Gujarati New Year 2026: Bestu Varas, Labh Pancham, Chopda Pujan

Gujarati New Year 2026, known as Bestu Varas or Nutan Varsh, falls on Tuesday, 10 November 2026 and begins Vikram Samvat 2083. Labh Pancham, the day most Gujarati businesses reopen after Diwali, follows on Saturday, 14 November. This guide gives you the verified dates and muhurat for Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Mumbai, explains the traditions of each day, walks business owners through Chopda Pujan, and ends with ready-to-send wishes in Gujarati script and English.

Updated October 2026. Dates and timings are from Drik Panchang’s 2026 pages for each city. Local panchangs can differ by a few minutes.

Gujarati New Year 2026: Dates at a Glance

Day	Date	Observance
Diwali	Sunday, 8 November 2026	Lakshmi Puja, Chopda Pujan, Sharda Pujan
Amavasya continues	Monday, 9 November 2026	Amavasya ends 12:31 PM; Pratipada begins
Bestu Varas / Nutan Varsh	Tuesday, 10 November 2026	Gujarati New Year, Vikram Samvat 2083, Govardhan Puja and Annakut
Bhai Bij	Wednesday, 11 November 2026	Brothers visit sisters
Labh Pancham	Saturday, 14 November 2026	Business reopening, Saubhagya Panchami, Gyan Panchami

The new year date is confirmed on Drik Panchang’s Gujarati New Year 2026 page, which shows Pratipada tithi from 12:31 PM on 9 November to 2:00 PM on 10 November. Since the new year is observed on the day when Pratipada prevails at sunrise, Tuesday is the day. A few calendars and websites show 9 November; if your family or community follows a particular panchang, go with it.

For the wider festival, our Diwali 2026 calendar covers Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj, and our Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj 2026 guide has the muhurat for those two days.

What Is Bestu Varas?

Most Indian Hindu calendars begin the year in Chaitra (March or April). Gujarat’s Vikram Samvat calendar begins instead on Kartik Shukla Pratipada, the first day of the bright half of Kartik, right after Diwali. “Bestu Varas” is the everyday Gujarati name for this first day of the year, and “Nutan Varsh” simply means new year.

For Gujarati families, the five days from Dhanteras to Bhai Bij run together, and then the calendar quietly continues to Labh Pancham, when shops reopen. In many towns, markets stay shut or half-open for those days, and the mood is closer to a long family holiday than a single festival.

How Gujarati families celebrate

• Early start: People wake before sunrise, bathe, wear new clothes and visit the family temple or a nearby mandir for darshan.
• Annakut: Temples, especially Haveli and Swaminarayan temples, offer a mountain of dishes to the deity, and devotees queue for darshan and prasad.
• Elders’ blessings: Younger members touch elders’ feet and receive blessings and sometimes cash envelopes.
• Visiting: Families visit relatives, neighbours and business associates through the day to exchange greetings, mukhwas and sweets.
• Rangoli and lamps: Doorsteps carry fresh rangoli, and diyas are lit again in the evening.
• Food: Mathiya, chorafali, ghughra, mohanthal and other Diwali snacks are served to every visitor.

Many families also keep the Diwali diyas going for all the nights up to Bhai Bij, and some visit relatives in their native village for the new year, so trains and buses out of Ahmedabad, Surat and Mumbai can fill up early in this week. If you plan to travel, book early and keep a day of buffer either side.

Customs vary by community and region, so a Kathiyawadi family in Rajkot may celebrate differently from a Surti household or a Gujarati family in Mumbai.

Chopda Pujan: The Business New Year Ritual

For trading families, Diwali is when the old year’s books close and new ones open. Chopda Pujan is the worship of the new account books (chopda), done on Diwali day, 8 November 2026, so that Lakshmi and Sharda (Saraswati) bless the year’s trade.

Chopda Pujan muhurat 2026 (Choghadiya, Sunday 8 November)

City	Morning (Chara, Labha, Amrita)	Afternoon (Shubha)	Evening (Shubha, Amrita, Chara)
Ahmedabad	11:27 AM to 12:23 PM	1:47 PM to 3:11 PM	5:58 PM to 10:47 PM
Surat	11:27 AM to 12:22 PM	1:47 PM to 3:11 PM	5:59 PM to 10:47 PM
Rajkot	11:27 AM to 12:30 PM	1:54 PM to 3:18 PM	6:06 PM to 10:55 PM
Mumbai	11:27 AM to 12:22 PM	1:47 PM to 3:12 PM	6:02 PM to 10:47 PM

Source: Drik Panchang Chopda Puja 2026. The morning window starts at 11:27 AM because that is when Amavasya tithi begins. Many families prefer the evening window, which overlaps with the main Lakshmi Puja.

How to do Chopda Pujan, step by step

1. Prepare the books. Buy new chopda (traditionally red cloth-bound ledgers) or, if your accounts are digital, a single ceremonial ledger or diary. Keep the cash box, pens and any business keys nearby.
2. Set up the chowki. Place Lakshmi, Ganesha and Sharda images on a red cloth, with a kalash and diya.
3. Mark the first page. With kumkum, draw a swastika and write “Shubh” and “Labh” on either side. Many families write “Shri” in a pyramid of lines (one, then two, then three and so on), and the date in Vikram Samvat 2083.
4. Worship. Do Ganesh puja first, then offer kumkum, akshat, flowers, a coin and sweets to the books and the deities. Some families tie a mauli thread around the chopda.
5. Aarti. Perform Lakshmi aarti with the whole family and staff if they are present.
6. First entry. Some traders write a symbolic first entry, such as an amount offered to the deity, before closing the books until Labh Pancham.

Chopda Pujan in the age of accounting software

Few businesses still keep their real accounts in handwritten chopda. That does not make the ritual less meaningful. Common modern practices:

• Worship one ceremonial ledger and keep the accounting software open on a laptop placed beside it.
• Print the opening page of the new year’s ledger from the software and include it in the puja.
• Use the occasion to actually close the old year’s books: reconcile pending invoices, settle staff dues and review outstanding payments.

One practical note: for income tax, every business follows the financial year from 1 April to 31 March, and GST returns run on the same calendar. The Diwali-to-Diwali year is a traditional and internal view. Rules change, so confirm any accounting decisions with your CA.

Labh Pancham 2026: Reopening for Business

Labh Pancham (also called Saubhagya Panchami, and observed by Jains as Gyan Panchami) falls on Saturday, 14 November 2026. “Labh” means profit. For many Gujarati traders it is the first working day of the new year, when shops reopen with a puja and the first sale or “muhurat no sodo” is made.

City	Labh Pancham puja muhurat (morning)
Ahmedabad	6:52 AM to 10:33 AM
Surat	6:49 AM to 10:31 AM
Rajkot	6:58 AM to 10:40 AM
Mumbai	6:45 AM to 10:30 AM
New Delhi	6:43 AM to 10:18 AM

Panchami tithi runs from 8:42 PM on 13 November to 11:23 PM on 14 November 2026, per Drik Panchang’s Labh Panchami page.

A simple Labh Pancham routine for shops and offices

1. Clean the shop and entrance the evening before.
2. Open within the morning muhurat, light a diya and do a short Lakshmi-Ganesh puja at the counter.
3. Write “Shubh Labh” on the new ledger or the first invoice of the day.
4. Make the first sale, often to a regular customer, and record it.
5. Distribute sweets to staff and early customers.
6. Call or message key suppliers and clients with new year wishes.

A New Year Checklist for Gujarati Business Owners

Bestu Varas is also a natural time to reset the business. Here is a practical checklist to use between Diwali and Labh Pancham.

• Collect old dues: List unpaid invoices from the past year and send polite reminders before Labh Pancham.
• Pay what you owe: Clear supplier payments and staff bonuses; it sets the tone for the year.
• Thank your customers: A short, personal message on WhatsApp to your top 50 customers does more than a generic broadcast.
• Review last year: Note your three best-selling products or services and your three biggest problems.
• Set one goal: One clear target for Samvat 2083 (a new branch, an online store, a 20% sales increase).
• Update listings: Change festive closure hours on Google Business Profile so customers are not turned away.

Plan around bank closures too. The RBI list shows Ahmedabad’s bank holiday on Tuesday, 10 November for the Vikram Samvat New Year, and the second Saturday, 14 November, coincides with Labh Pancham, so branches will be shut that day.

Gujarati New Year Wishes in Gujarati and English

Here are greetings you can copy for family, friends, customers and staff. The English line under each is a translation you can send as it is.

For family and friends

1. નૂતન વર્ષાભિનંદન! Nutan varshabhinandan! (Happy New Year!)
2. આપને અને આપના પરિવારને નવા વર્ષની હાર્દિક શુભેચ્છાઓ. Heartfelt new year wishes to you and your family.
3. નવું વર્ષ આપના જીવનમાં સુખ, શાંતિ અને સમૃદ્ધિ લાવે. May the new year bring happiness, peace and prosperity to your life.
4. વિક્રમ સંવત ૨૦૮૩ આપના માટે મંગલમય બને. May Vikram Samvat 2083 be auspicious for you.
5. જય શ્રી કૃષ્ણ! સૌને નવા વર્ષની શુભકામના. Jai Shri Krishna! New year wishes to everyone.

For customers and business contacts

1. આપના સાથ અને વિશ્વાસ બદલ આભાર. નવું વર્ષ આપના વ્યવસાયમાં શુભ અને લાભ લાવે. Thank you for your support and trust. May the new year bring good fortune and profit to your business.
2. નૂતન વર્ષાભિનંદન! લાભ પાંચમથી અમે ફરી આપની સેવામાં હાજર છીએ. Happy New Year! We will be back to serve you from Labh Pancham.
3. લાભ પાંચમની શુભકામનાઓ. આ વર્ષ આપણા બંને માટે પ્રગતિનું વર્ષ બને. Labh Pancham wishes. May this be a year of growth for both of us.

For staff

1. ગયા વર્ષની મહેનત બદલ આભાર. નવા વર્ષમાં સાથે મળીને આગળ વધીએ. Thank you for your hard work last year. Let us move ahead together in the new year.

Tip for businesses: send personal greetings from the owner’s own number to key customers and suppliers, and keep any broadcast list within WhatsApp’s rules. A short, sincere message reads better than a long forwarded image.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Gujarati New Year 2026?

Gujarati New Year (Bestu Varas) is on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, according to Drik Panchang. It marks the start of Vikram Samvat 2083.

Why is Gujarati New Year two days after Diwali in 2026?

Diwali is on Sunday, 8 November, but the Amavasya tithi continues until 12:31 PM on Monday, 9 November. The new year is observed on the day when Pratipada tithi is present at sunrise, which is Tuesday, 10 November.

When is Labh Pancham 2026?

Labh Pancham is on Saturday, 14 November 2026. In Ahmedabad the morning puja muhurat is 6:52 AM to 10:33 AM, as per Drik Panchang.

What is the Chopda Pujan muhurat in 2026?

Chopda Pujan is on Sunday, 8 November 2026. For Ahmedabad, Drik Panchang lists Choghadiya windows of 11:27 AM to 12:23 PM, 1:47 PM to 3:11 PM and 5:58 PM to 10:47 PM.

Is 10 November 2026 a bank holiday in Gujarat?

Yes. The RBI holiday list shows a bank holiday in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, 10 November 2026 for Diwali (Bali Pratipada) and Vikram Samvat New Year Day.

Which Vikram Samvat year begins in 2026?

Vikram Samvat 2083 begins with the Gujarati New Year on 10 November 2026 and runs until Diwali 2027.

Start Samvat 2083 With Clean Books and Warm Words

Do the Chopda Pujan on 8 November, spend Bestu Varas with family and blessings on 10 November, and reopen with a clear plan on Labh Pancham, 14 November. Between those days, close last year’s accounts, thank the people who kept your business going, and set one goal worth chasing. Nutan varshabhinandan.