Govardhan Puja 2026 Is on Tuesday, 10 November, Not Today: Puja Muhurat, Tithi and Why Annakut Is Offered
Pratipada begins at 12:31 pm on Monday, but the sunrise rule puts Govardhan Puja on Tuesday. In Delhi, the morning muhurat runs from 6:40 am to 8:50 am.
If you were planning your Annakut for today, hold on. Govardhan Puja falls on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, two calendar days after Diwali, and not on Monday as many expected.
Why the date moved
The festival is kept on Kartik Shukla Pratipada, the first day of the bright fortnight after the Diwali new moon. This year Pratipada begins at 12:31 pm on Monday, 9 November, and runs until about 2 pm on Tuesday. Because the tithi prevailing at sunrise decides the day, the observance shifts to Tuesday.
Some 2026 government holiday calendars do list 9 November for Govardhan Puja, and the RBI holiday list shows a Monday closure for Govardhan Puja in the Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan regions. For the religious rituals, devotees are advised to go by their local panchang.
Puja timings (New Delhi)
- Date: Tuesday, 10 November 2026
- Tithi: Kartik Shukla Pratipada
- Pratipada begins: 12:31 pm, Monday, 9 November
- Pratipada ends: around 2 pm, Tuesday, 10 November
- Morning puja muhurat: 6:40 am to 8:50 am
Some traditions also hold an evening puja. Timings differ slightly from city to city.
The story behind the festival
The day recalls the tale of young Krishna in Vrindavan. The villagers used to pray to Indra, the god of rain, for a good harvest. Krishna asked them to honour Govardhan Hill instead, since it fed their cattle and sustained their lives. An angry Indra sent a storm of rain, and Krishna is said to have lifted the hill on his little finger, sheltering the people and their cows beneath it for seven days until Indra relented.
Annakut and other customs
The festival is also called Annakut, meaning a mountain of food. Families and temples cook a wide spread of dishes, offer them to Krishna and then share them as prasad. In many homes a small hill is shaped from cow dung, decorated with flowers and leaves, and worshipped as Govardhan; some families use other materials or focus on temple worship.
Customs vary by region. In Mathura and Vrindavan, pilgrims walk the Govardhan Parikrama around the hill. In Gujarat the day can coincide with the Gujarati New Year, Bestu Varas, and in Maharashtra it is marked as Bali Pratipada, linked to the story of King Bali and Vamana.
Featured image: Govardhan hill, Govardhan.jpg by Ekabhishek, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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