Shri Chitragupta Ji Maharaj · The scribe of Yama
Chitragupta
Chitragupta keeps the record of every deed of every life and reads it out before Yama. Worship his pen and inkpot in the Kalam-Dawat Puja on Yama Dwitiya, the day of Bhai Dooj, and see when it falls in your city.
- His days
- Every day
- Next: Today
- Next Chitragupta day
- Chitragupta Puja
- In 10 days · Wed 11 Nov
His first emblem
The pen, kalam
He came from the body of Lord Brahma holding a pen, and with it he writes down every deed of every being. On his puja day a new pen is worshipped as his own, and in many homes it is the first thing to write again.
The Kalam-Dawat Puja at home →Kalam and dawat
The inkpot, dawat
The inkpot came with the pen when he appeared. Pen and inkpot together, kalam and dawat, give his puja its name, the Kalam-Dawat Puja, kept on Yama Dwitiya after Diwali.
Agrasandhani
The ledger of deeds
His register, named Agrasandhani, holds every deed, good and bad, of every life. When a soul reaches Yama it is read out, and Yama judges by it. Account books and study books are worshipped on his day.
On white paper
His name, written
In his puja Shri Ganeshaya Namah is written on white paper, then his name, Om Chitraguptaya Namah, eleven times, and the page is laid before him, with a prayer for learning and wisdom.
At his waist
The sword
He is shown with a sword at his waist as well as the pen: the scribe of the court of Yama was given the duty of a protector too, to keep the record true and justice done.
His aarti
The lamp
A lamp of ghee is lit before his picture with flowers, rice and roli, and his puja ends with an aarti, the lamp waved before him, and prasad shared with the family.
Tap an emblem, or its name, to read about it. The pen and the inkpot, the ledger and the written page, the sword and the lamp: the things of a scribe, laid on the book in which he keeps the record of every life.
His days, in your city
Dates and puja times for the city you pick
For New Delhi
Yama Dwitiya, the day of Bhai Dooj: the Kalam-Dawat Puja of his pen and inkpot, kept in the afternoon, after which the pen is taken up again.
- Every day
- Sun 1 NovHis days of the week
Say his verse
मसिभाजनसंयुक्तं ध्यायेत्तं च महाबलम्।
लेखिनीपट्टिकाहस्तं चित्रगुप्तं नमाम्यहम्॥
Masibhajana samyuktam dhyayet tam cha mahabalam,
Lekhini pattika hastam Chitraguptam namamyaham.
With the inkpot beside him, let us meditate on him, the mighty one; holding the pen and the writing tablet: to Chitragupta I bow.
स्याही की दवात के साथ उन महाबली का ध्यान करें; जिनके हाथ में लेखनी और पट्टिका है, उन चित्रगुप्त जी को मैं प्रणाम करता हूँ।
A dhyana verse, said to call him to mind before his puja: it sees him with the inkpot, the pen and the tablet he writes on. It is said with his name, Om Chitraguptaya Namah. His aarti and his chalisa are not given here until their authorship is known.
His prayers
- His verse of the pen and the inkpotMasibhajana samyuktam, given aboveSoon
- Vakratunda MahakayaSaid to Ganesha before any new work, as his name is written first on the pageRead
A simple Kalam-Dawat Puja at home
Customs differ by family and region; this is a simple way to worship him at home on Yama Dwitiya, in the afternoon. Many families lay the pen down after the Diwali puja and take it up again only now.
- Bathe, clean the place of worship and set his picture on a clean cloth on a low stool.
- Lay a new pen, an inkpot, white paper and the account books or study books of the house before him.
- Offer roli, rice, flowers, fruit and sweets, and light a lamp of ghee.
- Write Shri Ganeshaya Namah on the white paper, then Om Chitraguptaya Namah eleven times, and lay the page before him.
- Some write down the income and spending of the year, as an account given to him.
- Ask forgiveness for mistakes made unknowingly, and pray for learning, wisdom and right action.
- End with an aarti, hear his katha if you can, and share the prasad; then write again with the pen.
What you need
- His picture
- A new pen and an inkpot
- White paper
- Account books or study books
- Roli and rice
- Flowers, fruit and sweets
- A lamp of ghee
Prayers for the puja
Who is Chitragupta
Chitragupta keeps the record of every deed of every being, good and bad, in his register, the Agrasandhani. When a soul reaches the court of Yama after death, he reads out its deeds, and Yama judges by them where it shall go. The Garuda Purana, which tells of the journey after death, shows him writing down the deeds and reporting them to Yama.
He was born, the katha of Yama Dwitiya tells, from the body of Lord Brahma, holding a pen and an inkpot, when Yama asked for help with the record. Because he came from the kaya, the body, he was called Kayastha, and the Kayastha community holds him as its ancestor and family deity, its twelve branches tracing their line to his twelve sons.
His great day is Kartika Shukla Dwitiya, Yama Dwitiya, the day of Bhai Dooj, when his pen and inkpot, kalam and dawat, are worshipped in the Kalam-Dawat Puja, and with them the account books and study books of the home. In the south he is worshipped on Chitra Pournami at his temple in Kanchipuram, and honoured as the presiding deity of Ketu.
- Chitragupt his name as it is said and written in Hindi
- Shri Chitragupta Ji Maharaj as his devotees call him
- Chitradev among his names in the old tellings
- The scribe of Yama who keeps the record of the court of Yama
ॐ चित्रगुप्ताय नमः
Om Chitraguptaya Namah
Salutations to Chitragupta: his name, said in his puja and written eleven times on white paper.
चित्रगुप्त जी को नमस्कार: उनका नाम, जो उनकी पूजा में बोला जाता है और सफेद कागज पर ग्यारह बार लिखा जाता है।
श्री गणेशाय नमः
ॐ चित्रगुप्ताय नमः
Shri Ganeshaya Namah
Om Chitraguptaya Namah
Salutations to Shri Ganesha; salutations to Chitragupta. The name of Ganesha is written first, and then his, eleven times.
श्री गणेश को नमस्कार; चित्रगुप्त जी को नमस्कार। पहले गणेश जी का नाम लिखा जाता है, फिर चित्रगुप्त जी का, ग्यारह बार।
His great days
When devotees worship him most
Chitragupta Puja
Kartika Shukla Dwitiya, the bright second of Kartika, two days after Diwali: Yama Dwitiya, the day of Bhai Dooj. His pen, inkpot and books are worshipped in the afternoon, the aparahna, and his katha is heard.
Diwali
In many Kayastha families the pen and the books are laid aside after the Diwali puja and not used for writing until his puja two days later, when the pen is worshipped and taken up again.
Chitra Pournami
The full moon of the Tamil month of Chithirai, in April or May, is his great day in the south, above all at his temple in Kanchipuram, where he is worshipped on every new moon too.
What his symbols mean
The pen, kalam
The record of every deed, written as it is done: nothing is left out of his account.
The inkpot, dawat
With the pen, the tools of the scribe, worshipped together on his day as the Kalam-Dawat Puja.
The ledger, Agrasandhani
The register of good and bad deeds read out before Yama, and the account books families worship on his day.
The sword
Worn at his waist with the pen, for the duty of a protector he was given beside that of a scribe.
The written page
His name written eleven times on white paper: the first writing after the pen is taken up again.
Yama Dwitiya
His day is the day of Yama, whose scribe he is, and of Bhai Dooj, when Yamuna welcomed her brother Yama.
His stories
Across India
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
Kayastha families keep the Kalam-Dawat Puja on Yama Dwitiya, and in many the pen rests from the Diwali puja until then. In Patna his Adi Chitragupta Mandir near Naujar Ghat, the Kayastha Dham, is decorated for the day.
Tamil Nadu
His temple on Nellukara Street in Kanchipuram keeps Chitra Pournami, the full moon of Chithirai, as its great festival, and devotees come to him there as the presiding deity of Ketu.
Telangana
In the Old City of Hyderabad his temple, from the eighteenth century, is worshipped by the Kayasthas of the city, and pujas are done there for those troubled by Ketu.
Across India
Families in business open or worship their account books on his day, and students and writers worship their books and pens, praying for learning and honest work.
His temples
- Chitragupta Swamy Temple, Nellukara StreetKanchipuram, Tamil Nadu
- Adi Chitragupta Mandir, near Naujar GhatPatna, Bihar
- Shri Chitragupta Temple, Old CityHyderabad, Telangana
Questions
When is Chitragupta Puja in 2026?
Chitragupta Puja, on Yama Dwitiya, the day of Bhai Dooj, is on Wednesday 11 November 2026 in New Delhi. Pick your city at the top of this page for its own date and muhurat.
Who is Chitragupta?
Chitragupta is the keeper of the record of every deed of every being. He sits beside Yama, reads out the deeds of each soul that comes before him, and Yama judges by them. He is shown with a pen and an inkpot.
When is Chitragupta Puja kept?
On Kartika Shukla Dwitiya, the bright second of Kartika, two days after Diwali. It is Yama Dwitiya, the same day as Bhai Dooj, and his puja is kept in the afternoon.
What is the Kalam-Dawat Puja?
The worship of the pen, kalam, and the inkpot, dawat, with the account books and study books of the home, on Chitragupta Puja. His name is written on white paper with the new pen, and the pen is used again after the puja.
Why is Chitragupta worshipped on Bhai Dooj?
Bhai Dooj is Yama Dwitiya, the day of Yama, who visited his sister Yamuna on it. Chitragupta is the scribe of Yama, who keeps the record by which Yama judges, so he is worshipped with Yama on the same day.
Why do Kayasthas worship Chitragupta?
The katha of Yama Dwitiya tells that he was born from the body, kaya, of Lord Brahma and so was called Kayastha. The Kayastha community holds him as its ancestor and family deity, and its twelve branches trace their line to his twelve sons.
Which day is Chitragupta’s?
Sources do not agree on a day of the week for him, so every day is his. His great day in the year is Yama Dwitiya, after Diwali, and in the south Chitra Pournami, in April or May.
What is the mantra of Chitragupta?
Om Chitraguptaya Namah, salutations to Chitragupta, which is said in his puja and written eleven times on white paper after Shri Ganeshaya Namah.
Where are Chitragupta’s temples?
His temple on Nellukara Street in Kanchipuram, of the Cholas, is the best known in the south. In the north the Adi Chitragupta Mandir near Naujar Ghat in Patna is the Kayastha Dham, and the Old City of Hyderabad has his temple too.
Is the Chitragupta temple at Khajuraho his?
No. The temple called Chitragupta at Khajuraho, of the eleventh century, is a temple of Surya, the Sun, with Surya in his chariot of seven horses in its sanctum. The reason for its name is not known.