Govardhan Puja 2026 Date and Annakut Recipes: 56 Bhog List

Govardhan Puja and Annakut fall on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, with the morning (pratahkala) muhurat in New Delhi from 6:40 AM to 8:50 AM. Below you will find the verified date and tithi times, a complete 56-item chhappan bhog list, 15 sattvik Annakut recipes with quantities, and a planning sheet for cooking Annakut at home or for a temple or society gathering.

Updated October 2026. Dates and muhurat are from Drik Panchang for New Delhi. Local panchangs and sampradayas can differ slightly, so confirm with your temple or family pandit.

Govardhan Puja 2026: date and muhurat

Item	2026 (New Delhi)
Govardhan Puja / Annakut	Tuesday, 10 November 2026
Pratahkala (morning) muhurat	6:40 AM to 8:50 AM (2 hours 10 minutes)
Pratipada tithi begins	12:31 PM, 9 November
Pratipada tithi ends	2:00 PM, 10 November
Also observed the same day	Bali Pratipada, Gujarati New Year (Bestu Varas)
Bhai Dooj	Wednesday, 11 November

Source: Drik Panchang, Govardhan Puja 2026. Morning timings in other cities shift with local sunrise, so set your city on the panchang before fixing your puja time.

Why is there a gap after Diwali this year?

Govardhan Puja is performed on Kartik Shukla Pratipada, the day after Amavasya. In 2026, Lakshmi Puja is on Sunday, 8 November, but Amavasya stretches into Monday, 9 November, and Pratipada begins only at 12:31 PM that day. Because Pratipada is present at sunrise on Tuesday, 10 November, Govardhan Puja falls on Tuesday. Monday is listed in the panchang for Diwali snan and Devpuja. Our Diwali 2026 calendar shows the full week day by day.

What Annakut means and why it is celebrated

The story comes from the Bhagavata Purana. The people of Vrindavan used to hold a grand offering for Indra, the god of rain. The young Krishna persuaded them to worship Govardhan hill instead, because the hill, its forests and its pastures fed their cows and their families. Angered, Indra sent seven days of storms. Krishna lifted Govardhan hill on the little finger of his left hand and sheltered all of Vrindavan beneath it until Indra relented.

To celebrate, the villagers cooked a mountain of food, an anna-kut, and offered it to Krishna. That is the tradition families and temples keep alive today. In many North Indian homes, a small Govardhan hill is shaped in the courtyard from cow dung, decorated with flowers and worshipped with a parikrama. In Pushtimarg and ISKCON temples, and famously at Nathdwara in Rajasthan, hundreds of dishes are arranged in tiers before the deity.

Chhappan bhog: the 56-item list

Chhappan bhog means 56 offerings. There is no single fixed list; it varies by region, temple and family tradition. A popular explanation is that Krishna normally ate eight times a day, and during the seven days he held up Govardhan he ate nothing, so the villagers made up for it with 7 x 8 = 56 dishes. The list below is one practical grouping you can follow at home or adapt to your tradition. Everything is sattvik, with no onion or garlic.

Group	Items	Count
Sweets	Makhan-mishri, kheer, rabdi, malpua, jalebi, mohanthal, besan ladoo, motichoor ladoo, peda, kaju barfi, rasgulla, gulab jamun, shrikhand, suji halwa (mohanbhog)	14
Namkeen and snacks	Mathri, namak pare, sev, chakli, khasta kachori, samosa (no onion), dhokla, khandvi, papad, chivda	10
Rice and breads	Plain rice, kesari bhaat, khichdi, puri, roti, paratha, bajra roti, makki roti	8
Dals and kadhi	Moong dal, toor dal, chana dal, kadhi	4
Vegetables	Annakut mixed sabzi, aloo tamatar, khatta-meetha kaddu, chole, bharwa bhindi, gobhi aloo, methi matar, palak	8
Raita, chutney, pickle	Boondi raita, lauki raita, dhaniya chutney, imli chutney, aam ka achaar, nimbu ka achaar	6
Milk, fruit and finishing	Panchamrit, lassi, plain milk, seasonal fruits, dry fruits, paan or mukhwas	6
Total		56

You do not need all 56 for a home puja. Many families offer 5, 11, 21 or 31 dishes. What matters is that the food is made with care, offered first and shared with everyone, including helpers and neighbours.

15 Annakut recipes (sattvik, no onion or garlic)

Quantities below serve about 8 to 10 people as part of a larger spread. Scale up using the planning table in the next section.

1. Annakut ki sabzi (mixed vegetable)

You need: 1.5 kg mixed seasonal vegetables (pumpkin, potato, sweet potato, cauliflower, brinjal, beans, peas, radish, carrots, raw banana, spinach), 3 tbsp ghee or oil, 1 tsp jeera, a pinch of hing, 2 tsp ginger paste, 2 chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp haldi, 2 tsp dhaniya powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, salt, a little jaggery.

Method: heat ghee, add jeera and hing, then ginger and tomatoes. Add the spices, then the harder vegetables first (potato, pumpkin, carrots), the softer ones later, and the greens last. Cover and cook on low heat until soft but not mushy. Finish with jaggery and fresh coriander. This is the heart of the Annakut, so make it generously.

2. Kadhi

You need: 2 cups sour curd, 4 tbsp besan, 5 cups water, haldi, salt, ginger-green chilli paste, 1 tbsp ghee, jeera, methi seeds, curry leaves, hing.

Method: whisk curd, besan, water, haldi and salt with no lumps. Bring to a boil while stirring, then simmer for 20 minutes. Temper with ghee, jeera, methi, curry leaves and hing. Gujarati households add a little jaggery for a sweeter kadhi.

3. Puri

You need: 3 cups wheat flour, 1 tbsp semolina, salt, 1 tbsp oil, water. Method: knead a stiff dough, rest 15 minutes, roll small rounds and deep-fry in hot oil until they puff.

4. Kesari bhaat (sweet saffron rice)

You need: 1 cup basmati rice, 3/4 cup sugar, 3 tbsp ghee, a pinch of saffron soaked in warm milk, 4 cloves, 4 green cardamoms, cashews and raisins.

Method: cook rice until 90% done and drain. In ghee, fry cloves, cardamom, cashews and raisins. Add rice, sugar and saffron milk, mix gently and cook covered on low heat for 10 minutes.

5. Makhan-mishri

You need: 1 cup fresh white butter (makhan), 3 tbsp mishri (crystal sugar), a few tulsi leaves.

Method: whip butter until fluffy, fold in mishri, and top with tulsi. Krishna’s favourite and the simplest bhog to make. Keep it cold until offering.

6. Panchamrit

You need: 1 cup milk, 2 tbsp curd, 1 tbsp ghee, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp sugar, tulsi leaves. Method: mix gently and add tulsi. Make it fresh just before the puja.

7. Moong dal

You need: 1 cup yellow moong dal, haldi, salt, ghee, jeera, hing, ginger, tomato. Method: pressure-cook dal with haldi and salt, whisk, then temper with ghee, jeera, hing, grated ginger and chopped tomato.

8. Khatta-meetha kaddu

You need: 750 g pumpkin in cubes, 2 tbsp oil, methi seeds, saunf, hing, haldi, red chilli, dhaniya powder, amchur, 2 tbsp jaggery, salt.

Method: temper methi, saunf and hing. Add pumpkin and spices, cover and cook until soft, mash lightly, then add jaggery and amchur. It pairs perfectly with puri.

9. Besan ladoo

You need: 2 cups besan, 3/4 cup ghee, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp cardamom powder, chopped nuts.

Method: roast besan in ghee on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and nutty-smelling. Cool until warm, add sugar, cardamom and nuts, and shape into ladoos.

10. Mohanthal

You need: 2 cups coarse besan, 3 tbsp ghee and 3 tbsp milk for dhrabo (rubbing in), 3/4 cup ghee for roasting, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, cardamom, saffron, sliced almonds and pistachios.

Method: rub besan with ghee and milk, rest 30 minutes, then sieve. Roast in ghee until golden. Make a one-string sugar syrup with cardamom and saffron, mix into the besan, set in a greased tray and garnish. A Gujarati Annakut staple.

11. Chawal ki kheer

You need: 1.5 litres full-cream milk, 1/4 cup rice soaked 30 minutes, 1/2 cup sugar, cardamom, saffron, chopped dry fruits.

Method: boil milk, add rice and simmer, stirring often, for 40 to 50 minutes until creamy. Add sugar, cardamom, saffron and dry fruits.

12. Boondi raita

You need: 2 cups curd, 1 cup boondi soaked in warm water and squeezed, roasted jeera powder, black salt, salt. Method: whisk curd, mix everything and chill.

13. Mathri

You need: 2 cups maida or wheat flour, 1/4 cup ghee, ajwain, crushed black pepper, salt, water.

Method: rub ghee into flour until it holds shape when pressed. Knead a stiff dough, roll small discs, prick with a fork and fry on low heat until crisp and golden. Make these two or three days ahead.

14. Suji halwa (mohanbhog)

You need: 1 cup semolina, 1/2 cup ghee, 3/4 cup sugar, 2.5 cups water or milk, cardamom, dry fruits.

Method: roast suji in ghee until fragrant and light golden. Add hot water or milk carefully (it splutters), then sugar and cardamom, and stir until it leaves the sides of the pan.

15. Bajra khichdi

You need: 1 cup bajra soaked overnight, 1/2 cup moong dal, ghee, jeera, hing, ginger, salt, haldi.

Method: pressure-cook bajra and moong with water, salt and haldi until very soft. Temper with ghee, jeera, hing and ginger. A winter grain that suits the season, common in Rajasthani and Gujarati Annakut thalis.

For more festival sweets like kaju katli and coconut ladoo, see our easy Diwali sweets recipes.

Planning Annakut for a temple, society or large family

Annakut is a community festival. Many housing societies, mandirs and extended families cook together and serve prasad to hundreds. Planning makes the difference between a calm morning and a chaotic one.

Quantity planning per 100 people (prasad portions)

Item	Quantity for 100 people
Annakut mixed sabzi	12 to 15 kg raw vegetables
Kadhi	4 to 5 kg curd plus besan
Rice (plain or kesari)	6 to 7 kg uncooked
Puri	8 to 10 kg wheat flour (about 400 to 500 puris)
Dal	3 to 4 kg uncooked
Sweet (one main sweet)	4 to 5 kg finished
Raita	6 to 8 kg curd
Dry snacks	3 to 4 kg

These are planning estimates for prasad-sized servings where many dishes are on offer. Increase by 20 to 30% if the Annakut is the main meal for guests.

A simple timeline

1. Two weeks before: fix the list of dishes, assign families or volunteers, and collect contributions.
2. One week before: book cooks or helpers if needed, arrange large vessels, gas or bhatti, serving buckets and leaf plates (pattals) or steel thalis.
3. Two to three days before: make dry sweets and snacks: mathri, ladoo, mohanthal, chivda.
4. Day before: buy fresh vegetables and curd, chop and refrigerate vegetables, soak bajra and rice.
5. Puja morning: cook fresh dishes early, arrange the Annakut in tiers before the deity during the muhurat, perform the puja and aarti, and then serve prasad.

Food safety for bulk prasad

Large batches of dal, kadhi, rice and dairy sweets spoil fast if left warm for hours. Keep hot food hot and cold food cold, cook dairy dishes as close to the puja as possible, use clean drinking water, and make sure cooks wash hands and cover hair. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India runs the BHOG initiative for places of worship that prepare and distribute prasad, which temples can use as a reference for hygiene practices. If you buy sweets for the offering, buy from a shop with a displayed FSSAI licence number.

Govardhan Puja vidhi in brief

1. Wake early, bathe and clean the puja area and courtyard.
2. Shape a small Govardhan hill from cow dung or, in apartments, from clay or even a mound of rice or flour on a thali. Decorate with flowers, small sticks as trees and toy cows.
3. During the muhurat, offer roli, akshat, flowers, water and a diya to Govardhan and to Krishna.
4. Arrange the Annakut dishes in front of the deity, with the sabzi and rice at the centre like a mountain.
5. Do parikrama (circumambulation) of the Govardhan hill, often seven times, singing bhajans.
6. Perform aarti and offer the bhog. Then distribute prasad to family, neighbours, helpers and cows, if you can.

Our Bhai Dooj and Govardhan Puja 2026 guide covers the rituals of both days in more detail.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Govardhan Puja in 2026?

Tuesday, 10 November 2026. The pratahkala muhurat in New Delhi is 6:40 AM to 8:50 AM, according to Drik Panchang.

Why is Govardhan Puja not the day after Diwali in 2026?

Amavasya continues into Monday, 9 November, and Pratipada begins at 12:31 PM that day. Since Pratipada prevails at sunrise on 10 November, Govardhan Puja is observed on Tuesday.

What is the difference between Annakut and chhappan bhog?

Annakut is the festival offering of a “mountain of food” on Govardhan Puja. Chhappan bhog is a set of 56 dishes that is often offered as part of Annakut and on other special occasions.

Can onion and garlic be used in Annakut food?

Traditionally no. Bhog for Krishna is sattvik, without onion and garlic. Follow your temple or family custom.

Do I need to make all 56 dishes at home?

No. Many families offer 5, 11, 21 or 31 dishes. The devotion and freshness matter more than the count.

How much food do I need for 100 people?

For prasad-sized portions, plan roughly 12 to 15 kg of vegetables for the sabzi, 6 to 7 kg rice, 8 to 10 kg flour for puris, 3 to 4 kg dal and 4 to 5 kg of one main sweet, then adjust for your menu.

Cook with love, share with everyone

Annakut is the one day when the kitchen itself becomes the puja. Fix your menu this week, make the dry sweets and snacks by the weekend, and keep Tuesday morning free for fresh cooking and the 6:40 AM to 8:50 AM muhurat (New Delhi). Then share the prasad widely, with neighbours, helpers and anyone who comes to the door. That sharing is the real spirit of Govardhan.