Quick answer: the most prominent Hindu temple in New Jersey is BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville. For November and December 2026, plan around Diwali on Sunday 8 November, Kartika Purnima on Tuesday 24 November and Gita Jayanti on Sunday 20 December, and always confirm timings with the temple.

Last updated: 30 October 2026.

BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, Robbinsville

BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham is a Hindu temple complex in Robbinsville Township, New Jersey, dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781-1830), the founder of the Swaminarayan tradition. It was built by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) on a campus of about 185 acres. The hand-carved stone Akshardham Mahamandir was inaugurated by Mahant Swami Maharaj on 8 October 2023 and opened to the public on 18 October 2023.

BAPS had earlier built a smaller Nagara-style mandir on the same site, of Italian Carrara marble enclosed in a building to protect it from the north-eastern winters; Pramukh Swami Maharaj consecrated it in August 2014. Work on the wider Akshardham project ran from 2011 to 2023, and press reports say more than 12,500 volunteers took part.

Advertisement

Read our BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham temple guide for the full background, or the temple directory entry. For current visiting hours and any ticket or booking rules, use the official site, usa.akshardham.org.

Other Hindu temples in New Jersey

New Jersey has one of the largest Indian-American communities in the USA, and towns such as Edison, Piscataway and others in central New Jersey have local mandirs serving Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi and other communities. We have not verified individual details for these, so rather than list names and addresses from memory we recommend searching the official site or social page of the temple you plan to visit, and using the checklist below.

Planning a temple visit

  • Check the temple's own website or social page for current darshan and aarti times; festival days often have different schedules.
  • Dress modestly and expect to remove footwear.
  • On festival days, arrive early, expect queues and parking limits, and check whether the temple asks for advance registration.
  • Prasad and food arrangements vary; if you have dietary needs, ask the temple.
  • Temple notice boards and email lists are the best source for local event changes.

Hindu festivals in New Jersey, November to December 2026

Dates below are the India base dates from Drik Panchang (Hyderabad reference). The same days apply in New Jersey for most observances, but tithi timings shift with the time zone, so the temple's own notice is the final word.

Date (2026)ObservanceNote for New Jersey
Sun 8 NovDiwali / Lakshmi PujaEvening Lakshmi Puja; see the city-by-city muhurat page for local times.
Tue 10 NovGovardhan Puja and Annakut; Karthika Masam begins (amanta)Check your temple: the tithi at local sunrise differs from India (see note below).
Wed 11 NovBhai DoojSame note as Govardhan Puja.
Sun 15 NovChhath PujaArghya times are city-specific; use the country page.
Tue 17 NovSabarimala Mandala Pooja season beginsAyyappa devotions at local temples often start the same week.
Fri 20 NovDevutthana (Prabodhini) EkadashiEkadashi is the tithi at sunrise on Fri 20 Nov in New York.
Sat 21 NovTulasi VivahDrik lists Tulasi Vivah and Vaishnava Ekadashi parana on this day.
Tue 24 NovKartika Purnima, Dev Deepawali and Karthigai DeepamPurnima is the tithi at sunrise on this day in New York.
Fri 4 DecUtpanna EkadashiEkadashi at sunrise in New York; parana on Sat 5 Dec.
Tue 8 DecMargashirsha AmavasyaAmavasya at sunrise in New York.
Sun 20 DecGita Jayanti, Mokshada and Vaikuntha EkadashiEkadashi at sunrise in New York; parana on Mon 21 Dec.

How the dates can shift abroad. Our daily panchang data for New York shows Ekadashi as the tithi at local sunrise on Fri 20 Nov, Fri 4 Dec and Sun 20 Dec, and Purnima at sunrise on Tue 24 Nov, so those fasts and observances fall on the same weekday as in India. Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj are different: the local sunrise tithi for 10 and 11 November differs from India's, so some temples may schedule them a day apart. We have not confirmed any individual temple's programme; follow its published notice.

Advertisement

For full month-by-month detail see the November 2026 Hindu festival calendar (India) and, for local timings, the November 2026 Hindu festivals in the USA, the Diwali 2026 USA Lakshmi Puja muhurat by city and the Karthika Masam 2026 dates for the USA.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best-known Hindu temple in New Jersey?

BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville Township is the best known. The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha built it on a campus of about 185 acres; the hand-carved stone Akshardham Mahamandir was inaugurated on 8 October 2023 and opened to the public on 18 October 2023.

When is Diwali 2026 in New Jersey?

Diwali and Lakshmi Puja fall on Sunday 8 November 2026. Muhurat times depend on your location, so use our USA city-by-city Lakshmi Puja page and your temple's notice.

When is Tulasi Vivah 2026?

Drik Panchang lists Tulasi Vivah on Saturday 21 November 2026, the day after Devutthana Ekadashi on Friday 20 November. Some temples hold it on a different evening, so confirm locally.

Do New Jersey temples publish festival programmes in advance?

Most large temples post programmes on their official websites and social pages. Check the temple's own notice before travelling, as timings, bookings and crowd arrangements can change.

Is this a full list of temples in New Jersey?

No. New Jersey has many mandirs, especially around Edison, Piscataway and the wider central New Jersey area. This page covers only the temple we have fully researched and a planning checklist; we do not list addresses or timings that we have not verified.

Editor's note

Editor's note (30 October 2026): New Jersey is in the same Eastern time zone as New York, whose daily panchang data we use for the table above. Dates are from Drik Panchang; we have not confirmed any temple's programme. If a temple announces something different, follow the temple.

Related guides