The ProperPandit journal
Articles on Vedic astrology, devotion, and rituals.
50 articles
NewestVrat & 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.
Planning a puja
What a Griha Pravesh Puja costs on ProperPandit, what the listing includes, a samagri checklist, the November and December 2026 dates Drik Panchang lists for New Delhi, and how booking on WhatsApp works.
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.
Terms & traditions
Karnataka Tourism asks visitors to Talakaveri to dress modestly, especially at the Brahma Kundike, and says the temple is usually open 6 am to 6 pm. Here is what the official sources say, and what they don't.
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.
Terms & traditions
The Sydney Murugan Temple at 217 Great Western Highway, Mays Hill, opens 7 am to 8.30 pm (9.30 pm on Fridays). Its conditions of entry ask for no photos, no phones, shoes and hats off, and recommend cultural dress.
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
Diwali Lakshmi Puja is on Sunday 8 November 2026 in every overseas city we checked. Here are the local muhurat and Pradosh Kaal windows for New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Houston, the Bay Area, Toronto, London, Leicester and Dubai.
Vrat & festivals
Choghadiya for Friday 6 November 2026, Dhanteras, for New Delhi, Mumbai, Toronto, New York and London, plus the evening puja muhurat for Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, New Jersey, Chicago, Houston and San Francisco, all from Drik Panchang and checked against our own sunrise and sunset maths.
Terms & traditions
Snow buries both shrines for about six months, so worship moves downhill: Kedarnath's to Ukhimath, Badrinath's to Pandukeshwar and Jyotirmath. How the closing and opening dates are chosen, and where to check them.
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.
Articles are for general information, researched from public sources, and may contain errors. Please follow your family pandit's guidance.