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A toran-decked doorway, sathiya rangoli and new ledgers for Bestu Varas

Bestu Varas

This year
Tue, 10 Nov 2026
in 153 days
Major festival NewYear
Bestu Varas 2026 falls on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, the day after Diwali. It is the Gujarati New Year — the first day (Pratipada) of the bright fortnight of Kartik, which opens a fresh year in the Vikram Samvat calendar. Families greet each other with Saal Mubarak, visit elders, and traders begin new ledgers. Because it follows the Kartik new moon, the Gregorian date shifts each year, usually landing in late October or November.

When it falls

The date shifts because it tracks the moon, not the Gregorian calendar.

2024 Nov 2
Sat
2025 Oct 22
Wed
2026 Nov 10
Tue
2027 Oct 30
Sat
2028 Oct 18
Wed
2029 Nov 6
Tue

Calculated for India (IST) using precise Panchang astronomy. Dates can shift by a day at locations far to the east or west.

Significance & story

Bestu Varas — literally 'the year that has settled in', and also called Nutan Varsh or Padwa — is the Gujarati New Year. It falls on the first lunar day (Pratipada) of the bright fortnight of Kartik, the morning after the Diwali night, and marks the start of a fresh year in the Vikram Samvat calendar still kept in much of western India. Where Diwali closes the old year, Bestu Varas opens the new one.

For Gujarati households the two days work as a pair. Diwali night is for Lakshmi and the lamps; the next morning is for the year ahead — new clothes, a clean home, and the greeting Saal Mubarak (a happy year) carried from house to house. The mood is less about ritual intensity and more about a clean beginning: debts settled where possible, quarrels set aside, the family starting the year on good terms.

The same lunar day carries Govardhan Puja across north India, when Krishna lifted Mount Govardhan, and is observed elsewhere as Annakut and Padwa. So Bestu Varas is not an isolated festival but the Gujarati reading of a day many communities keep — here given specifically to the turning of the year.

Rituals & observance

How Bestu Varas is kept:

  • The day opens early with a bath, new or fresh clothes, and a cleaned, lamp-lit home carried over from Diwali night.
  • Families and neighbours exchange the greeting Saal Mubarak, with the younger members touching the feet of elders to seek blessings for the year.
  • Traders and shopkeepers perform Chopda Pujan / Bahi Khata — worshipping and opening new account books to begin the financial year, often writing Shubh-Labh on the first page.
  • A home shrine is offered prayers, and in many households an Annakut — a mound of varied cooked dishes — is prepared and offered to the deity before being shared.
  • The day is spent visiting relatives and friends, sharing sweets and a festive meal, and setting the tone for a fresh start to the year.

Regional variations

Gujarat & Gujarati diaspora
This is the principal Gujarati New Year (Nutan Varsh / Bestu Varas). Markets, temples and homes mark it with Saal Mubarak greetings, Annakut offerings, and the opening of new business account books.
North India
The same Kartik Shukla Pratipada is kept as Govardhan Puja and Annakut, recalling Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan; the day after carries Bhai Dooj. See Govardhan Puja.
How this date is determined

Observed on the Pratipada tithi of Kartik (Shukla paksha), reckoned by sunrise (udaya tithi). Should the tithi fall across two days, tradition keeps the earlier day (purva-viddha).

Dates are computed to astronomical precision (NASA/JPL ephemeris), in line with traditional panchang.

Frequently asked

What date is Bestu Varas in 2026?
Bestu Varas 2026 is on Tuesday, 10 November 2026 — the day after Diwali.
Why does the date of Bestu Varas change every year?
It follows the Hindu lunar calendar, falling on the first day (Pratipada) of the bright fortnight of Kartik, just after the Diwali new moon. Because the lunar months don't line up with the Gregorian calendar, the date drifts each year, usually landing in late October or November.
Is Bestu Varas the same as Diwali?
No — they are consecutive days. Diwali is the new-moon night of lamps and Lakshmi Puja; Bestu Varas is the next morning, kept as the Gujarati New Year. Together they bookend the turn from the old year to the new.
What does 'Saal Mubarak' mean?
It is the traditional Gujarati New Year greeting, meaning roughly 'a blessed (happy) year'. People exchange it through the day, and younger family members seek the blessings of their elders.
Why do traders open new account books on this day?
Bestu Varas begins a new year in the Vikram Samvat calendar, so it doubles as a financial new year for many merchant communities. The old ledgers are closed and freshly worshipped books opened in a rite called Chopda Pujan, marking a clean start to the year's accounts.

Plan around it

Panchang Choghadiya muhurat Festival calendar Your Kundli