Time Zones and Muhurat: Joining an Indian Puja From New York, Toronto or London

For families in the USA, Canada and the UK, having a puja performed in India is a beautiful way to stay connected to their roots. But there is one practical question that confuses almost everyone: "What time will it be for me?"

This guide makes time zones and muhurat simple. You'll find ready-made conversion tables, the daylight-saving dates for 2026–27, and a clear explanation of how muhurat works when you live abroad.

India Time (IST): The Basics

• India has one time zone for the whole country: Indian Standard Time (IST).
• IST is UTC + 5 hours 30 minutes.
• India does not use daylight saving time, so IST never changes.

Because IST never changes but North American and UK clocks do, the difference between India and your city changes twice a year.

How Far Ahead Is India?

Some regions, such as most of Arizona and Saskatchewan, do not change clocks. Check your local time zone.

Daylight-Saving Dates for 2026–2027

For a few weeks each spring and autumn, the UK and North America are on different schedules, so double-check times during late March and late October to early November.

Ready-Made Conversion Tables

A Morning Puja in India at 9:00 AM IST

An Early Morning Puja at 7:00 AM IST

An Evening Puja at 6:30 PM IST (for example, Diwali Lakshmi Puja)

Other Countries at a Glance

Many devotees live beyond North America and the UK. Approximate differences from IST:

In Australia and New Zealand, an Indian morning puja falls in the afternoon or evening of the same day, which is very convenient for joining live.

The "Previous Evening" Effect

Because India is so far ahead, an Indian morning is the North American previous evening. This has two consequences:

1. Joining live is often convenient. A 9:00 AM havan in India is a 10:30 or 11:30 PM event in New York, or early-evening in California, so families can join together after work.
2. Festival dates can look "a day early" abroad. If a festival begins on the morning of 19 October in India, it may already be the evening of 18 October in North America.

For the UK, the Indian morning is very early the same morning, so British families often join pre-dawn or watch a recording later.

How Muhurat Works When You Live Abroad

A muhurat is an auspicious window based on the tithi, nakshatra and local sunrise. Here is the simple rule:

You do not need to find a separate muhurat in your own city for a ritual performed in India. The sankalp carries your name and intention to the ritual, wherever you are.

Read more: Online Puja From Abroad: What Tradition Says About Remote Sankalp · Best Days and Muhurat

Planning to Join Live: Step by Step

1. Book your puja and ask for the confirmed start time in IST.
2. Convert it using the tables above, or ask the Acharya to confirm the time in your city.
3. Check daylight saving if the date is near March or October–November.
4. Test your video call (WhatsApp, Zoom or Google Meet) a day before.
5. Set two reminders: the day before, and one hour before.
6. Prepare at home: bathe, wear yellow or clean clothes, light a diya.
7. Join a few minutes early and keep the family together.
8. If you miss it, ask for photos or a recording, where arranged.

Read more: Joining a Havan by Live Video

A Sample Timeline: Baglamukhi Jayanti 2027

Suppose a havan is performed at Nalkheda at 9:00 AM IST on Thursday, 13 May 2027:

So a family in California joins on Wednesday evening after dinner, and a family in London joins before dawn on Thursday.

Read more: Baglamukhi Jayanti 2027

Doing Your Own Puja at the Same Moment

Many families like to light their own diya at home at the very moment the ritual is being performed for them in India. It is a beautiful way to feel connected:

1. Find the converted local time of the Indian ritual.
2. Prepare your home altar a little earlier: clean space, diya, flowers, a glass of water.
3. At the time of the ritual, light the diya, sit together as a family, and recite the chalisa or the name mantra.
4. If you are also joining by video, keep the screen beside the altar.
5. After the ritual, share prasad at home.

This works well even when the local time is inconvenient: the family can do a short prayer at a set time and watch the recording later.

Handy Ways to Convert Time

• Your phone's world clock: add "Kolkata" or "New Delhi" alongside your own city.
• Calendar invites: ask for the puja time in IST and create a calendar event set to the India time zone; your phone will show it in your local time automatically.
• Ask us: during booking, we can confirm the time in your city to avoid any confusion.

Tips for Different Family Situations

• Young children: in North America, evening timings work well; for very late times, record a short family prayer earlier and let the adults join live.
• Elders: ask whether the Acharya can choose a slightly earlier IST time within the muhurat so it isn't too late locally.
• Working professionals in the UK: early-morning joins before work are common; or watch the recording in the evening.
• Families across several cities: agree on one person to share the link and reminders in a family group.

Your Checklist

• Confirmed puja date and IST start time
• Your local time worked out (and daylight saving checked)
• Video link tested
• Reminders set
• Sankalp details already shared: names, gotra, intention
• Diya, flowers and a clean space ready at home
• Family informed

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Forgetting the previous-evening effect and joining a day late.
2. Ignoring daylight saving in March and November.
3. Converting the Indian festival date to your local date for your own home puja. For home puja, follow your local panchang.
4. Not testing the video link in advance.
5. Sharing sankalp details at the last minute. Send them when you book.

About Acharya Ashish Sharma

Acharya Ashish Sharma has served in the tradition of Maa Baglamukhi for more than 25 years. He is Sanskrit-trained and connected with this tradition since birth, and his office is near Maa Baglamukhi Temple, Nalkheda. He performs traditional Maa Baglamukhi Puja, Havan and Special Anushthan, and offers personal spiritual guidance according to each devotee's situation, for families in India and around the world.