In short
- Bali Padyami 2026
- Tuesday, 10 November 2026
- Tithi
- Kartik Shukla PratipadaKartika Shukla Pratipada (amanta)
- Observed for
- Plenty, the cattle’s health and a good new year
- Bhagini Bidige
- Tue, 10 Nov · Aparahna 01:13 PM – 03:32 PM
What is it? The first day of the Kartika month, the day after Deepavali Amavasya.
Why do families keep it? Vamana pushed the generous king Bali down to the netherworld but granted him one visit a year to his people. On Padyami they welcome him back.
What happens on the day? Bali is made from cow dung or drawn in rangoli and worshipped with lamps; cows and calves are bathed, decorated and fed; shops worship new account books.
When to observe Bali Padyami in 2026
| Pratipada tithi begins | Mon, 9 Nov, 12:32 PM |
|---|---|
| Pratipada tithi ends | Tue, 10 Nov, 02:00 PM |
| Sunrise | 06:16 AM |
| Abhijit Muhurat | 11:40 AM – 12:27 PM |
| Sunset | 05:51 PM |
| Rahu Kaala — keep aside | 02:57 PM – 04:24 PM |
How the days unfold
- Tue, 10 Nov
Bali Padyami · Sunrise 06:16 AM
Bali puje, go-puje and new account books.
- Tue, 10 Nov
Bhagini Bidige · Aparahna 01:13 PM – 03:32 PM
Sisters do aarati for their brothers and feed them a festive meal.
What Bali Padyami means
A king who gave everything
Bali, grandson of Prahlada, was an asura king so generous that he promised the dwarf Vamana whatever he asked. He kept his word even when Vamana grew to fill the worlds.
Go-puje
In villages across Karnataka this is the main day of Deepavali: cows are bathed, their horns painted, garlanded and fed sweet pongal, and the cattle shed is lit.
Half of a great day
Bali Padyami is the “half” in the three and a half muhurtas of the year — good for beginnings without a separate muhurta.
New books
Many Kannada traders close the old year at Deepavali and open new account books with Lakshmi and Ganapati on Padyami.
Vamana and the three steps
Who is in it: King Bali, Sri Vamana, Shukracharya, Vindhyavali, Bali’s queen, Prahlada
Bali had won the three worlds. He was a good king to his people, and so generous that no one left his yajna empty-handed.
Vishnu came to the yajna as Vamana, a small brahmachari, and asked for only as much land as he could cover in three steps.
Shukracharya, Bali’s guru, saw who the boy really was and warned the king. Bali replied that he would not take back a word once given.
Vamana grew until he filled the sky. One step covered the earth, the second the heavens. There was nowhere left for the third — so Bali bowed and offered his own head.
Pleased, Vishnu sent Bali to rule Sutala, a world more beautiful than svarga, promised to guard its gate himself, and granted that Bali could return to his people once a year. That day is Bali Padyami.
What it teaches: Keep your word, even when it costs you everything. Generosity and humility are what make a king loved.
Bali Padyami puja at home, step by step
Getting ready
- 1Clean the front yard and draw a large rangoli.
- 2Bathe the cows and calves, if you keep them, and paint their horns.
- 3Collect fresh cow dung, flowers and a few lamps.
The puja
- 1Shape a small figure of Bali — or a fort and Bali — from cow dung, or draw him in rangoli at the threshold.
- 2Decorate it with flowers, uttarani or chendu hoovu, and set lamps around it.
- 3Offer arishina-kumkuma, akshate and naivedya, and say the Bali prarthana below.
- 4Do go-puje: apply arishina and kumkuma to the cow’s forehead, garland her, do aarati and feed her a banana or sweet pongal.
- 5If you have a shop or business, worship the new account books with Lakshmi and Ganapati.
Closing the puja
- 1Share the festive meal — holige, payasa — with family.
- 2Light lamps at the threshold and the cattle shed in the evening.
- 3The next day, Bhagini Bidige, sisters do aarati for their brothers.
What to keep ready for Bali Padyami
Must have
| What | How much | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh cow dung | A small basin | Bali’s figure |
| Flowers — chendu hoovu (marigold), uttarani | As needed | Decorating Bali |
| Lamps, oil and wicks | 5 or more | Around Bali and at the cattle shed |
| Arishina, kumkuma and akshate | A little of each | Puje |
| Banana, jaggery or sweet pongal | As needed | For the cows |
Good to have
| What | How much | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| New account books and pen | — | For shops and businesses |
Family and regional customs
| What | How much | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Holige and payasa | — | The Padyami meal in Karnataka homes |
Good practice, and what to avoid
Please do
- Feed and honour the cows of the house, or visit a goshala.
- Draw a rangoli at the threshold.
- Begin new accounts or a new venture.
Best avoided
- Strike or mistreat cattle on this day — or any day.
- Leave the threshold dark in the evening.
Chants for Bali Padyami
Bali prarthana
बलिराज नमस्तुभ्यं विरोचनसुत प्रभो।
भविष्येन्द्र सुराराते पूजेयं प्रतिगृह्यताम्॥
ಕನ್ನಡ ಲಿಪಿಯಲ್ಲಿ
ಬಲಿರಾಜ ನಮಸ್ತುಭ್ಯಂ ವಿರೋಚನಸುತ ಪ್ರಭೋ।
ಭವಿಷ್ಯೇನ್ದ್ರ ಸುರಾರಾತೇ ಪೂಜೇಯಂ ಪ್ರತಿಗೃಹ್ಯತಾಮ್॥
balirāja namastubhyaṃ virocanasuta prabho| bhaviṣyendra surārāte pūjeyaṃ pratigṛhyatām||
What it means: King Bali, son of Virochana, Indra-to-be — I bow to you; please accept this worship.
Go namaskara
गावो ममाग्रतः सन्तु गावो मे सन्तु पृष्ठतः।
गावो मे हृदये सन्तु गवां मध्ये वसाम्यहम्॥
ಕನ್ನಡ ಲಿಪಿಯಲ್ಲಿ
ಗಾವೋ ಮಮಾಗ್ರತಃ ಸನ್ತು ಗಾವೋ ಮೇ ಸನ್ತು ಪೃಷ್ಠತಃ।
ಗಾವೋ ಮೇ ಹೃದಯೇ ಸನ್ತು ಗವಾಂ ಮಧ್ಯೇ ವಸಾಮ್ಯಹಮ್॥
gāvo mamāgrataḥ santu gāvo me santu pṛṣṭhataḥ| gāvo me hṛdaye santu gavāṃ madhye vasāmyaham||
What it means: May cows be before me and behind me, may they be in my heart; I live among the cows.
Bali Padyami from region to region
Old Mysore and North Karnataka
A cow-dung Bali or fort at the doorstep, flowers stuck into it, and lamps around it; go-puje in every village.
Tulunadu
Balindra puje: lamps are lit for Balindra in the fields and at the tulasi katte, and families call out to him to come and return.
Maharashtra and Gujarat
Padwa — husbands and wives exchange gifts; in Gujarat it is Bestu Varas, the new year.
North India
Govardhan puja and Annakut: a mountain of food is offered to Krishna.
Have the Bali Padyami puja done for you
Two ways to do it. At a temple: the pandit takes your family’s name and gotra in the sankalpa and sends you the photos and video. At home: a pandit from our panel comes to you with the vidhi, and you sit for the puja yourself.
Where this comes from
- Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 8, chapters 18–23, for Vamana and Bali.
- Bhavishya Purana tradition for the Bali Pratipada worship and the prayer quoted.
- Village customs of Karnataka and Tulunadu, as kept by our pandits’ families.
How we work out the dates: Stuti Mandir’s own panchanga engine places the Sun and Moon (Lahiri ayanamsa) and checks the tithi against sunrise, sunset and moonrise in Bengaluru, in IST. A printed panchanga may differ by a minute or so. Where your family’s panchanga or your purohita says otherwise, go with them.
Questions devotees ask us
When is Bali Padyami 2026?
Tuesday, 10 November 2026. In Bengaluru, Kartika Shukla Pratipada (amanta; Kartik Shukla Pratipada in the North Indian count) begins Mon, 9 Nov, 12:32 PM and ends Tue, 10 Nov, 02:00 PM IST.
Will Mysuru and Delhi keep Bali Padyami on the same day?
Mostly yes. But the sun rises and sets at different times in different towns, and a habba is kept on the day its tithi is running at the right hour — so timings shift, and once in a while the date does too. Change the town above to see yours.
Is Bali Padyami the same as Govardhan puja?
Same day, different stories. Karnataka remembers King Bali; much of North India remembers Krishna lifting Govardhan.
We live in a flat with no cows. What can we do?
Draw Bali in rangoli at your door, light lamps around it, and visit a goshala to feed the cows, or give towards their care.