Chopda Puja 2026: Date, Muhurat, Vidhi and Samagri

A new ledger sits on the counter, still in its plastic wrap. The shop has been swept twice. Somebody is hunting for a pen that actually works. If you grew up around a family business, you know this evening. It has a name: Chopda Puja.

Chopda Puja 2026 is on Sunday, 8 November, the same day as Lakshmi Puja. This guide is written for the person who actually has to do it: the shop owner, the trader, the freelancer doing it for the first time and wanting to get it right. You will find the muhurat, what to keep ready, what goes on the first page of the new book, and what to do if your "books" now live on a laptop.

One more thing is different this year. The stock exchanges are holding Muhurat Trading in the afternoon, not the evening. That is covered below too.

Chopda Puja 2026 at a Glance

All timings are for New Delhi and come from commonly used panchangs. They can differ by a couple of minutes between sources, and your city will be a little off. Check your own panchang before you fix a time.

What Is Chopda Puja?

Chopda is the old word for an account book, the bahi-khata. In many business communities the Diwali amavasya is the last day of the financial year, so on this evening the old books are closed and new ones are opened with a puja. Ganesha and Lakshmi are worshipped first, and the new book is blessed before a single rupee is written in it.

It is strongest in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, though traders in other states do it too. Depending on the family, you will hear it called Chopda Pujan, Muhurat Puja or Sharda Puja. Most of the time they mean the same evening.

The new year starts two days later. In Gujarat that day is Bestu Varas, and it falls on the same day as Govardhan Puja. If you are following the whole festival, our Diwali 2026 guide and the notes on Govardhan Puja cover those days.

Does Chopda Puja Apply to Me?

Short answer: if you earn a living from your own work, yes, you can do it. It started with merchants, but plenty of people now do it with whatever they actually use to keep track of money. Here is what each person usually places before the deities.

Nobody is going to check which book you chose. What matters is that it is the thing you will really open every day of the coming year.

Chopda Puja 2026 Muhurat

In Gujarati tradition the usual way to pick a time is the choghadiya. Four of them are treated as good for puja: Shubh, Labh, Amrit and Char. Each lasts a short while and they repeat through the day and night, so you get several choices.

Which one should you pick? Most families go for the evening window and do Chopda Puja right alongside Lakshmi Puja, which has its own muhurat of 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM. If you run a shop that closes early, or you want the work done before guests turn up, the afternoon Shubh slot is a reasonable choice.

Missed the muhurat?

Happens to everybody, especially on Diwali. The amavasya tithi runs until 12:31 PM on 9 November, and the evening window is long. Do the puja when you can sit down calmly. Ask your pandit ji if your family follows a fixed time.

Muhurat Trading 2026: The Afternoon Session

Every year the stock exchanges open for a short special session on Diwali, called Muhurat Trading. This year, NSE and BSE have scheduled it for the afternoon of Sunday, 8 November, which breaks the usual evening pattern. The details come from the exchanges' circulars dated 19 October, and you can check the official notice on the NSE website.

If you trade, you may want to plan the puja around this window. A calm Chopda Puja before 2 PM, or after the session, is easier than trying to do both at once. This is only a scheduling note, not a trading tip. Markets carry risk whatever the muhurat.

Chopda Puja Samagri: What to Keep Ready

Get this together the evening before. Most of it is already in your shop or puja corner. Your family or region may add things, so treat this as a base list.

What to Write on the First Page

This is the part most people are unsure about. The first page of the new book gets a few auspicious symbols, usually drawn with kumkum or roli, before any entry goes in. Practices vary by family, so go with what your elders do.

Some families also begin with a line to Ganesha. The new Vikram Samvat year, 2083, starts on 10 November, so you can write it on the page too if that is your habit.

Chopda Puja Vidhi at Home or Shop: Step by Step

Every family does this a little differently. If your house follows another order, keep it. This is the common version.

1. Clean up. Sweep the shop, wipe the desk or counter, and make a small rangoli at the entrance.

2. Spread the cloth. Put the red or yellow cloth down. Set the Ganesha and Lakshmi idols on it, with the kalash beside them.

3. Prepare the books. Draw the symbols on the first page and place the new chopda, pen and any other "books" in front of the deities.

4. Take a sankalp. Sit still for a moment and say what you are asking for. Clarity, honest earnings, a steady year.

5. Worship Ganesha first. A flower, a sweet and some durva.

6. Worship Lakshmi. Tilak, flowers, rice, fruit and sweets. Light the diya and chant.

7. Saraswati, if your family does it. A short prayer for wisdom.

8. Do the aarti. Slow circles with the lamp, with the whole family or team if possible.

9. Make the first entry. Only after the puja, write your first line in the new book.

10. Share the prasad. Hand it to family, staff and neighbours.

You can find Ganesh and Lakshmi aartis with lyrics on Mobile Mandir if you need them.

Mantras for Chopda Puja

Want to count your rounds? The Naam Jaap counter on Mobile Mandir does it for you.

What If Your Books Are on a Laptop?

Most small businesses do. Nobody needs to give up the tradition because the ledger is now software. Many families place the laptop, a business diary or the invoice book before the deities, and some draw the same Om, Swastika and Shubh Labh marks at the top.

A practical tip

Do not put kumkum, haldi or water on the laptop itself. Draw the symbols on a small piece of paper or a sticker and keep it on or near the device. Switch the laptop off while it sits before the idols, and keep the lamp and incense well away from it.

Labh Pancham: The Shop Reopens

In many Gujarati business families the shop stays closed through the festival days and reopens on Labh Pancham, five days after the new year. In 2026 that is Saturday, 14 November. One panchang lists the Panchami tithi from 8:42 PM on 13 November to 11:24 PM on 14 November, with a morning muhurat of 6:49 AM to 10:32 AM. Check your own panchang, as times vary by city.

Some families do a short puja again on that day when they reopen. Others treat it only as the first day of business. Follow whichever your elders do.

Chopda Puja and Lakshmi Puja: What Is the Difference?

They happen on the same evening and they are closely linked, so the confusion is fair. Lakshmi Puja is for the home. Chopda Puja is that same puja, done with the account books or business tools in front of the deities.

Chopda Puja: Do's and Don'ts

Quick Tips for Chopda Puja 2026

Before the day comes

Pick your muhurat a day early and tell your team. Buy the new chopda or diary and a spare pen this week, since the market gets busy. Clear and tidy the cash counter before the puja. If you trade, plan around the 2:20 PM to 3:30 PM Muhurat Trading session. Keep matches and extra diyas near the shop door, and keep flames away from papers.

Chopda Puja 2026: A Clean Page and a Good Start

The whole point of Chopda Puja is small. A clean book, a pen, a prayer and a promise to run the year honestly. This time it falls on Sunday, 8 November, with the evening window as the usual choice.

Pick your time, set out the books and keep it simple. If the evening allows, a few rounds of Naam Jaap or an aarti from the aarti section is a nice way to finish. You can also read about Dhanteras, which comes before it, and Govatsa Dwadashi from the start of the festival. Our other festival guides are on the blog.

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