Diwali Mahalakshmi Puja 2026 at Durga Temple of Virginia

Durga Temple of Virginia is listing Diwali Mahalakshmi Puja for Sunday, November 8, 2026, from 5:00 to 6:15 p.m. at 8400 Durga Place in Fairfax Station. The temple frames the twilight Amavasya ritual that invites Lakshmi and Ganesha with chants, sweets, coins, and the blessing of new account ledgers. Admission to the mandir program is free. Sundays the temple is open 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the posted schedule, with aarti at 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., so the Mahalakshmi window sits inside a full Diwali day on campus.

Seventy-five minutes is a focused puja, not a mela. Arrive early enough to park, remove shoes, and settle before 5:00. Dress for mandir etiquette. Bring only what the temple asks for offerings; call 703-690-9355 or email contact@durgatemple.org if you are unsure what to pack. Fairfax Station is southern Fairfax County, a different drive from Beltsville and from downtown DC. Give yourself beltway time on Diwali Sunday. Many families stay for the 6:30 p.m. Sunday aarti after Mahalakshmi Puja ends, which turns the short ritual into a fuller temple evening without inventing a second ticket. Quiet phones and modest dress are the usual floor rules once you are inside.

The same evening, BAPS Beltsville holds Diwali and Chopda Pujan across the river in Maryland. MOAPIA and Asia After Dark already covered Friday in the District. Cedar Lane Bethesda is the following Sunday as a community Diwali with vendors and sparklers. Do Durga Temple if your household marks Mahalakshmi Puja in Fairfax Station. Do Beltsville if Chopda Pujan and Annakut are the BAPS calendar you keep.

Diwali night traffic on the Fairfax County Parkway and nearby connectors is real. Leave a buffer, and do not assume a last-minute arrival will still catch the opening chant. If you are coming from Maryland after Beltsville plans fall through, the cross-river drive is longer than a phone map shows at dusk.

Who this is for: Northern Virginia families tied to Durga Temple who need the dated Diwali night puja pin. It is a ritual appointment more than an all-evening festival, so plan dinner afterward if the kids need a longer night out. MOAPIA already ran the civic reception on Friday. Heritage India in Sterling lands later in November if your household still needs a shopping hall.

Confirm any flyer update on durgatemple.org before Sunday. Winter evening hours can shift; the temple notes seasonal closes, so recheck the door note if you are coming after aarti. Download the temple's Diwali flyer if it is still linked on the event page, and treat that PDF as the live ritual note if the web card stays short.

When: November 8, 2026 (5:00–6:15 p.m.)
Where: Durga Temple of Virginia, 8400 Durga Pl, Fairfax Station, VA 22039

Details at durgatemple.org.