Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj 2026: why London and New York keep them a day before New Delhi

Why are Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj a day earlier in the UK and US than in New Delhi in 2026? Because the date of each festival is set by which tithi (lunar day) is running at a particular time of your local day, and the tithi changes at the same instant all over the world. In 2026 that instant falls early in the morning for London and in the middle of the night for New York, but around midday in India. So Drik Panchang gives New Delhi Govardhan Puja on Tuesday 10 November and Bhai Dooj on Wednesday 11 November, while London and New York keep them on Monday 9 November and Tuesday 10 November. India does not all agree on Govardhan Puja either: Drik Panchang's Mumbai page lists it on Monday 9 November, with an evening (Sayankala) window of 3:46 to 6:02 PM.

The 2026 dates side by side

	New Delhi	Mumbai	London	New York
Govardhan Puja / Annakut	Tue 10 Nov	Mon 9 Nov	Mon 9 Nov	Mon 9 Nov
Bhai Dooj / Yama Dwitiya	Wed 11 Nov	Wed 11 Nov	Tue 10 Nov	Tue 10 Nov

Lakshmi Puja itself does not move: Drik Panchang lists Sunday 8 November for New Delhi, London and New York alike. The split only opens up after the new moon.

These dates are from Drik Panchang's 2026 pages and agree with ProperPandit's own calculation. Other cities may land on either side, so check yours on /panchang. Your temple or family may also follow its own calendar, and that is the one to go by.

Why the date moves: one instant, many clocks

The mypanchang.com explainer sets out the principle clearly. A tithi is measured from the angle between the Moon and the Sun, so it ends at one moment for the whole planet. Each country simply reads that moment on its own clock. As a general rule, a festival is kept on the day whose local sunrise falls inside the right tithi. Some festivals use a different part of the day instead, as Bhai Dooj does below.

Govardhan Puja: Pratipada at sunrise

Govardhan Puja is kept on Kartika Shukla Pratipada, the first lunar day after the Diwali new moon. In 2026, Amavasya (the new moon tithi) ends and Pratipada begins at 12:31 PM IST on Monday 9 November.

• In New Delhi, sunrise on Monday 9 November comes while Amavasya is still running. Pratipada then runs until 2:00 PM IST on Tuesday 10 November, so Tuesday's sunrise is the Pratipada sunrise, and Drik Panchang lists Tuesday as Govardhan Puja. (Its Mumbai page, with the same tithi times, lists Monday 9 November with an evening window instead.)
• In London, 12:31 PM IST is 7:01 AM GMT on Monday 9 November, just before the Pratahkala (morning) muhurat opens at 7:08 AM. Pratipada is already running as Monday's day starts.
• In New York, the same instant is 2:01 AM EST on Monday 9 November, hours before dawn.

Drik Panchang itself notes that Govardhan Puja can sometimes fall a day earlier, on the calendar day of Amavasya, depending on when Pratipada begins. That is what happens abroad this year.

Bhai Dooj: Dwitiya in the afternoon

Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya) is tied to Dwitiya, the second lunar day, and Drik Panchang places its worship in Aparahna, the afternoon portion of the day. Dwitiya begins at 2:00 PM IST on Tuesday 10 November and ends at 3:53 PM IST on Wednesday 11 November.

• In New Delhi and Mumbai, Tuesday's afternoon is mostly over before Dwitiya starts, but on Wednesday Dwitiya runs through the whole Aparahna window. So Wednesday is Bhai Dooj.
• In London, Dwitiya begins at 8:30 AM GMT on Tuesday 10 November, so the whole afternoon window that day falls inside it.
• In New York, Dwitiya begins at 3:30 AM EST on Tuesday 10 November, and has ended (at 5:23 AM EST) before dawn on Wednesday.

The local times here are simple conversions of the IST instants. The decision about which day to keep follows Drik Panchang.

Local timings for 2026

These are Drik Panchang's windows, each in that city's local time. The UK is on GMT and the US moved back to standard time on 1 November 2026.

Govardhan Puja

• New Delhi, Tue 10 Nov: Pratahkala muhurat 6:40 to 8:50 AM
• Mumbai, Mon 9 Nov: Sayankala 3:46 to 6:02 PM
• London, Mon 9 Nov: Pratahkala 7:08 to 8:58 AM; Sayankala (evening) 2:30 to 4:20 PM
• New York, Mon 9 Nov: Pratahkala 6:36 to 8:37 AM; Sayankala 2:42 to 4:43 PM

Bhai Dooj (Aparahna window)

• New Delhi, Wed 11 Nov: 1:10 to 3:20 PM
• Mumbai, Wed 11 Nov: 1:30 to 3:46 PM
• London, Tue 10 Nov: 12:39 to 2:29 PM
• New York, Tue 10 Nov: 12:40 to 2:41 PM

A practical point for families split across countries: if your sister is in Delhi and you are in London, your "same" Bhai Dooj is on two different calendar dates this year.

What Govardhan Puja and Annakut involve

Govardhan Puja remembers the story of Krishna lifting Govardhan Hill to shelter the people of Braj from Indra's storms. According to the story, Krishna had asked the villagers to stop their offerings to Indra, Indra sent heavy rain in anger, and Krishna held the hill up for seven days until Indra gave way.

The day is also called Annakut, which Wikipedia glosses as "mountain of food". What families and temples typically do:

• Offer many dishes. Vegetarian dishes, sometimes dozens of them, are offered to Krishna, often arranged in tiers around a central mound of grain that stands for the hill. Drik Panchang mentions grain dishes, a gram-flour curry and leafy vegetables.
• Make a small Govardhan. In Braj, people shape a small hill from the dung of a desi cow and worship it.
• Walk around the hill. Devotees in Braj circle Govardhan Hill itself.
• Visit a temple Annakut. Large Annakut displays are held at many temples, including BAPS mandirs. Our sibling piece annakut-at-hindu-temples-explained (blog slug) goes into this, and if you are near London, see our Neasden Temple visit guide.

In Maharashtra the same day is Bali Pratipada or Padwa, which recalls Vamana and King Bali. In Gujarati tradition it is often the New Year, covered in chopda-pujan-sharda-puja-gujarati-new-year (blog slug).

What Bhai Dooj involves

Bhai Dooj honours the bond between brothers and sisters. Its other name, Yama Dwitiya, comes from the story of a meeting between Yama and his sister Yamuna on this day. Another story links the day to Krishna visiting his sister Subhadra after defeating Narakasura.

A typical Bhai Dooj, though every family has its own version:

1. The sister invites her brother home, often for his favourite food.
2. She performs aarti and applies a tilak to his forehead, praying for his long and happy life.
3. Sweets and a meal are shared, and the brother gives a gift.
4. Some families also tie a thread on the brother's wrist.

Regional names include Bhai Phonta in Bengal, Bhai Tika in Nepal (where sisters use a seven-coloured tika), and Bhau Beej in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Karnataka. In Haryana and Maharashtra, women without brothers traditionally worship the Moon instead.

Questions people ask

Why is Diwali on the same date abroad but Govardhan Puja is not? Lakshmi Puja is chosen by the Amavasya evening, and in 2026 Amavasya covers the evening of Sunday 8 November in all three cities. The Pratipada change on 9 November falls at a different point in each local day.

Should I follow the Indian date if my family is in India? Panchangs set the date by your local day, so a city-based panchang such as Drik Panchang gives each city its own date. Family and temple custom come first, so ask your priest if unsure.

Is Govardhan Puja done in the morning or evening? It depends on the city. Drik Panchang gives New Delhi a morning (Pratahkala) window, London and New York both a morning and an evening (Sayankala) window, and Mumbai an evening window. Families follow their own tradition.

Does Bhai Dooj have to be done in the afternoon window? Drik Panchang gives the Aparahna (afternoon) period as the Bhai Dooj tika time. Family custom varies, so follow yours or ask your priest.

Will the dates line up again next year? That depends on where the tithi change falls in each local day, so it changes year to year. Check /panchang for your city each year.