Kali Puja 2026: Date, Nishita Puja Time in Kolkata and Delhi, Vidhi and Significance

Kali Puja 2026 is on Sunday, 8 November, the same night as Diwali. In Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Tripura, where the night belongs to Goddess Kali rather than Lakshmi, the main worship happens at nishita, the midnight muhurta: 10:54 PM to 11:46 PM in Kolkata, and 11:38 PM to 12:31 AM in Delhi.

संक्षेप में: काली पूजा 2026 रविवार, 8 नवम्बर को है, दीवाली की ही रात। कार्तिक अमावस्या 8 नवम्बर सुबह 11:29 से 9 नवम्बर दोपहर 12:32 तक है, इसलिए निशीथ काल अमावस्या में पड़ता है। कोलकाता में निशीथ पूजा रात 10:54 से 11:46 तक और दिल्ली में रात 11:38 से 12:31 तक है। लेख में घर पर पूजा की विधि, मंत्र और काली चौदस से इसका अंतर दिया गया है। पूरा लेख हिंदी में पढ़ें →

Kali Puja 2026: date and timings

• Kali Puja (Shyama Puja): Sunday, 8 November 2026
• Kartik Amavasya begins: 8 November, 11:29 AM
• Amavasya ends: 9 November, 12:32 PM
• Nishita puja, Kolkata: 10:54 PM to 11:46 PM (sunset 4:56 PM)
• Nishita puja, Delhi: 11:38 PM to 12:31 AM (night of 8 to 9 November)

Nishita is the 8th of the 15 muhurtas of the night, the one that straddles local midnight, so its clock time moves with your longitude: it falls about 45 minutes later in Delhi than in Kolkata. For your own city, check the panchang.

Why Kali Puja is on 8 November

Kali Puja follows a different rule from Diwali. Lakshmi Puja is done in the evening (pradosh) of Kartik Amavasya. Kali Puja is done on the night when the Amavasya holds midnight. In 2026 the Amavasya begins at 11:29 AM on 8 November and lasts until 12:32 PM the next day, so it covers both the evening and the midnight of the 8th. Both festivals therefore fall on the same night. In some years the Amavasya reaches midnight only on the night before, and Kali Puja is then celebrated a day ahead of Diwali.

Kali Puja is also different from Kali Chaudas, observed in Gujarat and Maharashtra on the Chaturdashi night before, which in 2026 is Saturday, 7 November. Our Diwali 2026 guide gives every day of the festival week.

Kali Puja vidhi at home

The puja is done after dark and reaches its height at nishita. A simple household order:

1. Prepare the altar in the evening: an image of Dakshina Kali on a red or black cloth, a lamp of mustard oil, red hibiscus (jaba) flowers, incense, sweets, fruit and the bhog of your family tradition.
2. Sankalp: take water in your right hand, state your name, gotra and the wish for the household, and release the water.
3. Worship: offer the hibiscus flowers (108 is traditional), red sindoor, the lamp and the bhog, and recite a Kali mantra such as Om Kreem Kalikayai Namah.
4. At nishita: the principal offering and the recitation of the Kalikashtakam or another Kali stotra, followed by the Mahakali aarti.
5. Close with prayers for protection of the family and share the prasad.

Many households and community pujas offer a symbolic bali of pumpkin, sugarcane or cucumber. The meanings of the Kali bija mantras are explained in Devi Kali mantras.

The significance of Kali Puja

Kali is the fierce form of the Divine Mother who destroys ignorance and fear. On the darkest night of Kartik she is worshipped as Shyama, the dark one, and the lamps lit across Bengal that night are for her. Devotees pray for protection, for the removal of obstacles and for the courage to face what frightens them. In Kolkata the night is celebrated at Kalighat and Dakshineswar and in thousands of community pandals.

Kali Puja 2026: FAQs

When is Kali Puja in 2026?
On Sunday, 8 November 2026, the night when Kartik Amavasya holds midnight. It is the same night as Diwali this year.

What is the nishita puja time for Kali Puja 2026?
In Kolkata, 10:54 PM to 11:46 PM on 8 November. In Delhi, 11:38 PM to 12:31 AM. Nishita is the midnight muhurta, so it shifts with your longitude.

Are Kali Puja and Diwali on the same day in 2026?
Yes. Diwali needs the Amavasya at pradosh (evening) and Kali Puja needs it at midnight. The Amavasya of 8 November covers both, so both are on the night of Sunday, 8 November.

Is Kali Puja the same as Kali Chaudas?
No. Kali Chaudas is observed on the Chaturdashi night before Amavasya, mainly in Gujarat and Maharashtra; in 2026 that is Saturday, 7 November. Kali Puja is the Amavasya night, Sunday, 8 November.

Can Kali Puja be done at home?
Yes. A simple puja with a lamp, red hibiscus flowers, bhog and a Kali mantra at nishita is traditional in many homes. Elaborate tantric worship is best left to a priest who knows the tradition.

For a personal reading of the night, begin with your free kundli or talk to an astrologer.