A symbolic illustration of a green Govardhan hill with a small hillside temple, cows grazing at its foot, marigold garlands and rows of glowing earthen diyas in the foreground.
Lifestyle & Health
Govardhan Puja 2026: Date, Muhurat and the 9 vs 10 November Answer
Govardhan Puja falls on Tuesday, 10 November 2026 in most of India, with the Delhi morning muhurat 6:40-8:50 am. Why some calendars say 9 November, plus Annakut and Chhappan Bhog.
⚡Key Highlights
Premium
Govardhan Puja falls on Tuesday, 10 November 2026 in most of India, with the Delhi morning muhurat 6:40-8:50 am
Why some calendars say 9 November, plus Annakut and Chhappan Bhog.
Key analysis, background details, and full reporting below.
Most panchangs put Govardhan Puja on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, but the tithi begins on Monday afternoon, so some homes worship on the evening of the 9th. Here is the date and the muhurat.
By StoryTimesNow News Desk — 09 November 2026, 1:11 PM IST
Govardhan Puja, also called Annakut, falls on Kartik Shukla Pratipada. (Illustration: StoryTimesNow)
Key Takeaways
Govardhan Puja falls on Tuesday, 10 November 2026 in most of India, under the sunrise (udaya tithi) rule followed by Drik Panchang for New Delhi.
Pratipada runs from 12:31 pm on Monday, 9 November to 2:00 pm on Tuesday, 10 November, which is why some calendars list 9 November.
In New Delhi the morning muhurat is 6:40-8:50 am on 10 November; evening worship falls on 9 November, about 3:19-5:35 pm.
Introduction
Govardhan Puja is one of the most searched questions in India today: two dates are doing the rounds. Most panchangs put the festival on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, while several calendars show Monday, 9 November. Both come from the same tithi, Kartik Shukla Pratipada, which begins on Monday afternoon and runs into Tuesday afternoon.
What Happened?
Diwali, or Lakshmi Puja, fell on Sunday, 8 November 2026. Amavasya ran on into Monday afternoon, and Pratipada, the first tithi of the bright fortnight of Kartik, began only at 12:31 pm on Monday, 9 November, ending at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, 10 November (Drik Panchang, New Delhi, via The Economic Times and Outlook India).
Under the udaya tithi rule, a festival is kept on the day the tithi is present at sunrise, so the main observance falls on 10 November, with the Delhi morning muhurat from 6:40 am to 8:50 am.
Many households treat Govardhan Puja as an evening rite: where the puja is done after sunset, with a small cow-dung hill and an evening aarti, families observe it on Monday, 9 November. The Delhi evening window is roughly 3:19 pm to 5:35 pm.
Why Does This Matter?
Govardhan Puja is the fourth day of the five-day Diwali festival, the day many families cook the Annakut feast and worship their cattle. Getting the date wrong means missing the muhurat or turning up after the Annakut darshan has ended. Thousands also travel to Govardhan town in Uttar Pradesh for the 21-kilometre parikrama, and crowds peak on the morning of the main observance.
Important Details
The key dates and timings, from Drik Panchang for New Delhi:
Detail
Date and time
Main observance in India
Tuesday, 10 November 2026
Pratipada tithi begins
Monday, 9 November, 12:31 pm
Pratipada tithi ends
Tuesday, 10 November, 2:00 pm
Morning muhurat, New Delhi
Tuesday, 10 November, 6:40 am to 8:50 am
Evening observance, New Delhi
Monday, 9 November, about 3:19 pm to 5:35 pm
Muhurat timings are city-specific and shift by a few minutes with local sunrise, so confirm the timing with your local panchang or temple. Outside India, several calendars list the festival on Monday, 9 November.
Background and Context
Govardhan Puja commemorates the Govardhan Leela from the Bhagavata Purana, in its tenth canto. The people of Braj worshipped Indra, the god of rain, until the young Krishna persuaded them to worship Govardhan Hill instead, which gave their cattle grazing land. Indra sent torrential rain over Braj in anger, and Krishna lifted the hill on his little finger, sheltering the villagers and their cattle for seven days until Indra relented.
The festival is also called Annakut, from anna (food) and kuta (heap): a mountain of food. Temples and households heap a grand vegetarian feast before Krishna, a mound of cooked rice at its centre standing for the hill, and share it as prasad. Cow worship is central, and in Braj devotees walk the 21-kilometre parikrama around the hill.
The best-known part is Chhappan Bhog, 56 dishes. Popular tradition says Krishna ate eight meals a day and missed them for the seven days he held the hill, so the people of Braj offered eight times seven dishes when the rain stopped. Temples often offer 56 or 108 items; a home puja commonly uses 11 or 21.
What Happens Next?
The festival closes with Bhai Dooj on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, when sisters apply tilak on their brothers' foreheads. Dwitiya runs from 2:00 pm on Tuesday to 3:53 pm on Wednesday, and the Delhi tilak muhurat is about 1:10 pm to 3:20 pm on the 11th.
What Readers Should Know
For most of India, the date is Tuesday, 10 November 2026; the Delhi morning muhurat is 6:40-8:50 am.
Evening worship falls on Monday, 9 November, roughly 3:19-5:35 pm in New Delhi.
Confirm the timing with your local temple or panchang; muhurat timings shift by city.
You need not cook all 56 dishes at home: 11 or 21 items is the usual practice.
FAQs
Is Govardhan Puja on 9 or 10 November 2026?
In India it is Tuesday, 10 November 2026 (Drik Panchang, New Delhi), because Pratipada is present at sunrise that day. Evening worship falls on Monday, 9 November.
What is the Govardhan Puja muhurat in Delhi?
The morning muhurat in New Delhi is 6:40-8:50 am on Tuesday, 10 November; the evening window on Monday is about 3:19-5:35 pm.
What is Annakut and why are 56 dishes offered?
Annakut means a mountain of food. The 56 dishes, Chhappan Bhog, come from the account that Krishna ate eight meals a day and missed them for seven days under the hill: 8 times 7 is 56.
Do I have to prepare all 56 dishes at home?
No. Temples offer 56 or 108 items, but a home puja usually has 11 or 21 dishes, shared as prasad.
Sources and Verification
Dates and muhurat timings are from Drik Panchang for New Delhi, as reported by The Economic Times and Outlook India on 9 November 2026. The Chhappan Bhog account is the popular tradition as reported by News18 and ABP Live. Timings vary by city.
StoryTimesNow's news desk reports festival dates from Drik Panchang and cross-checks them against multiple outlets before publication. Tithi and muhurat timings are city-specific; confirm the exact timing with your local panchang or temple.
