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New ledgers with a kumkum swastika, ink pen and a diya for Chopda Pujan

Chopda Pujan

Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Sharda

This year
Sun, 8 Nov 2026
in 151 days
Major festival Major
Chopda Pujan 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026, the same Kartik new-moon night as Diwali. It is the merchant communities' ritual of closing the old account books and worshipping freshly opened ledgers (chopda), marking the start of the financial year. The worship is done at pradosh — the early-evening window just after sunset — alongside the household Lakshmi Puja. Because it follows the Hindu lunar calendar, the Gregorian date moves each year between mid-October and mid-November.

When it falls

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

2024 Oct 31
Thu
2025 Oct 20
Mon
2026 Nov 8
Sun
2027 Oct 29
Fri
2028 Oct 17
Tue
2029 Nov 5
Mon

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

Significance & story

Chopda Pujan is the business community's part of Diwali night. Chopda (or chopdi) is the traditional bound account book, and the worship marks the close of one year's books and the opening of the next — a ritual beginning to the new financial year for traders, shopkeepers and family firms. It is observed most widely among Gujarati and Marwari merchant communities, but the practice runs through trading families across western and northern India.

The day's logic ties directly to Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune. Just as homes are cleaned and lit to welcome her on Diwali, the merchant's books, cash box and place of work are cleaned, settled and worshipped so the year's accounts begin under her blessing. The act is part devotion and part discipline: the old year is closed honestly, balances are squared where they can be, and the new ledger is opened fresh. In many communities this overlaps with Bestu Varas, the Gujarati new year kept the morning after Diwali, so the closing of the books and the start of the new year sit a night apart.

What is being marked is not a promise of profit but a clean start. The ledger is treated as something sacred for the evening — placed before the deities, marked with auspicious symbols, and opened with a few words of invocation rather than with the first transaction. The plainest meaning is the one a trader would give you directly: you do not begin a new year's accounts carelessly, you begin them with respect.

Rituals & observance

How Chopda Pujan is kept:

  • New account books (chopda) are bought ahead of time, and the first pages are kept blank or marked with auspicious symbols — commonly the words Shubh (auspicious) and Labh (gain), a swastika, and an invocation to Lakshmi and Ganesha.
  • The worship is done at pradosh, the early-evening window just after sunset, at the same time as the household Diwali Lakshmi Puja.
  • The new ledgers, pen or stylus, cash box and coins are placed before the images of Lakshmi and Ganesha, with a lamp, vermilion (kumkum), rice and sweets offered.
  • The old year's books are formally closed and set aside, and the new ones are opened with a short invocation rather than a first transaction — the writing of accounts begins only afterwards.
  • Many firms worship the workplace, shop or cash counter itself, cleaning and decorating it as part of the same evening rite.
  • The day is widely treated as the start of the financial year for traditional businesses, with the next morning kept as the new year in Gujarati communities.

Regional variations

Gujarat
Chopda Pujan is most closely associated with Gujarati merchant communities, where it leads directly into Bestu Varas — the Gujarati new year kept the morning after Diwali — so the closing of the old books and the start of the new year fall a night apart.
Rajasthan & North India
Among Marwari and other trading families the same night is kept for worshipping the new ledgers and cash box, often alongside a worship of the shop or workplace as the financial year begins.
How this date is determined

Observed on the new-moon day (Amavasya) of Kartik (Krishna paksha), reckoned by dusk (pradosh kala).

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

Frequently asked

What date is Chopda Pujan in 2026?
Chopda Pujan 2026 is on Sunday, 8 November 2026, performed on Diwali night, the Kartik new-moon (Amavasya).
Why does the date of Chopda Pujan change every year?
It follows the Hindu lunar calendar, falling on the new moon (Amavasya) of Kartik — the same night as Diwali. Because lunar months don't line up with the Gregorian year, the date drifts between mid-October and mid-November.
What is a chopda?
A chopda (also chopdi) is the traditional bound account book or ledger used by traders. On Chopda Pujan the old books are closed and a new set is worshipped and opened, marking the start of the financial year.
Is Chopda Pujan the same as Diwali?
It falls on the same Diwali night and uses the same evening Lakshmi Puja window, but it is the merchant communities' specific observance — worshipping the new account books — rather than the household festival itself.
Who observes Chopda Pujan?
Mainly trading and business communities, most widely among Gujarati and Marwari families, along with shopkeepers and family firms across western and northern India. It is the day many traditional businesses treat as the start of their financial year.

Plan around it

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