Raksha Bandhan 2026 falls on August 27. Traditionally, tying the rakhi is avoided during Bhadra, a specific inauspicious window within the day, and abroad this raises a natural question: when does Bhadra actually end for me?
What Bhadra actually is
Bhadra occurs during a specific karana (half-tithi), called Vishti karana. It is not location-based, it is tied to the tithi and karana boundaries, which occur at the same instant everywhere on Earth, but land at a different local clock time depending on your time zone.
Why an India-based time does not directly apply
A published Bhadra end-time in IST needs to be converted to your own time zone correctly, but more importantly, the surrounding day’s tithi can itself fall on a different calendar date for you, which changes which local hours you should even be checking.
Getting the right window for your city
Check that day’s karana on the panchang page with your city selected; if the karana shown is Vishti, that is Bhadra, and tying the rakhi is traditionally done after it ends.
If Bhadra covers most of the day
Some years, Bhadra spans a large part of the daylight hours; in that case, the evening period after sunset is traditionally considered an acceptable alternative.
This information is descriptive.