Frequently Asked Questions

Pick a puja from our /pujas catalogue, choose a verified pandit and temple, enter the sankalp details (your name, gotra, intent), pick a date, and pay. You'll receive a booking number (format BS-YYYYMMDD-XXXXX), a WhatsApp confirmation, and video proof of the puja, which we aim to upload within 24-48 hours of the ceremony.

Video proof is a 5-10 minute recording showing the pandit performing your puja with your sankalp named aloud. It is mandatory for every puja booking on Darshya. We aim to upload it to your account within 24-48 hours of the ceremony, and it stays downloadable for 90 days. If nothing has arrived 72 hours after your slot, write to support@darshya.online — a person reviews it and the refund is full where the pandit is at fault.

Cancel 48h or more before your puja for a full refund, or 24-48h before for 75%. Cancellation is not possible within 24 hours of the scheduled time. Refunds reach your account in 5-7 business days. Inside that window the samagri has been procured and the pandit slot is locked, which is why the booking can no longer be cancelled by you. Reschedule via /support or WhatsApp.

Yes, prasad delivery is included with most puja packages. We use registered postal courier and delivery takes 5-10 working days within India and 10-20 days for NRI addresses. Prasad consists of consecrated items like sacred thread, kumkum, vibhuti, sweets, or a coconut depending on the puja type.

Yes. Every pandit on Darshya undergoes Aadhaar verification, Vedic credential verification (often gurukul-trained), reference checks from at least 2 temples or senior pandits, and a probationary first-30-day video review. We display a trust score on every pandit profile.

We currently stream live darshan from Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi), Tirumala Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Siddhivinayak (Mumbai), Somnath (Gujarat), Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain), Jagannath Puri (Odisha), and 25+ other major temples. Aarti timings are highlighted in your local time zone.

Yes, all live darshan streams on Darshya are completely free with no signup required. Premium features like recorded aarti library, multi-camera angles, and HD downloads are part of our Premium plan (₹199/month domestic or $9/month for NRI users).

Premium subscribers can download aarti recordings from the past 7 days. Free users can watch live streams but cannot download. We respect temple policies — recordings that temples explicitly prohibit are not retained on our servers.

NRI pricing is roughly 9-10× domestic for parity reasons — currency conversion, international payment processing fees (3-4% higher than domestic UPI), USD-denominated infrastructure costs, and a small donation to the temple's gaushala or annadanam. The exact breakdown is shown at checkout.

Yes, for all donations to verified temples and gaushalas with valid 80G registration. The receipt is auto-generated within 24 hours, emailed to you, and downloadable from your account. Format: DR-YYYYMMDD-XXXX. You must provide your PAN at the time of donation for the 80G receipt to be valid.

Domestic India: UPI (all apps), credit/debit cards (Visa/Mastercard/RuPay), net banking, wallets (Paytm, PhonePe, Amazon Pay). NRI users: international credit cards, billed in INR. We do not accept cash on delivery or cheques.

Once a refund is issued it goes back to the method you paid with: UPI and wallets 1-3 business days, Debit and credit cards 5-7 business days, Net banking 5-10 business days, International cards 7-14 business days. You receive an email and WhatsApp notification when the refund is initiated. These are the same bands published on our Refund Policy page — we do not quote a different timeline anywhere.

Yes, this is one of our most popular use cases. You book online from anywhere, your family in India can attend in person if they wish, or the entire puja can be conducted with only your sankalp recited by the pandit. Video proof is delivered to you via WhatsApp/email regardless of location.

Yes, our Gift Puja feature lets you (NRI sender) pay for a puja and have video proof + WhatsApp confirmation sent to a recipient in India. The recipient receives the sankalp in their name. Available at /gift on our site.

Yes — Darshya NRI Premium, ₹5,000 per year (about $60), billed once in INR through Razorpay. It includes no NRI surcharge on bookings, no ads, priority booking 7 days early, a weekly 1:1 call with a priest, a free 80G receipt PDF for any donation, and unlimited AI astro chat. Detail at /nri.

Yes, our yatra desk handles end-to-end pilgrimage planning — Char Dham, 12 Jyotirlinga, Sapta Puri, Pancha Bhoota and custom itineraries. We coordinate hotels (verified ratings), transport (private cab/bus), VIP darshan slots where available, and meals. Inquiry-only model: submit at /yatra/{slug}/book and our team responds within 24 hours.

The Char Dham temples are open only April-October, closed November-March due to Himalayan snow. Best windows: May-June (post-snow, pre-monsoon) and September-October (post-monsoon, clear skies). Avoid June-August monsoon — landslides frequently block roads. Helicopter packages reduce yatra from 12 days to 2-3 days.

Yes, since 2022 the Uttarakhand government has mandated online registration on uttarakhandtourism.gov.in for all Char Dham pilgrims. Our yatra desk handles this for you when you book a package. Registration is free; daily caps apply on each temple.