Govardhan Puja 2026 on 9 or 10 November, and Bhai Dooj Tilak Time on 11 November, Explained

Govardhan Puja is trending across India this morning, and so is a simple question: is it today or was it yesterday? For most of north and east India, and for the big southern cities, the answer in Drik Panchang's tables is today, Tuesday, 10 November 2026. The New Delhi morning muhurat is 6:40 AM to 8:50 AM. Bhai Dooj follows on Wednesday, 11 November, with the tilak window at 1:10 PM to 3:20 PM in New Delhi.

The confusion is real, though. Drik lists Monday, 9 November for Mumbai, Jaipur and Ahmedabad, and Mathura's Dwarkadhish temple held its Annakut on Monday too. This is why, and what time applies where you live.

The 60-second version

• Govardhan Puja (most cities): Tuesday, 10 November. New Delhi Pratahkala muhurat 6:40 AM to 8:50 AM, per Drik Panchang.
• The split: Drik lists Monday, 9 November (evening muhurat) for Mumbai, Jaipur and Ahmedabad. Dainik Bhaskar reported Mathura's Dwarkadhish temple and Jatipura held Annakut on Monday.
• The tithi: Kartik Shukla Pratipada runs from 12:31 PM on 9 November to 2:00 PM on 10 November.
• Bhai Dooj: Wednesday, 11 November. New Delhi tilak window 1:10 PM to 3:20 PM. Dwitiya runs 2:00 PM on 10 November to 3:53 PM on 11 November.
• Gujarati New Year: Tuesday, 10 November, the start of Vikram Samvat 2083.
• Markets: NSE and BSE are shut today for Diwali Balipratipada.

Why the date split this year

Diwali Lakshmi Puja was on Sunday, 8 November. Amavasya was still running on Monday morning: Drik Panchang puts the start of Pratipada at 12:31 PM on 9 November, so Monday's sunrise fell in Amavasya. Pratipada then runs to 2:00 PM on Tuesday, which makes Tuesday the first sunrise of the new lunar fortnight. The Economic Times, using the same timings, makes that sunrise argument for Gujarati New Year falling on 10 November rather than 9 November.

Drik Panchang's own note on the festival says Govardhan Puja is prescribed during Kartik Pratipada and that, "depending on starting time of Pratipada", the day "might fall one day earlier, on the Amavasya day." It also says there is sometimes a one-day gap between Diwali and Govardhan Puja. Both of those happened in 2026, and which one applies depends on the city. Drik's tables give a morning (Pratahkala) muhurat on Tuesday for some cities and an evening (Sayankala) muhurat on Monday for others. Drik's page does not spell out the city-by-city rule, so we report its listings rather than guess at the calculation.

Govardhan Puja muhurat, city by city

All timings below are from Drik Panchang's 2026 Govardhan Puja pages for each city.

City	Date	Muhurat
New Delhi	Tue, 10 Nov	6:40 AM to 8:50 AM
Lucknow	Tue, 10 Nov	6:22 AM to 8:33 AM
Patna	Tue, 10 Nov	6:03 AM to 8:15 AM
Kolkata	Tue, 10 Nov	5:46 AM to 8:00 AM
Bengaluru	Tue, 10 Nov	6:16 AM to 8:35 AM
Chennai	Tue, 10 Nov	6:06 AM to 8:24 AM
Hyderabad	Tue, 10 Nov	6:18 AM to 8:35 AM
Mumbai	Mon, 9 Nov	3:46 PM to 6:02 PM (evening)
Jaipur	Mon, 9 Nov	3:28 PM to 5:39 PM (evening)
Ahmedabad	Mon, 9 Nov	3:44 PM to 5:58 PM (evening)

ABP Live's panchang for 10 November, updated at 6:10 AM IST today, gives the same New Delhi window and makes a useful point: the 2:00 PM end of Pratipada is not the end of the puja day. It is the end of the tithi. The 8:50 AM time is the end of the morning muhurat, and daily aarti or bhog after that is not ruled out by it. ABP also lists Rahu Kaal in New Delhi today as 2:47 PM to 4:09 PM.

What Mathura did

Braj is where the festival matters most, and the reporting from Mathura shows both dates in use.

Dainik Bhaskar reported on Sunday night that the Dwarkadhish temple in Mathura, a temple of the Pushtimarg tradition, would hold Govardhan Puja darshan from 10 AM the next morning and Annakut darshan from 4 PM to 8 PM. Its follow-up, filed on Monday evening, said the temple celebrated Govardhan Puja and the Annakut on Monday, with thousands of devotees. A separate Bhaskar report the same evening said a chhappan bhog and Annakut were offered to Shrinath ji and Giriraj Maharaj at Jatipura's Keshariya Mandan, near Govardhan. Bhaskar also reported crowds doing the seven-kos parikrama of the Giriraj hill on Monday.

Dainik Jagran's Mathura report, published on Monday morning, said Govardhan Puja and the Annakut Mahotsav would be held on Tuesday, 10 November, a day later than the usual day-after-Diwali pattern. It quoted astrologer Ajay Tailang for that date and for Bhai Dooj on 11 November, and described the milk abhishek of the Giriraj stones from about 4 AM on the day.

So a family in Mathura could have seen Annakut at one temple on Monday and at another on Tuesday. That is not a mistake by either. It is two reckonings of the same tithi.

Bhai Dooj: 11 November, not this afternoon

Dwitiya tithi begins at 2:00 PM today. That is why some people are asking whether Bhai Dooj starts this afternoon. Drik Panchang lists Bhai Dooj, also called Yama Dwitiya, on Wednesday, 11 November, with the tilak in the Aparahna (afternoon) window. Dwitiya ends at 3:53 PM on 11 November, so Wednesday's afternoon falls inside it. ABP Live gives the same answer: Dwitiya starts on Tuesday, but the tilak is on Wednesday.

City	Bhai Dooj tilak window, Wed 11 Nov
New Delhi	1:10 PM to 3:20 PM
Mumbai	1:30 PM to 3:46 PM
Kolkata	12:27 PM to 2:41 PM
Patna	12:39 PM to 2:51 PM
Lucknow	12:56 PM to 3:07 PM
Jaipur	1:16 PM to 3:27 PM
Ahmedabad	1:30 PM to 3:43 PM
Bengaluru	1:13 PM to 3:32 PM
Chennai	1:02 PM to 3:21 PM
Hyderabad	1:08 PM to 3:25 PM

Drik Panchang notes the festival's other names: Bhau Beej, Bhatra Dwitiya, Bhai Dwitiya and Bhathru Dwithiya. Its account of the ritual is the familiar one: sisters apply tilak, perform aarti and pray for their brothers' long life, and brothers give gifts in return. The Yama Dwitiya name comes from the story of Yamaraja visiting his sister Yamuna, which is why Drik says a bath in the Yamuna holds special significance on the day.

Gujarati New Year, Balipratipada and the market holiday

Gujarat: Drik Panchang, NDTV Profit, News18 and The Economic Times all put Gujarati New Year (Bestu Varas) on Tuesday, 10 November, the start of Vikram Samvat 2083. Drik's Govardhan note says that in some years Govardhan Puja can fall a day before Gujarati New Year, depending on when Pratipada starts. Its Ahmedabad table, with Govardhan Puja on 9 November, matches that note this year.

Maharashtra: Drik says the same Pratipada is observed in Maharashtra as Bali Pratipada or Bali Padva, marking Vamana's victory over King Bali.

Markets: the exchanges' 2026 holiday list, set out in our November market holidays guide, closes the NSE and BSE on Tuesday, 10 November for Diwali Balipratipada. Trades from Monday settle on Wednesday. Bank holidays for Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj are set state by state, so check the RBI list for your state.

What to watch next

1. This morning's window. In New Delhi the Pratahkala muhurat ends at 8:50 AM. Pratipada ends at 2:00 PM.
2. Bhai Dooj tomorrow. Plan the tilak for Wednesday afternoon in your city's window, not for Tuesday after 2:00 PM.
3. Delhi's air. Delhi recorded its most polluted Diwali in five years, as we reported in our Diwali pollution explainer. Anyone planning outdoor rituals should check the AQI first.
4. Chhath next. The festival season moves on to Chhath. Dates and arghya times are in our Chhath Puja 2026 guide.

For most of India, Govardhan Puja is today and Bhai Dooj is tomorrow afternoon. Where your temple or family followed Monday, that is a recognised reading of the same Pratipada, not a missed festival.

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Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj dates, tithi times and city-wise muhurat windows are from Drik Panchang's 2026 festival pages for New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Patna, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, read on 10 November 2026. Drik's notes are the source for the one-day-earlier rule, the Bali Pratipada and Gujarati New Year links, and the Bhai Dooj names and rituals. ABP Live's Aaj Ka Panchang (Hirdesh Kumar Singh, updated 6:10 AM IST on 10 November 2026) is the source for Rahu Kaal and the explanation of the 2:00 PM and 8:50 AM times. Dainik Bhaskar's Mathura reports (8 November, 9:36 PM IST, and 9 November, 8:21 PM and 8:28 PM IST) are the source for the Dwarkadhish and Jatipura Annakut on Monday and the parikrama crowds. Dainik Jagran (Mathura, updated 9 November 2026, 11:00 AM IST) is the source for the 10 November date in Mathura and Ajay Tailang's comments. Gujarati New Year is from Drik Panchang, NDTV Profit, News18 and The Economic Times. The market holiday is from the NSE and BSE 2026 list cited in our holiday guide. Timings vary with local sunrise: follow your own panchang, temple or family tradition.