Govardhan Puja in Chitrakoot

Date and timing in this city

In Chitrakoot (चित्रकूट), India, Govardhan Puja falls on Tuesday 10 November 2026. The following year it falls on Saturday 30 October 2027. These dates are computed for Chitrakoot's own sunrise, in the Asia/Kolkata time zone.

The tithi observed is Kartik Shukla Pratipada — the first day of the bright fortnight of Kartik. The deity honoured is Krishna, and the observance is Annakut, the offering of a mountain of food. Chitrakoot lies in North India, where this festival is widely kept.

Why the date can differ from India

A festival date is not a single national figure. It is worked out from the tithi as it stands at sunrise at a given place. Because sunrise arrives at different moments across the country, the tithi in force at that moment can differ from one city to another. Chitrakoot's date is therefore computed for Chitrakoot's sunrise, not for a general all-India sunrise.

Two further points of variation are worth noting. Traditions differ on when the day begins — some reckon the day from sunrise to sunrise, others from one sunset to the next. Communities also differ on the lunar month: North Indian practice commonly runs the month from full moon to full moon (purnimanta), while other regions run it from new moon to new moon (amanta). Smarta and Vaishnava households may likewise mark the day differently. For these reasons, the date given here is specific to Chitrakoot, and readers elsewhere may find their local date differs by a day.

Where and how the community celebrates

Govardhan Puja is observed across North India, and Chitrakoot keeps the day in the same spirit as the wider region. The central act is Annakut: food is prepared in quantity and arranged as an offering, recalling the Govardhan hill lifted as a shelter. The offering is made to Krishna, and the prepared food is then shared.

Households and neighbourhoods often build a small representation of Govardhan from cow dung, clay or food, and circle it in worship. Cows, central to the Govardhan story, are tended and honoured. Customs vary from family to family and from one community to another, so what a particular household does may differ in detail from its neighbour.

Practical tips

• Check the local panchang for your own city before fixing the day, since sunrise-based dates can differ.
• Note the tithi: Kartik Shukla Pratipada, and the two Chitrakoot dates given above.
• Prepare the Annakut offering in advance if you plan to cook for it.
• If you follow a particular family or sampradaya tradition, keep to its reckoning of the month and day.
• For anything tied to your own chart, consult a qualified jyotishi.