Govardhan Puja
Also called Annakut, Bestu Varas, Gujarati New Year, Padwa, Bali Pratipada
When
Tuesday, 10 November 2026 in 61 days
New Delhi · change location
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Why this date?
Kartik Shukla Pratipada, the first day after the Diwali amavasya. Because Pratipada can begin part-way through a day, the observance does not always sit on the calendar day immediately after Diwali.
- Computed by the panchanga engine for your location
- Follows a written selection rule, not a copied list
- Governed by the whole day rather than a specific period
- The written guide has not yet been reviewed by a named scholar
Dates come from the calculation engine and are independent of the written guide. How we calculate →
Dates in the coming years
- Tuesday, 10 November 2026 in 61 days
- Saturday, 30 October 2027 in 415 days
- Sunday, 27 October 2030 in 1508 days
Published to 2030. Later years appear as the dataset is extended and validated.
What In short
The day Krishna lifted Govardhan hill. A mound of food — the annakut, literally a mountain of grain — is built and offered, and in Vaishnava temples this is one of the year's largest offerings. In Gujarat the same day opens the new year; in Maharashtra it is Bali Pratipada.
- Deity: Krishna as Govardhandhari
Why The reason behind it
Krishna told the cowherds to worship the hill that actually fed their cattle rather than Indra, and when Indra sent the storm he raised the hill on one finger for seven days. The annakut is the hill rebuilt in food: the mountain that sheltered them, returned as an offering.
Traditional basis
Bhagavata Purana, Govardhana-lila — The lifting of the hill and the instruction to worship it, which the annakut re-enacts.
Pushtimarg seva tradition — The annakut is a central temple offering, and its scale in the Nathdwara and Braj havelis is the reference form.
How At home, step by step
- Build the annakut — the household's cooked food arranged as a mound, or a Govardhan figure made of cow dung and decorated.
- Offer it to Krishna and perform the parikrama around it where space allows.
- In Gujarat, open the new account books and exchange new-year greetings.
- In Maharashtra, the wife performs aarti for the husband as Bali Pratipada.
What you'll need
- The cooked food for the annakut
- Cow dung or clay for the Govardhan figure
- Flowers, tulsi and a ghee lamp
- New account books, where that custom is kept
Fasting and breaking the fast
Not a fasting day — it is the opposite, a day of abundant offering and eating.
Fasting guidance here describes traditional practice. It is not medical advice — if you are pregnant, diabetic, on medication or unwell, ask a doctor about your own circumstances.
Personal In your region
- North India yours
Annakut in temples and Govardhan figures at home; the Braj observance is the largest. - Gujarat (Gujarati)
Bestu Varas, the new year: shops open new books, and the day carries the year's first greetings. - Maharashtra (Marathi)
Bali Pratipada, one of the three-and-a-half auspicious muhurtas of the year in the Marathi reckoning.
For children
The day Krishna picked up a whole hill on one finger to keep everyone dry. People build a little hill out of food and offer it to him.
Common questions
- Why is it not always the day right after Diwali?
- Because Pratipada has to actually be running for the day to be Pratipada. If the tithi begins late, the observance moves to the following day — which is why the gap after Diwali is sometimes one day and sometimes two.
- Is the Gujarati New Year a different festival?
- It is the same day under a different reckoning: the Gujarati year is counted from Kartik Shukla Pratipada, so Bestu Varas and Govardhan Puja coincide by construction rather than by coincidence.
This guide has not yet been reviewed by a named scholar or practising priest. The dates and times on this page come from the calculation engine and are independent of it; the explanatory text is editorial and may not reflect your family's practice. Tell us if something is wrong.