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Showing posts with label Diwali. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diwali. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Govardhan Puja (Annakut, Annakoot, Bali Pratipada) 2026, November 9 and 10: Dates for US, Canada, UK, India and More

Govardhan Puja and Annakut 2026 are on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 in India, and on Monday, November 9 in the United States, Canada, the UK and the UAE. In Singapore, Australia and Fiji the day is Tuesday, November 10.

Govardhan Puja honours Govardhana Hill and Lord Krishna, who lifted it to shelter the people of Vraja. It comes on the day after Diwali, the first day of the bright half of Kartika. The same day is the Annakut (Annakoot), when a mountain of cooked food is offered to Krishna and to Govardhana Hill, especially in Vaishnava temples. It is also Bali Pratipada, also called Bali Padyami, the day of the generous king Bali. Gujarati families keep it as their New Year, Bestu Varas: see the Gujarati New Year page for your city.

Govardhan and the Annakut

The Bhagavata Purana tells the story. One year Krishna saw the cowherds of Vraja getting ready a great sacrifice for Indra, the king of the gods, who sends the rain. Krishna told them to honour what really keeps them alive. The cowherds live in the forests and on the hills, he said, so let this sacrifice be for the cows, for the learned brahmanas and for Govardhana Hill.

He asked them to cook every kind of food, from sweet rice to cakes and all kinds of milk sweets, to give food to everyone, even the dogs, to give grass to the cows, and to make the offerings to the hill. Dressed in their best, the people walked around the cows, the brahmanas, the sacred fires and the hill, the women following in carts and singing. Krishna took a huge new form, declared "I am Govardhana!", and ate the great heap of offerings. This mountain of food for the hill is remembered as the Annakut.

Indra was furious. He sent the clouds of the world's ending, and rain, hail and wind flooded Vraja. The shivering people and cows ran to Krishna. He lifted Govardhana Hill with one hand, as easily as a child holds up a mushroom, and sheltered everyone beneath it with their cows and carts. For seven days he held up the hill, forgetting hunger and thirst. Then Indra, his pride broken, called back his clouds, the sun shone again, and Krishna set the hill back in its place.

Bali Pratipada

The Bhagavata Purana and the Padma Purana tell of Bali, grandson of Prahlada and a generous king of the demons. Lord Vishnu came to him as Vamana, a small brahmana boy, and asked for just three steps of land. Bali's guru Shukra warned him that the boy was Vishnu, but Bali would not break his word. Vamana grew until he filled the universe: one step covered the earth, the second the heavens, and Bali bowed and offered his own head for the third.

Pleased with his truthfulness, the Lord gave Bali the realm of Sutala and promised to stay with him and protect him always. The Padma Purana says that Vishnu himself granted Bali this festival on the first day of Kartika's bright half, when Bali is honoured and the day is sacred both to Vishnu and to the demons.

There is also a traditional telling, popular for Bali Padyami, for which no single Purana passage is known: Vishnu granted Bali that he could return to the earth for one day each year to be with his people, and this day is kept as Bali's yearly return.

Govardhan Puja 2026, city by city

Click your city for the full page, with sunrise, sunset and the panchang of the day.

United States (Monday, November 9)

Canada (Monday, November 9)

United Kingdom (Monday, November 9)

India (Tuesday, November 10)

United Arab Emirates (Monday, November 9)

Singapore, Australia and Fiji (Tuesday, November 10)

Your city is not here? Open mypanchang.com/govardhanpuja.php and choose your city. There is also a page for the Annakoot. In Hindi: गोवर्धन पूजा

Govardhan Puja is the fourth of the five days of Diwali. Before it come Dhanteras, Naraka Chaturdashi and Diwali (Sunday, November 8), and after it comes Bhai Dooj. Each page shows the date for your own city.

For the full sankalpa for any day and your city: mypanchang.com/sankalpa

May Lord Krishna, who held up Govardhana to shelter his people, shelter your family too, and may your home always have food to share. Wishing you a blessed Govardhan Puja and Annakut.

Pundit Mahesh Shastri
www.mypanchang.com

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Bhai Dooj (Bhai Beej, Bhau Beej, Yama Dwitiya) 2026, November 10 and 11: Tilak Muhurat for US, India and More

Bhai Dooj 2026 is on Tuesday, November 10 in the United States, Canada and the UK, and on Wednesday, November 11 in India, the Gulf, Singapore, Australia and Fiji. Please look up your own city below, because the day is not the same everywhere this year.

Bhai Dooj is the last of the five days of Diwali and the festival of brothers and sisters. It has many names: Bhaiya Dooj in the North, Bhai Beej in Gujarat, Bhau Beej in Maharashtra, Bhai Phonta in Bengal, Bhai Tika, and Yama Dwitiya in the scriptures. It falls on the Dwitiya (second day) of the bright half of Kartika. Sisters put a tilak on their brothers' foreheads, wave the aarti lamp, feed them with their own hands and pray for their long life, and brothers give their sisters gifts in return.

Yama and Yamuna

The Skanda Purana tells why this day is called Yama Dwitiya. Yama, the lord of death, is the son of the Sun, and his sister is Yamuna, the holy river. Yamuna loved her brother dearly and kept inviting him to her house for a meal. Every time Yama said, "Today, or tomorrow, or the day after," because a mind busy with duty has no free time.

At last, on the second day of the bright half of Kartika, Yamuna asked so earnestly that he could not refuse. Before he left, Yama set free all the souls held in the hells. Yamuna welcomed him with great love, bathed him, gave him fine clothes, sandal paste and garlands, and fed him sweet rice she had cooked herself in golden vessels.

When Yama offered her a boon, Yamuna asked nothing for herself alone. She asked that he come to her house for a meal every year, that sinners be set free from hell on this day, and that every brother who eats from his sister's hands on this day be happy. Yama granted it, and blessed those who honour their sisters on this day so that they would never see the gate of his city. The Purana adds that if a man has no sister of his own, a cousin sister, an aunt, or any lady he honours as a sister may take her place.

The Padma Purana says the same in a few words: those who eat from a sister's hand on Yama Dwitiya and give her gifts gain wealth and long life, and have no quarrels and no fear of enemies through the year.

Another telling, kept by families who observe Bhai Dooj, says that when Yama finally came, Yamuna put a tilak on his forehead and served him a meal she had made. Pleased, Yama promised that a brother who visits his sister on this day, receives her tilak and eats her food will not meet an untimely death. This is why sisters put a tilak on their brothers on Bhai Dooj.

Bhai Dooj tilak muhurat 2026, city by city

These are the tilak muhurat times for each city. Click your city for the full page, with more good times in the day and the full story.

United States (Tuesday, November 10)

Canada (Tuesday, November 10)

United Kingdom (Tuesday, November 10)

India (Wednesday, November 11)

Middle East and Singapore (Wednesday, November 11)

Australia and Fiji (Wednesday, November 11)

Your city is not here? Open mypanchang.com/bhaiyadooj.php and choose your city.

The other days of Diwali: Dhanteras (Friday, November 6), Naraka Chaturdashi, Lakshmi Puja (Sunday, November 8), Govardhan Puja and the Gujarati New Year. Each page shows the date for your own city.

The Bhai Dooj page is also in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati: भैया दूज · भाऊबीज · ભાઈ બીજ

For the full sankalpa for any day and your city: mypanchang.com/sankalpa

May every brother and sister be blessed with long life, health and love for each other, as Yama and Yamuna were. Wishing you a happy Bhai Dooj.

Pundit Mahesh Shastri
www.mypanchang.com

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Naraka Chaturdashi (Narak Chaturdashi, Choti Diwali) 2026, November 7 and 8: Abhyanga Snan Time for US, India and More

Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) 2026 is on Saturday, November 7 in the United States, Canada and the UK, and on Sunday, November 8 in India, the Gulf, Singapore, Australia and Fiji. In India it falls on the same Sunday as Lakshmi Puja this year, so the early morning oil bath and the evening lamps of Diwali come on one day.

Naraka Chaturdashi, also called Narak Chaturdashi, Choti Diwali and Roop Chaturdashi, is the second of the five days of Diwali. It falls on the Chaturdashi (fourteenth day) of the dark half of Ashwin in the Amanta calendar, which is Kartika Krishna Chaturdashi in the Purnimanta calendar. The most important custom of the day is Abhyanga Snan, the oil bath taken early in the morning before sunrise. In Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and other parts of the South, this day is celebrated as Deepavali itself.

How Krishna freed the captives of Naraka

The Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana tell of Naraka, also called Bhauma, the son of the Earth, who ruled the city of Pragjyotisha. He grew proud and cruel. He carried off maidens from the families of gods, sages and kings and shut them up in his palace. He took the umbrella of Varuna and snatched away the earrings of Aditi, the mother of the gods.

Indra came to Dvaraka and told Lord Krishna all this. Krishna seated his queen Satyabhama on Garuda, his eagle, and flew with her to Pragjyotisha. The city was ringed with walls of rock, fire, water and wind, and with the nooses of the five headed demon Mura. Krishna broke through them all and struck down Mura with his discus. When Naraka himself came out on an elephant with a great army, Krishna ended his life with the discus.

The Earth goddess, Naraka's mother, then came before Krishna. She returned Aditi's earrings and Varuna's umbrella and asked him to protect Naraka's frightened son, and Krishna gave the boy his protection. Inside the palace Krishna found the captive princesses, sixteen thousand of them (the Vishnu Purana says sixteen thousand one hundred). He gave them fresh clothes and sent them to Dvaraka with honour.

Another telling, popular especially in the South, says that Satyabhama was the Earth goddess born again, and so Naraka's own mother, and that it was Satyabhama who struck him down. Before he died, Naraka repented, and Krishna and Satyabhama granted that the day would be remembered every year with joy.

Kali Chaudas is a separate day

Gujarati families keep Kali Chaudas, the night of Mahakali, the fierce Mother who drives away fear and every evil influence before Lakshmi is welcomed on Diwali. Kali Chaudas and Naraka Chaturdashi are two separate observances, and they can fall on different days. In 2026 they do: in India, Kali Chaudas is on Saturday, November 7 and Naraka Chaturdashi is on Sunday, November 8. Please check each one on its own page for your city.

On Kali Chaudas many families keep a simple custom for the household. The family members cover their heads, and the mother or father circles a plate of vadas over them seven times clockwise and seven times counter clockwise, praying for their wellness and for the removal of the evil eye. Then they go out and throw the vadas away.

Abhyanga Snan time 2026, city by city

These are the Abhyanga Snan (oil bath) times for each city. Click your city for the full page and the story of the day.

United States (Saturday, November 7)

Canada (Saturday, November 7)

United Kingdom (Saturday, November 7)

India (Sunday, November 8)

Middle East and Singapore (Sunday, November 8)

Australia and Fiji (Sunday, November 8)

Your city is not here? Open mypanchang.com/narakachaturdashi.php and choose your city.

The other days of Diwali: Dhanteras (Friday, November 6), Lakshmi Puja (Sunday, November 8), Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj. Each page shows the date for your own city.

For the full sankalpa for any day and your city: mypanchang.com/sankalpa

May Lord Krishna remove every darkness from your home, as he freed the captives of Naraka. Wishing you and your family a bright and blessed Deepavali.

Pundit Mahesh Shastri
www.mypanchang.com

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Gujarati New Year (Bestu Varas, Nutan Varsh) 2026, November 9 and 10, and Labh Pancham (Labh Panchami) November 14

The Gujarati New Year, Bestu Varas, is on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 in Gujarat and Mumbai, and on Monday, November 9 in the United States, Canada and the UK. Labh Pancham is on Saturday, November 14, 2026 in every city listed below.

Bestu Varas, also called Nutan Varsh, is the first day of the new year in the Gujarati Vikram Samvat calendar. It comes on the day after Diwali, the first day of the bright half of Kartika. Elsewhere in India the same day is kept as Govardhan Puja, Annakut and Bali Pratipada. Families seek blessings for prosperity in the year ahead, and many businesses do Chopada Pujan, the worship of the new account books.

Govardhan and the Annakut

The Bhagavata Purana tells why this day is the day of the Annakut. One year Lord Krishna saw the cowherds of Vraja preparing a great sacrifice for Indra. He asked them instead to honour what truly kept them alive: the cows, the learned brahmanas, and Govardhana Hill. Every kind of food was cooked, from sweet rice to cakes and milk sweets, food was given to everyone, and the people walked around the hill with their cows. This mountain of food offered to the hill is remembered as the Annakut.

Indra was furious and sent storm clouds that flooded the land. Krishna lifted Govardhana Hill with one hand, as easily as a child holds up a mushroom, and sheltered all the people and their cows beneath it for seven days, until Indra's pride was broken and the sun shone again.

The same day is also Bali Pratipada. The Bhagavata Purana tells how Lord Vishnu came to the generous king Bali as Vamana and asked for three steps of land, and how Bali kept his word and offered his own head for the third step. The Padma Purana says that Vishnu, pleased with him, granted Bali this festival on the first day of the bright half of Kartika.

Labh Pancham: Gujarat opens again

For most of Gujarat, including Ahmedabad and Rajkot, the New Year is not the end of the holiday. Shops and offices stay closed until Labh Pancham, the fifth day of the bright half of Kartika. On Labh Pancham families and businesses open again, and new account books are started with a Lakshmi Ganesha puja. Labh means profit or gain, and the day is also called Saubhagya Panchami. For those who could not do Chopada Pujan on Diwali or on Bestu Varas, Labh Pancham is the day to do it. For Jains the same day is Jnana Panchami.

Bestu Varas and Labh Pancham 2026, city by city

Click your city for the full page, with the good times of the day for Chopada Pujan and new beginnings.

Gujarat and Mumbai (Tuesday, November 10)

United States and Canada (Monday, November 9)

United Kingdom (Monday, November 9)

Your city is not here? Open mypanchang.com/gujaratinewyear.php or mypanchang.com/labhpanchami.php and choose your city. In Gujarati: બેસતું વર્ષ

Before the New Year come Vagh Baras, Dhanteras (Friday, November 6), Kali Chaudas and Diwali (Sunday, November 8), and after it comes Bhai Beej. Each page shows the date for your own city.

For the full sankalpa for any day and your city: mypanchang.com/sankalpa

May the new year bring health, peace and prosperity to your family and your business, and may Lakshmi and Ganesha bless every new account you open. Wishing you a happy and blessed Nutan Varsh.

Pundit Mahesh Shastri
www.mypanchang.com

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Dhanteras (Dhantrayodashi) 2026, Friday November 6: Puja Muhurat for US, Canada, UK, India and More

Dhanteras 2026 is on Friday, November 6, 2026. This year it falls on the same Friday everywhere in the list below, from North America and the UK to India, the Gulf, Singapore, Australia and Fiji.

Dhanteras, also called Dhantrayodashi and Dhanvantari Trayodashi, is the first day of the five days of Diwali. It falls on the Trayodashi (thirteenth day) of the dark half of Ashwin in the Amanta calendar, which is Kartika Krishna Trayodashi in the Purnimanta calendar. On this day families worship Lord Dhanvantari, Mahalakshmi and Kubera. It is also a day when many people buy gold, silver or new vessels for the home, as a sign of prosperity for the year ahead.

Why we remember Dhanvantari

The Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana tell the story of the churning of the ocean of milk. The gods had lost their strength after the sage Durvasa cursed Indra, and the demons defeated them. Lord Vishnu told them to throw healing herbs into the ocean and churn it, with Mount Mandara as the churning stick and the serpent Vasuki as the rope, and he himself became a tortoise to hold the mountain on his back.

Many wonders rose from the ocean. Then came a young man, strong and dark, in yellow garments and pearl earrings, carrying a jar filled to the brim with amrita, the nectar of immortality. This was Dhanvantari. The Bhagavata Purana says he was a portion of Lord Vishnu himself and a master of the science of medicine. So on Dhanteras families pray to Dhanvantari as the giver of health, the one who came out of the ocean holding the medicine of the gods.

The lamps for Yama

Another telling is kept by the families who observe Dhanteras. King Hima's son was foretold to die of a snakebite on the fourth night after his wedding. On that night his young wife heaped her ornaments and gold and silver coins at the door, lit lamps all around, and kept him awake with stories and songs. Yama came in the form of a serpent, but the lamps and the shining gold dazzled him, and he went away at dawn. The prince lived. This is why, the families say, lamps are lit for Yama on this evening, and why the day is linked with gold and silver.

Dhanteras puja muhurat 2026, city by city

These are the Dhanteras puja times for Friday, November 6, for each city. Click your city for the full page, with the other good times of the day and the story of Dhanteras.

United States

Canada

United Kingdom

India

Middle East and Singapore

Australia and Fiji

Your city is not here? Open mypanchang.com/dhanteras.php and choose your city.

The rest of Diwali 2026

  1. Dhanteras: Friday, November 6
  2. Naraka Chaturdashi: Saturday, November 7 in North America and the UK; Sunday, November 8 in India
  3. Lakshmi Puja (Diwali): Sunday, November 8
  4. Govardhan Puja and the Gujarati New Year: Monday, November 9 in North America and the UK; Tuesday, November 10 in India
  5. Bhai Dooj: Tuesday, November 10 in North America and the UK; Wednesday, November 11 in India

Some of these days fall a day apart between India and the West, so please check the date for your own city on each page.

The Dhanteras page is also in Hindi and Gujarati: धनतेरस · ધનતેરસ

For the full sankalpa for any day and your city: mypanchang.com/sankalpa

May Lord Dhanvantari bless your family with good health, and may Mahalakshmi fill your home with prosperity. Wishing you a happy Dhanteras and a blessed Diwali.

Pundit Mahesh Shastri
www.mypanchang.com

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