Sharda Pujan (Chopda Pujan) in 2026: Quick Answer
Sharda Pujan, also called Chopda Pujan in Gujarat and Bahi-Khata Pujan in much of north and central India, falls on the day of Diwali. In 2026 that is Sunday, November 8, 2026, on Kartik Amavasya (Aso Vad Amas in the Gujarati calendar). Traders and families worship the new account books together with Goddess Saraswati (Sharda), Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Ganesh and Kuber, and begin the new financial year with a blessing. For the evening Lakshmi Puja timing in your city, see our Diwali page.
What Is Sharda Pujan or Chopda Pujan?
The word chopda simply means the traditional ledger or account book. Sharda is another name of Saraswati, the goddess of learning, speech and the arts. Chopda Pujan is the ritual in which new ledgers are worshipped before the first entry is made, so that the year's accounts begin with prayer and honest intention.
Many families treat it as two things in one. The business side is the blessing of the books, the cash box and the tools of work. The learning side is the worship of Saraswati, which is why students and teachers also place books, pens and instruments in the puja on this day. In Gujarat the two are done together, and the same ceremony is often simply called Sharda Pujan.
When to Do Chopda Pujan on Diwali
There are two common choices. Most traders sit for the puja in the evening, during the Lakshmi Puja muhurat after sunset, so that Ganesh, Lakshmi and the ledgers are worshipped in the same sitting. Others prefer a favourable daytime slot and use the auspicious choghadiya periods such as Labh, Amrit or Shubh, then do the Lakshmi Puja separately in the evening.
The exact timing depends on your city's sunrise and sunset, so it is best to check a panchang for your own location instead of relying on a timing quoted for another city. Our Choghadiya page lists the day's slots for your place, and if your family or priest follows a particular custom, follow that.
Samagri: What You Need for Chopda Pujan
- New account books (chopda) or a new ledger, and a pen or kalam
- A wooden bajot or chowki with a red or yellow cloth
- Pictures or idols of Ganesh, Lakshmi and Saraswati, and Kuber if your family worships him
- Kumkum, haldi, rice (akshat) and sandalwood paste
- Fresh flowers, a garland and durva grass for Ganesh
- A ghee lamp, incense sticks and camphor
- Sweets, fruit, coconut and betel leaf with supari
- Coins, currency notes and the cash box (galla)
- Water in a kalash with a mango leaf and a coconut on top
Chopda Pujan Vidhi: Step by Step
Customs differ between families and communities, so treat this as a common outline rather than a fixed rule.
- Clean the shop or home, put up a toran and draw a rangoli. Bathe and wear clean, preferably new, clothes.
- Spread the cloth on the bajot and place the images of Ganesh, Lakshmi and Saraswati, with the kalash beside them.
- Place the new chopda in front of the deities. Apply kumkum and haldi on the cover.
- Light the ghee lamp and incense, and take a short sankalp, saying who you are, the date and your intention to begin the new accounts.
- Worship Ganesh first, with flowers, durva and sweets, since every undertaking begins with him.
- Worship Lakshmi and Saraswati with kumkum, rice and flowers. Many families chant a Lakshmi or Saraswati mantra or a few verses of a stotra.
- Offer prayers to Kuber, the keeper of wealth, and touch the cash box, coins and pen with kumkum and rice.
- Write the first entries in the new chopda (see the next section).
- Do the aarti, offer prasad, and distribute sweets to family, staff and neighbours.
What to Write in the New Chopda
On the first page, with the pen dipped in kumkum or red ink, the family usually draws a swastik. Below it, many write Shree Ganeshaya Namah, then Shubh-Labh (auspiciousness and profit earned the right way) and Riddhi-Siddhi, the two consorts of Ganesh who stand for prosperity and fulfilment. Some also write the name of the goddess Lakshmi or Saraswati and the date of the Vikram Samvat year.
Some families then make a first small entry, often just a token amount, to mark that the books are now open. It is a blessing ritual, not a financial prediction, and the real accounts follow in the ordinary way.
Why Saraswati, Lakshmi, Ganesh and Kuber Together
Each deity in this puja has a role that traders understand well. Lakshmi is worshipped for prosperity. Saraswati (Sharda) stands for knowledge and clear judgment, because wealth without wisdom is not meant to last. Ganesh removes obstacles and is invoked before any new beginning. Kuber is the treasurer of the gods, remembered for the care of wealth.
That is the real message of Sharda Pujan: money and learning are worshipped side by side. The same idea explains why students sit for Saraswati worship on this day, and why the ledger and the textbook rest next to each other in the puja.
Gujarat Tradition: From Diwali to Bestu Varas and Labh Pancham
In Gujarat, Chopda Pujan is closely tied to the new year. Diwali night closes the old Vikram Samvat year, and the day after is Bestu Varas, the Gujarati New Year. Families visit temples, greet relatives and neighbours, and exchange wishes. You can read more on our New Year page.
A few days later comes Labh Pancham, also called Saubhagya Pancham, on the fifth day of the bright half of Kartik. Many Gujarati shopkeepers choose this day to reopen their shops and begin business with the new books. So the sequence many traders follow is the book worship on Diwali, the new year greetings on Bestu Varas, and the first working day on Labh Pancham.
Closing Thoughts
Whether you run a large business, a small shop or only keep the household accounts, Sharda Pujan is a simple way to start the year with gratitude, honesty and a clear mind. Check the Diwali date and the evening muhurat on our Diwali page, pick a suitable slot on the Choghadiya page, and follow the custom of your own family. Shubh Deepavali.
Diwali Festival Days: Dhanteras to Labh Pancham
- Dhanteras: gold buying, Dhanvantari and Lakshmi-Kuber puja
- Kali Chaudas / Narak Chaturdashi: Choti Diwali, Kali puja and abhyang snan
- Diwali: Lakshmi Puja on Amavasya night
- Sharda Pujan (Chopda Pujan): new account books on Diwali night
- Govardhan Puja (Annakut): Kartik Shukla Pratipada
- Gujarati New Year (Bestu Varas): same day as Annakut
- Bhai Dooj: tilak for brothers on Kartik Shukla Dwitiya
- Labh Pancham: shops reopen on Kartik Shukla Panchami
