Sharad Purnima 2026: Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, Moonrise, Kheer and Valmiki Jayanti
Sharad Purnima 2026 is the night of Sunday, 25 October. The full moon rises at 5:00 PM in Delhi, and the Kojagari Lakshmi Puja is done at nishita, the middle of the night, from 11:39 PM to 12:31 AM. Valmiki Jayanti falls the next day, Monday, 26 October.
संक्षेप में: शरद पूर्णिमा 2026 की रात रविवार, 25 अक्टूबर है। पूर्ण चंद्रमा दिल्ली में शाम 5:00 बजे उदित होगा, और कोजागरी लक्ष्मी पूजा निशीथ काल में, रात 11:39 से 12:31 तक होती है। पूर्णिमा तिथि 25 अक्टूबर को 11:57 से 26 अक्टूबर को सुबह 9:42 तक है। खीर को चाँदनी में रखना, रात्रि जागरण और लक्ष्मी पूजा — सब रविवार की रात के हैं। वाल्मीकि जयंती अगले दिन, सोमवार, 26 अक्टूबर को है। पूरा लेख हिंदी में पढ़ें →
Sharad Purnima 2026: date and moonrise
- Sharad Purnima / Kojagari night: Sunday, 25 October 2026
- Purnima tithi: 11:57 AM on 25 October to 9:42 AM on 26 October
- Moonrise (Delhi): 5:00 PM on 25 October
- Kojagari puja, nishita (Delhi): 11:39 PM to 12:31 AM
- Valmiki Jayanti: Monday, 26 October
Why Sunday 25 October, and why some calendars print the 26th
The Purnima tithi begins at 11:57 AM on the 25th and ends at 9:42 AM on the 26th. Sharad Purnima is a night observance: the moon must be full when it rises and through the middle of the night, and that is true only on the 25th. Calendars that print Monday, 26 October are naming the Purnima day, because the tithi still holds sunrise on the 26th. That is the day for a morning bath and charity, and for Valmiki Jayanti. The kheer, the vigil and the Lakshmi puja all belong to Sunday night.
Kojagari Lakshmi Puja at nishita
Ko jagarti? — “who is awake?” — is the question Lakshmi is said to ask as she moves across the earth on this night, blessing the homes where people keep vigil. In Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Mithila the night is kept as Kojagari Lakshmi Puja: the house is cleaned, alpana is drawn at the door, and Lakshmi is worshipped at nishita, the eighth muhurta of the night, 11:39 PM to 12:31 AM in Delhi. Families sing the Lakshmi aarti, recite the Sri Suktam or the Kanakdhara Stotram, and stay awake with games and stories.
Kheer under the moonlight
Sharad Purnima is the one night of the year when the moon is said to shine with all sixteen of its kalas. Across North India, a bowl of kheer made with rice, milk and sugar is left in the open moonlight, covered with a thin cloth, and eaten the next morning as prasad. Set it out after moonrise, 5:00 PM in Delhi, and bring it in before dawn. In Maharashtra and Gujarat the same night is Kojagiri, celebrated with spiced milk shared under the moon.
Sharad Purnima vrat and puja vidhi
Many people keep a fast through the day and break it after the evening worship. Bathe in the morning and resolve the vrat. In the evening, worship Lakshmi and Vishnu with flowers, rice, a ghee lamp and white sweets. When the moon has risen, offer it arghya of water and milk, and place the kheer in the moonlight. In Braj the night is remembered as the night of Krishna’s raas with the gopis, and temples hold raas lila. A general Lakshmi puja vidhi is on our blog.
Valmiki Jayanti: Monday 26 October
Maharishi Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana, is remembered on Ashwin Purnima. Because the Purnima tithi holds sunrise on Monday, 26 October, most calendars, including the government listing, keep Valmiki Jayanti on the 26th: readings from the Ramayana, processions and worship at Valmiki temples.
Kartik snan begins
For many families, Sharad Purnima also opens the Kartik snan: a dawn bath every day of the Kartik month, which in the North Indian reckoning runs from the next day until Kartik Purnima on 24 November. Karwa Chauth follows four days later; see Karwa Chauth 2026 for the moonrise time in your city.
Sharad Purnima 2026: FAQs
When is Sharad Purnima in 2026?
On the night of Sunday, 25 October 2026. The Purnima tithi runs from 11:57 AM on the 25th to 9:42 AM on the 26th.
What time does the moon rise on Sharad Purnima 2026?
At 5:00 PM in Delhi on 25 October. Other cities differ by a few minutes; check your town on our Panchang.
What is the Kojagari Lakshmi Puja time in 2026?
At nishita on the night of 25 October: 11:39 PM to 12:31 AM in Delhi.
Why do some calendars say 26 October?
Because the Purnima tithi still holds sunrise on the 26th, so that is the Purnima day for bathing, charity and Valmiki Jayanti. The night rituals, the kheer and the Lakshmi puja are on the 25th.
When should the kheer be kept in the moonlight?
After moonrise on the 25th, covered with a thin cloth, and taken in before dawn to be eaten as prasad the next morning.
If you would like a Lakshmi puja performed in your name this season, see our Kanak Dhara Yagya Puja. To see what your own chart says about wealth and the months ahead, start with your free kundli or talk to an astrologer.
