Govardhan Puja 2026 in USA: Mon, Nov 9 — Puja Time by City

How the Govardhan Puja date is decided

Kartika Shukla Pratipada: on the day after Diwali if Pratipada already covers the whole evening (Sayankala) — puja in the evening; otherwise on the next day, in the morning (Pratahkala) with Pratipada at sunrise.

Significance

The lesson of the Govardhan leela is to worship not arrogant power (Indra) but nature (the hill, the cow, the forest) — which gives food, water and shade. Hence the decoration of cows and bullocks and the worship of the dung Govardhan on this day.

Annakut means 'a mountain of food' — 56 (or as many as possible) dishes made from the new harvest's vegetables, grains and sweets are offered to Thakur ji (Krishna) and then distributed as prasad — the biggest day of the women's collective kitchen.

The same day is Bali Pratipada (worship of King Bali) and the new year (Bestu Varsh) in Gujarat; in many homes the poverty-driving rite (beating the winnowing fan) of the morning after Diwali also falls here. If the Amavasya runs into the afternoon, Govardhan Puja may move a day ahead — the date above is from the panchang.

Puja vidhi (brief)

1. Bathe in the morning and make the shape of Govardhan hill from cow dung in the courtyard/at the door — like a reclining figure or a mound; decorate it with flowers, kheel-batasha, lamps, green grass, pieces of sugarcane and small flags; place an idol/picture of Shri Krishna or a clay cowherd boy in the middle.
2. Bathe the cows and bullocks (or the cows of a gaushala), oil and colour their horns, garland their necks, apply a turmeric-roli tilak on the forehead; feed them jaggery, chana and green fodder — the cows are at the heart of the Govardhan leela.
3. In the puja muhurat (morning in the Pratipada, or Abhijit — time above) worship the Govardhan figure: roli, akshat, flowers, incense and lamp, naivedya; recite 'Govardhana dharadhara Gokula trana-karaka, Vishnu-bahu-kritochchhraya gavam koti-prado bhava' or 'Shri Govardhan Maharaj ki jai'.
4. Annakut: during the day cook the new season's vegetables (the mixed 'Annakut sabzi'), kadhi-rice, poori, millet/maize roti, kheer, halwa, laddoo, malpua, fruit, dry fruits — as many dishes as possible (56 by tradition); arrange them like a mountain on thalis/leaf plates before Thakur ji.
5. In the evening (in Godhuli bela) offer the Annakut bhog to Thakur ji and the Govardhan, do the aarti — 'Aarti Kunjbihari ki'; light the lamps.
6. With the family do seven parikramas of the Govardhan — a lota of water in hand, pouring a thin stream as you go (the Braj way), saying 'Govardhan Maharaj ki jai'; children and elders all.
7. Distribute the offered Annakut prasad to the family, neighbours, the gaushala and the needy — do not turn anyone away from prasad on this day.
8. When the dung Govardhan dries the next day, make dung cakes of it or put it in a field/plant — never in the garbage.

Frequently asked questions

Is Govardhan Puja 2026 on the same day in USA and India?

No. India: Tuesday, November 10, 2026; New York (USA): Monday, November 9, 2026. The tithi is judged at the local deciding moment, which falls on a different calendar day here.

What is the puja time for Govardhan Puja 2026 in New York?

Pratahkal Puja Muhurat: 6:36 AM to 8:37 AM (EST). Other cities are in the table above.

Which time zone are these timings in?

Each row is in that city's own local time with daylight saving applied (Eastern Time (EST/EDT) for New York).

Why 56 dishes in the Annakut?

According to the katha, in the seven days that Krishna held up Govardhan he missed eight watches × seven days = 56 meals, hence 56 dishes. Make as many as your home can — the feeling matters, not the count.

How to make the Govardhan if cow dung is not available?

A symbol can be made of clay, dough or dung cakes; or worship a Govardhan picture/Govardhan shila (brought from Mathura). In cities a gaushala will give a little dung.

Why are Govardhan Puja and Bali Pratipada on the same day?

Both fall on Kartik Shukla Pratipada — Govardhan-Annakut in north-west India and King Bali's coming to earth in Maharashtra and the South; in Gujarat the same day is the new year.

Daily panchang in USA

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