Ritual & Festivals Writer
Mansi Vohra writes about festivals and the rituals families keep at home, especially the days of Diwali, Tulsi Vivah and Lakshmi Puja. She has 5 years of practice and study of Hindu traditions. Mansi is an independent contributor who also works in another professional field.
Vrat & festivals
Deepotsav is the Uttar Pradesh government's yearly lamp festival on the Saryu ghats in Ayodhya, held just before Diwali since 2017. Here is what happens, what the records actually say, and how to plan a visit.
Puja guides
A plain, step-by-step way to do Diwali Lakshmi Puja at home, from cleaning and setting up the altar to aarti and prasad, with a samagri list and substitutes that are easy to find outside India.
Vrat & festivals
Dev Deepawali, the 'Diwali of the gods', lights Varanasi's ghats on the full moon of Kartik, about fifteen days after Diwali. The beliefs behind it, how the day is fixed, and what to know before you go.
Puja guides
For many Gujarati families and business owners, Diwali night is when the new account books are blessed, and the Gujarati New Year follows on Kartik Shukla Pratipada. Here is what Chopda Pujan and Sharda Puja involve, and the 2026 dates.
Vrat & festivals
Dhanteras, Naraka Chaturdashi, Lakshmi Puja, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj: what each day of Diwali is for, how its date is fixed, and why Tamil Nadu and Karnataka keep their main Deepavali before sunrise on Chaturdashi.
Vrat & festivals
In 2026 Drik Panchang lists Govardhan Puja on Tuesday 10 November and Bhai Dooj on Wednesday 11 November for New Delhi, but London and New York keep both a day earlier. Here is why, with the local timings and what each day involves.
Vrat & festivals
Dhanteras falls on Friday 6 November 2026, opening the five days of Diwali. Here are the evening puja windows for New Delhi, London, New York, Toronto and Dubai, plus Dhanvantari, the Yama Deepam lamp and the custom of buying metal.
