Quick answer: two well-documented Hindu temples in the Toronto area are BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Etobicoke and Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton. 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 confirm timings with your temple.

Last updated: 30 October 2026.

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Etobicoke

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a Hindu temple of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in north-west Toronto (Etobicoke), off Highway 427 near Finch Avenue. Its central shrine holds the murtis of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Gunatitanand Swami, worshipped in the BAPS tradition as Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj. BAPS describes it as Canada's first traditionally hand-carved stone and marble mandir, built according to the Shilpa Shastras without steel reinforcement.

BAPS traces Swaminarayan satsang in Canada to 1973, when two students began holding Sunday assemblies. Pramukh Swami Maharaj first visited Canada on 27 July 1974, and the sanstha was registered in 1977. The haveli opened in 2004 and the mandir was dedicated on 22 July 2007. See the temple directory entry for more, and the official site, baps.org, for current visiting information.

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Hindu Sabha Mandir, Brampton

Hindu Sabha Temple (Hindu Sabha Mandir) stands on The Gore Road in Brampton, Ontario, in the Greater Toronto Area. Its presiding deity is Maa Jagdamba, the Divine Mother, whose installation marked the temple's opening in 1994, and other deities were installed afterwards with full rites. It is run by Hindu Sabha, a charitable trust begun in 1975 by five founding members to preserve and promote Hindu dharma and culture in Canada.

According to the temple's own history, early pujas, havans and festivals were held in members' homes and rented rooms before the trust bought land and built the present temple. See the temple directory entry and the temple's official site, hindusabhatemple.com.

Other temples across the GTA

Brampton, Mississauga, Markham, Richmond Hill and Scarborough all have active Hindu communities with their own mandirs serving Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi and other congregations. We list only temples whose details we have checked; for others, use each temple's own website. For the wider picture see Hindus in Canada 2026.

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Planning a temple visit

  • Check the temple's website or social page for current darshan and aarti times; festival days often run on special schedules.
  • Dress modestly, expect to remove footwear, and in November carry a warm layer for queueing outdoors.
  • On Diwali, Kartika Purnima and Ekadashi weekends, arrive early and check for parking or registration notices.
  • Ask about prasad and food arrangements if you have dietary needs.

Hindu festivals in Toronto and the GTA, November to December 2026

Dates below are the India base dates from Drik Panchang (Hyderabad reference). The same days apply in Toronto and the GTA 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 Toronto and the GTA
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 Toronto.
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 Toronto.
Fri 4 DecUtpanna EkadashiEkadashi at sunrise in Toronto; parana on Sat 5 Dec.
Tue 8 DecMargashirsha AmavasyaAmavasya at sunrise in Toronto.
Sun 20 DecGita Jayanti, Mokshada and Vaikuntha EkadashiEkadashi at sunrise in Toronto; parana on Mon 21 Dec.

How the dates can shift abroad. Our daily panchang data for Toronto 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.

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

Frequently asked questions

What are the main Hindu temples in Toronto and the GTA?

Two long-established temples we have researched are BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Etobicoke, Toronto, and Hindu Sabha Mandir (Hindu Sabha Temple) in Brampton. The GTA has many more, which we do not list until we have verified them.

When was the BAPS mandir in Toronto built?

BAPS's own chronology records the haveli opening in 2004 and the mandir being dedicated on 22 July 2007. BAPS describes it as Canada's first traditionally hand-carved stone and marble mandir.

Who is the presiding deity at Hindu Sabha Mandir, Brampton?

The presiding deity is Maa Jagdamba, the Divine Mother. The temple on The Gore Road opened in 1994, and other deities were installed afterwards.

When is Diwali 2026 in Toronto?

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

Is Kartika Purnima on the same day in Toronto as in India?

In our Drik-based data, Purnima is the tithi at Toronto sunrise on Tuesday 24 November 2026, the same day as in India. Observance timings still differ, so check the temple.

Editor's note

Editor's note (30 October 2026): the table uses Toronto daily panchang data from Drik Panchang; we have not confirmed any temple's programme. If your temple announces something different, follow the temple.

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