Govardhan Puja 2026 Falls on Two Different Days in India

Govardhan Puja 2026 falls on two different days inside India. Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru keep it on the morning of Tuesday 10 November. Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur keep it in the afternoon of Monday 9 November. Both dates come from the same almanac, DrikPanchang, read city by city.

Which day, city by city

In Delhi it is Tuesday 10 November, with the morning muhurat from 6:40 AM to 8:50 AM. In Kolkata it is the same Tuesday, 5:46 AM to 8:00 AM. In Bengaluru it is also Tuesday, 6:16 AM to 8:35 AM.

In Mumbai it is Monday 9 November, with an afternoon muhurat from 3:46 PM to 6:02 PM. In Ahmedabad it is Monday, 3:44 PM to 5:58 PM. In Jaipur it is Monday, 3:28 PM to 5:39 PM.

Abroad, London and New York both keep Govardhan Puja on Monday 9 November, according to the Diwali calendar for those cities.

Why the date splits

Govardhan Puja is held on Pratipada, the first day of the bright fortnight of Kartik. In 2026 the Pratipada tithi begins at 12:31 PM on Monday 9 November and ends at 2:00 PM on Tuesday the 10th, Indian time. Both days hold part of it.

The panchang then looks at local sunrise and sunset to decide which part counts, and in 2026 that test lands on different sides of the line in different cities. Where it falls on Tuesday, the puja is done in the morning. Where it falls on Monday, it is done in the afternoon and early evening, the Sayankala window.

The practical result is that a family in Jaipur and their cousins in Delhi, a few hours apart by road, will make the Annakut on different days. If the family gathers for it, agree which day before anyone books travel.

The story

The festival remembers Krishna lifting Govardhan hill on his little finger to shelter the people and cattle of Gokul from Indra's storms. The rain went on for seven days before Indra gave up. In the story, Krishna then took the form of the mountain and accepted the villagers' offerings, which is why the hill itself is worshipped.

Annakut, the mountain of food

Annakut means a mountain of food. Families cook many dishes and pile them before Krishna, and the custom of chappan bhog, 56 items, is the best known version. Temples go much further: a BAPS mandir in Gujarat offered more than 3,500 dishes in 2019.

At home, many families make a small Govardhan hill from cow dung, decorate it with grass, twigs and small cow figures, and worship it. In Mathura and Nathdwara the deities are bathed in milk and dressed for the day. In Braj, devotees walk the eleven-mile parikrama around the hill itself.

The same day under other names

DrikPanchang lists Bali Pratipada on the same day as Govardhan Puja in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Gujarati New Year comes a day later in both cities, on Tuesday 10 November, which makes it a good day for a second greeting to Gujarati friends and clients.

The rest of the week

Diwali is on Sunday 8 November. Bhai Dooj closes the festival on Wednesday 11 November in India, with the tilak in the early afternoon.