Govardhan Puja 2026

November 2026

Monday

Krishna

Commemorates Krishna lifting Govardhan Hill

Govardhan Puja Puja Timings

Govardhan Puja on Monday, November 9, 2026

Kartik, Shukla Paksha, Pratipada

Begins: 12:32 PM, Nov 09 · Ends: 02:00 PM, Nov 10

Duration: 1 day

19 days

About Govardhan Puja

Govardhan Puja commemorates Lord Krishna lifting Govardhan Hill on his little finger to shelter villagers from a storm sent by Indra.

Small hillocks of food (Annakut) are offered in temples as a re-enactment of the abundance the hill provided.

Significance

Celebrated on the first day (Pratipada) of the bright half of Kartik, right after Diwali, and also called Annakut ('mountain of food'). It recalls the Bhagavata Purana account of Krishna lifting Govardhan Hill on his finger for seven days to shelter the people of Vrindavan from Indra's storm, after persuading them to honour the hill that sustained them. It is a festival of gratitude for the hill, the cows and the harvest.

How to Observe

Make a small Govardhan hill from cow dung or clay in the courtyard, decorated with flowers, grass and lamps, with a Krishna image on top and small cow figures around it
Worship cows: wash and garland them, and feed them greens and jaggery
Offer the Annakut — a heaped arrangement of rice, vegetables and sweets, often 56 items (chappan bhog) — to Krishna, then share it as prasad
Walk around the hillock (parikrama), chanting Krishna's name
Visit a temple to see its Annakut display

Regional Variations

Braj (Mathura & Govardhan)

Devotees walk the roughly eleven-mile parikrama of the real Govardhan Hill; some do it in full prostrations over ten to twelve days.

Gujarat

The day is observed as the start of the new year in some communities.

Other names

Known in some regions as Padwa or Varsha Pratipada, as well as Annakut.

Related Festivals & Vrats

Diwali / Lakshmi Puja Bhai Dooj

Notes: Date and timings shown are computed for New Delhi, India using Swiss Ephemeris. Computed via an evening (Pradosh Kaal ≈ sunset) anchor rather than Udaya Tithi (sunrise) — sourced and verified against 2026's real tithi timings this session; see module docstring's anchor-time finding for why this festival needs it while most others don't. Confirmed Nov 9, 2026 against several sources as part of the Diwali cluster, though at least one otherwise-reputable comprehensive calendar lists Nov 10 instead — a known real year-to-year ambiguity for the day right after Diwali, not unique to this engine. Always cross-check with your family priest for a personalised Muhurat.

Panchang for Govardhan Puja Day Choghadiya Muhurat

Frequently Asked Questions

Govardhan Puja 2026 mein kab hai?

Govardhan Puja 2026 mein Monday, 9 November ko hai (New Delhi ke panchang ke anusaar). Tithi: Kartik, Shukla Paksha, Pratipada. Yeh tithi 12:32 PM, Nov 09 se 02:00 PM, Nov 10 tak rehti hai. Apne shehar ke hisaab se samay thoda alag ho sakta hai.

Why does this festival's date change every year on the Gregorian calendar?

Most Hindu festivals are set by the lunar Hindu calendar (a specific Tithi within a specific lunar month), not the solar Gregorian calendar used internationally. Since a lunar year runs roughly 11 days shorter than a solar year, the same Tithi lands on a different Gregorian date each year — this is normal and expected, not an error.