When is Kojagari Lakshmi Puja on October 25, 2026? The purnima tithi in Kolkata is from 11:55 am on Sunday, October 25 to 9:41 am on Monday, October 26. Drik Panchang has the Nishita Kaal for the midnight puja as 10:56 pm to 11:46 pm on October 25. Usually, Bengalis draw alpona and do puja in the evening, and keep the night vigil in the Nishita Kaal which justifies the name Kojagari.
Kojagari Purnima is the full moon in Ashwin month. Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Odisha and Mithila. The rest of India knows this full moon as Sharad Purnima. We have provided the date here, the related tithis, the reasoning behind the date, the Nishita Kaal, and the full puja vidhi. All times are in IST unless stated.
Quick answer
- Date: Sunday, October 25, 2026 (Ashwin Purnima)
- Purnima tithi (Kolkata): 11:55 AM, October 25 to 9:41 AM, October 26
- Nishita Kaal (Kolkata): 10:56 PM to 11:46 PM, October 25
- Moonrise (Kolkata): 4:21 PM, October 25
- Kheer under the moon: after moonrise, left out through midnight or until dawn
Laxmi Puja Timings: When Is the Auspicious Time for Laxmi Puja?
Kojagari Lakshmi Puja will be celebrated on the night of Sunday, October 25, 2026, according to the vedic panchang. If you follow the Hindu panchang, then the puja will be on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. Puja timings are for the Kolkata timezone first, followed by others.
Kojagari Purnima 2026 date
Kojagari Lakshmi Puja is celebrated on the day that is four days after Bijoya Dashami (four days after Vijaya Dashmi). In 2026, Kojagari Lakshmi Puja will be celebrated on October 25. In 2025, the same Purnima was celebrated on October 6.
Purnima tithi start and end time
A tithi is a Lunar day and is counted based on the Moon’s angle with respect to the Sun. Purnima is the 15th tithi of the bright half of the month. Its start and end times are the same throughout India, as they are based on the moon’s position and not on the sunrise of that region.
| Event | Time (IST) |
| Purnima tithi begins | 11:55 AM, Sunday, October 25, 2026 |
| Purnima tithi ends | 9:41 AM, Monday, October 26, 2026 |
Drik Panchang gives 11:55 AM and 9:41 AM. Prokerala and independent calculations land within a minute or two of those figures. Larger differences come from the panjika method, covered in the second section below.
Nishita Kaal puja muhurat
Nishita is the 8th of the 15 muhurtas of the night. It is for a period of approximately 50 minutes. It is calculated from the sunset of that city to the sunrise of that city, hence it shifts from city to city. Kolkata being in the far East of India, closes its Nishita before Mumbai opens its Nishita.
| City | Moonrise, Oct 25 | Nishita Kaal, night of Oct 25–26 |
| Kolkata | 4:21 PM | 10:56 PM – 11:46 PM |
| Delhi | 5:00 PM | 11:40 PM – 12:31 AM |
| Mumbai | 5:28 PM | 11:58 PM – 12:47 AM |
| Chennai | 5:04 PM | 11:28 PM – 12:17 AM |
| Bengaluru | 5:15 PM | 11:39 PM – 12:28 AM |
| Ahmedabad | 5:25 PM | 11:59 PM – 12:49 AM |
Source: Drik Panchang, in IST. Other panchang sites differ by a minute at most.
Moonrise time on Sharad Purnima 2026
The moon is rising in Kolkata at 4:21 PM on October 25, according to Drik Panchang. That means the center of the moon’s disc will touch the horizon at that time. Some apps show that the upper edge of the moon’s disc will rise at 4:17 PM with the inclusion of atmospheric refraction. Aside from the fact that both times are correct, the moon will touch the horizon a couple of minutes later in most neighborhoods because of buildings and haze. The moon sets at around 5:31 AM on October 26 in Kolkata, so there will be moonlight all night.
Is Kojagari Lakshmi Puja on October 25 or 26?
The puja is on the night of October 25. Purnima is current at sunset and at midnight only on Sunday. By Monday evening it has been over for more than seven hours.
October 26 appears on some calendars for a different reason. A panchang names each day after the tithi at sunrise, and Purnima is current at Monday’s sunrise. Monday morning is therefore the Purnima day for the holy bath, charity and Valmiki Jayanti. Kheer, vigil and Lakshmi puja belong to Sunday night. The West Bengal government’s 2026 holiday list places Lakshmi Puja on October 25 and adds October 26 as an extra holiday.
Kojagari Lakshmi Puja 2026 at a glance (Kolkata)
| Detail | Timing |
| Puja date | Sunday, October 25, 2026 |
| Purnima begins | 11:55 AM, October 25 |
| Purnima ends | 9:41 AM, October 26 |
| Moonrise | 4:21 PM, October 25 |
| Nishita Kaal | 10:56 PM – 11:46 PM, October 25 |
| Moonset | about 5:31 AM, October 26 |
Reading a tithi, a nakshatra and a Nishita window off the panchang is a learnable skill. If you want the method behind these numbers, a Vedic astrology course in india teaches it from first principles.
Can Lakshmi Puja Be Done After the Purnima Tithi Ends?
No. The Kojagari puja belongs to the Purnima night, and Purnima ends at 9:41 AM on Monday, October 26. That leaves a long working window: the whole of Sunday night and evening, and early Monday morning up to that time..
Two rules decide which day a festival belongs to when a tithi spans two dates:
- The Bengal rule. Bengali tradition treats the evening after sunset, pradosh, as the proper time for Lakshmi Puja. When the tithi holds at pradosh on the first day but not on the second, the puja is on the first day. In 2026 only Sunday’s pradosh carries Purnima.
- The Nishita rule. The North Indian reckoning for Sharad Purnima and Kojagara picks the day on which the tithi is present during Nishita Kaal. In 2026 that is Sunday night too.
Both rules point to the same night, so no household has to choose between two dates this year.
Why do some panchang timings differ?
Drik Panchang calculates this with modern astronomical methods (the Drik system). Traditional Bengali panjikas compute with their own system, and their tithi start times can differ from Drik’s by close to an hour. The Benimadhab Sil panjika for 1433, for example, lists the Purnima beginning at 10:59 AM on October 25 and ending at 9:50 AM on October 26. It marks the pradosh-to-night window, from 5:01 PM until 3:37 AM, as the period for Lakshmi Puja. Despite the difference in start time, both systems place the puja on October 25.
The practical rule: if your family follows a printed panjika, follow it. If you use an app or Drik Panchang, use the times for your city. Keep one source and do not mix figures from two systems inside the same puja plan.
This is the kind of cross-checking a Vedic astrology diploma course trains you to do for yourself, which is the difference between copying a muhurat and understanding it.
Why Is Lakshmi Worshipped at Night on Kojagari Purnima?
Because the night itself is the observance. The name comes from the Sanskrit question ko jagarti, “who is awake?” The belief is that Lakshmi moves from home to home on the full-moon night of Ashwin, asking the question, and blesses those who are awake in devotion. The vrat is also called Kojagara jagaran, the wakeful vigil.
Four threads of tradition meet on this one night:
- Lakshmi’s emergence. A widely told tradition holds that Lakshmi rose from the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan) on this full moon, which makes it her night.
- The sixteen kalas. The Moon is said to show all sixteen of its digits (kalas) only on the Ashwin Purnima. The tradition calls its light nourishing.
- The harvest. The kharif crop is ripening. In Bengal the night coincides with Nabanna, the festival of the new grain, which is why paddy sits at the centre of the Bengali puja.
- The vigil. Wakefulness here means more than staying up. It is a lamp kept burning at the door and a mind turned toward prayer.
Bengal and Mithila tell the Kojagara katha of Valit, a poor, learned Brahmin who wanders into a forest on this night and keeps vigil with the Naga maidens. Lakshmi finds him awake and restores his fortune. The story is a community telling and not a fixed historical record, and it makes one point: the night rewards attention.
On the night of October 25, panchang sources place the Moon in Ashwini nakshatra from 7:22 PM IST. Ashwini gives the month of Ashwin its name. Chandra, the Moon, governs the mind and the emotions in Vedic astrology, and Purnima is the Moon at its fullest. This is why the Moon’s sign, nakshatra and tithi are among the first things you learn to read in a Vedic birth chart, a skill you can build at your own pace through a learn vedic astrology course online.
Is Sharad Purnima the Same as Kojagari Purnima?
Yes. Both names describe the full moon of Ashwin. Only the emphasis changes by region.
| Region | Name | What defines the night |
| West Bengal, Assam, Tripura | Kojagori Lokkhi Pujo | Lakshmi worshipped at home with alpona, a painted sara or ghot, and Lakshmir Panchali |
| Odisha | Kumar Purnima | Unmarried girls honour the Sun and Moon; Gaja Lakshmi Puja is kept the same night (October 25, 2026) |
| Mithila (Bihar) | Kojagara | Celebrated most in the home of a newly married groom, with makhana, paan and sweets shared |
| Maharashtra | Kojagiri Purnima | Spiced milk set under the moon on terraces |
| Gujarat | Sharad Poonam | A last garba after Navratri, with doodh-pauva left in the moonlight |
| Braj (Vrindavan, Mathura) | Raas Purnima | Krishna’s Maha Raas remembered with kheer under the open sky |
| Nepal | Kojagrat Purnima | Closes Dashain with an all-night vigil to Lakshmi |
Which name a household uses depends on region and on the almanac it follows. If you want to see how a panchang assigns tithis and names festivals, our explainer on what is panchang in astrology covers how the almanac works.
Kojagari Lakshmi Puja Vidhi (Step by Step)
Customs differ between districts and families. The steps below are the common Bengali home form, and your own family’s practice always takes precedence.
Puja samagri list
- A Lakshmi image, or a painted clay plate (sara), or a ghot (a kalash filled with rice or paddy, topped with a coconut and mango leaves)
- Rice paste for alpona
- Paddy, coins, paan, cowries, turmeric and haritaki for the offering leaf
- White flowers or lotus, kumkum, whole rice and a ghee lamp
- A conch and a bell
- Fruits and sweets: narkel naru, til naru, khoi and murki
- Bhog: khichuri, labra, payesh and luchi
- A copy of the Lakshmir Panchali
- Water and milk for the arghya to the Moon
Alpona and decoration
The puja begins on the floor. Fingers dipped in wet rice paste draw the alpona, with sheaves of paddy, coins and Lakshmi’s small footprints. The footprints are drawn walking into the house from the threshold toward the puja space, which is the visual invitation to the goddess. Bengali homes keep Lakshmi in several forms: a clay idol, a painted sara, a basket of paddy dressed in red cloth, or a ghot. Each of them is an expression of a farming household’s prosperity.
Step-by-step puja
- Morning. Bathe and take the sankalp. Those keeping the Kojagara vrat fast through the day (see the fasting note below).
- Prepare the home. Clean the house, especially the entrance and the puja place. Draw the alpona.
- Set the seat. Place the image, sara or ghot on a clean cloth. Arrange the offering leaf with paddy, coins, paan, cowries and turmeric.
- Evening puja (pradosh). Light the ghee lamp. Offer flowers, kumkum, rice and fruit. Blow the conch.
- Read the Lakshmir Panchali. Read it aloud while the family listens. In many homes the eldest woman reads.
- Offer the bhog. Offer khichuri, labra, payesh, naru and sweets, then share them as prasad.
- After moonrise. Offer an arghya of water and milk to the Moon with folded hands, and set out the kheer (see the kheer section).
- The vigil. Keep the lamp lit at the door. Stay awake with the Panchali, bhajans and stories at least until the Nishita window (10:56 PM to 11:46 PM in Kolkata), and later if the family keeps the full vigil.
Mantras and Lakshmir Panchali
The Lakshmir Panchali is a Bengali verse prayer-story read aloud during the puja. Many Bengali homes also read it at home every Thursday through the year. For chanting, three forms are in common use:
- Om Shreem Mahalakshmiyai Namah, the short mantra, chanted on a japa mala
- The Shri Suktam, the Vedic hymn to Lakshmi
- The Lakshmi Ashtakam, the eight-verse hymn
Choose the one your family already uses. Steady repetition matters more than the length of the text.
Bhog and prasad
The bhog is where Bengali kitchens differ. Khichuri and labra (mixed vegetables) appear in nearly every home, along with luchi, payesh, narkel naru and til naru. Families from East Bengal (Bangal) often cook fish dishes for the goddess, including a pair of hilsa, while many West Bengal (Ghoti) families keep the day vegetarian.
Fasting rules
The Kojagara vrat is traditionally a day-long fast, kept on fruit and milk and broken after the night puja. Some households keep the monthly Purnima fast by the sunrise tithi on Monday instead, and both are valid within tradition. Anyone who is unwell, pregnant, an older person, or taking medication should consider a lighter fast or not fasting at all, after consulting a doctor.
A Bengali panjika (Benimadhab Sil, 1433) also lists a night-time Kojagara custom: eating flattened rice (chire) with coconut and drinking coconut water.
When Should Kheer Be Kept Under the Moonlight on Sharad Purnima 2026?
Set the kheer out on the night of October 25, after the evening puja and once the Moon is up. Most families leave it from about 9 or 10 PM until at least midnight, and many leave it until dawn. The Purnima tithi lasts all night, until 9:41 AM on Monday, so there is no clock deadline. The tradition asks only that moonlight fall on the vessel.
- Cook it in the evening. Simmer rice in milk with sugar and cardamom, with saffron and nuts if your family uses them.
- Offer it first at the household shrine.
- Choose the vessel. Silver is the Moon’s metal in the tradition. A silver coin or spoon dropped into any other vessel serves the same purpose.
- Place it in direct moonlight on a terrace, courtyard, balcony or windowsill. Cover it with fine muslin so light passes through and insects stay out.
- Bring it in after midnight or at dawn. In warm weather, refrigerate it if it will not be eaten soon.
- Share it as prasad on Monday morning, first offered again at the shrine.
Tradition holds that the Moon’s rays on this night carry amrit, the nectar of immortality, which the kheer takes up. This is a matter of faith and custom, not a medical claim. Treat the kheer as prasad, and treat it as any sweet if you are diabetic.
The moon stands high in the sky around midnight, so a covered balcony loses it. An open terrace or courtyard catches it all night. An east-facing balcony catches the evening moon, and a west-facing one catches the Moon before dawn.
Kojagari Lakshmi Puja vs Diwali Lakshmi Puja
Both worship the same goddess, on two different nights two weeks apart.
| Kojagari Lakshmi Puja | Diwali Lakshmi Puja | |
| Tithi | Ashwin Purnima (full moon) | Kartik Amavasya (new moon) |
| 2026 date | Sunday, October 25 | Sunday, November 8 |
| Moon | Full, shining all night | Absent, the darkest night |
| Core practice | Night vigil, kheer under the moon, Lakshmir Panchali | Lamps and rangoli, with the puja most commonly done in the evening |
| Where it leads | Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Mithila, Nepal | North, West and Central India |
| In Bengal on that night | Lakshmi Puja at home | Kali Puja is the main worship |
The order in Bengal’s autumn runs: Durga Puja, Bijoya Dashami (October 21), Kojagari Lakshmi Puja (October 25), then Dhanteras (November 6) and Kali Puja with Diwali (November 8).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I perform Kojagari Lakshmi Puja on Monday, October 26?
The puja belongs to Sunday’s Purnima night. Monday morning is for the Purnima holy bath, charity and Valmiki Jayanti, and Purnima ends at 9:41 AM that day.
Do I have to stay awake all night?
The vigil is the heart of Kojagari, and tradition reads “awake” as wakefulness in devotion. Families keep it until at least the Nishita window with the Lakshmir Panchali, bhajans and stories. The tradition asks for presence and promises no particular outcome for staying up.
Can I do the puja at home without a priest?
Yes. Kojagari Lakshmi Puja is a domestic worship, and families perform the simple vidhi above themselves. Many also invite a priest for the evening puja.
What if I miss the Nishita window?
Nishita is the window for the midnight vigil. The evening pradosh puja is the standard form in many Bengali homes, and the tithi stays in force until 9:41 AM on Monday. The panjika window cited above runs until 3:37 AM.
Which night should NRIs follow?
In the UK, the Gulf, Singapore and Australia, the night is Sunday, October 25. On the US West Coast, Drik Panchang places Purnima from 11:25 PM on Saturday, October 24 to 9:11 PM on Sunday, October 25 (PDT), so the Kojagara night there is Saturday, October 24. Follow your local temple’s calendar and a panchang set to your city.
Is October 25 a holiday in West Bengal?
Lakshmi Puja is listed on October 25, which is a Sunday, and the state’s 2026 holiday notification adds Monday, October 26 as an extra holiday.
Should I taste the kheer before offering it?
By custom, no. The kheer is offered first at the shrine and shared as prasad afterward.
Final Thoughts
If this guide made you curious about how tithis, nakshatras and the panchang work, the Professional Vedic Astrology course at Academy of Vedic Vidya is the structured way to learn the whole system, step by step, with the guidance of an experienced instructor.
