
| Surat and Udhna | About 50 lakh | About 1 lakh | About 1.6 lakh |
Our calculation
- Daily footfall during November 1–5 was about 60% above normal in Delhi, Hyderabad and Surat, about 40% above in Bengaluru and about 25% above in Mumbai.
- Together, the five city groups handled about 5.9 crore passenger movements in 36 days.
Buying gold or silver?
Before buying jewellery, check for the three marks of BIS hallmarking: the BIS logo, the purity mark and a six-digit HUID code. Our Dhanteras buying guide explains how. For the story of how the festival began, read our History Desk report, History of Dhanteras.
Official figures on how much was spent on Dhanteras are not yet available; this report includes only information released by the government.
What to watch
- Deepotsav in Ayodhya on Saturday, November 7.
- Diwali on Sunday, November 8, and air quality in north Indian cities; the Supreme Court has allowed only green crackers in Delhi-NCR within set hours (our report).
- Rail traffic as the Chhath rush builds after Diwali.
A Dhanvantari puja at a home on Dhanteras. Image: Haripurkar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Photo source · Licence
Sources
- PIB (PMO): Prime Minister extends Dhanteras greetings to all citizens, November 6, 2026
- PIB (PMO): Prime Minister shares an article on Ayurveda and the importance of preventive healthcare, November 6, 2026
- PIB (Ministry of Railways): Railway Minister reviews passenger facilities and security at New Delhi Railway Station, November 6, 2026
- PIB (Vice President’s Secretariat): Vice-President to attend Deepotsav 2026 in Ayodhya on November 7
The National Desk covers India's politics, governance, security and public-interest news. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.
