Festival · 2026
Kali Puja 2026 — Sunday, 8 November 2026
Kali Puja is the new-moon night of Kartika when Bengal, Assam and Odisha worship the Mother as Kali, while much of India worships Lakshmi.
In 2026
Sunday, 8 November 2026
- Tithi
- Amavasya: 8 Nov, 11:28 AM – 9 Nov, 12:32 PM
- Lunar month
- Kartika (purnimanta) / Ashvin (amanta)
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:38 AM / 5:31 PM
| Puja muhurat | 11:38 PM – 9 Nov, 12:31 AM |
|---|---|
| Nishita kaal | 11:38 PM – 9 Nov, 12:31 AM |
Rule: Kartika Amavasya (Ashvin in the amanta reckoning) prevailing at nishita, the midnight muhurta of the worship; if on both days, the first.
In 2027
Thursday, 28 October 2027
- Tithi
- Amavasya: 28 Oct, 8:48 PM – 29 Oct, 7:06 PM
- Lunar month
- Kartika (purnimanta) / Ashvin (amanta)
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:29 AM / 5:39 PM
| Puja muhurat | 11:39 PM – 29 Oct, 12:30 AM |
|---|---|
| Nishita kaal | 11:39 PM – 29 Oct, 12:30 AM |
Rule: Kartika Amavasya (Ashvin in the amanta reckoning) prevailing at nishita, the midnight muhurta of the worship; if on both days, the first.
Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar
What is Kali Puja?
Kali Puja, also called Shyama Puja, is the worship of the goddess Kali on the Amavasya, the new moon, of the month in which Diwali falls. In Bengal, Assam, Tripura and Odisha it is the great festival of this night. Lakshmi is worshipped in Bengali homes some weeks earlier, on the full moon after Durga Puja, so on Diwali night the Bengali household turns to Kali, and the whole region is lit with lamps and candles as it is elsewhere in India.
Kali is one of the most loved forms of the Mother in eastern India. In the Devi Mahatmya she appears from the brow of the goddess in battle, and she is pictured dark as the night sky, with loosened hair and a garland, standing on the calm, reclining Shiva. Devotees read these images as a mother who removes ignorance and ego, not as a figure of dread. Shyama, the dark one, is the name the Bengali songs of Ramprasad Sen and Kamalakanta use for her, and those songs, full of tenderness, are still sung through the night.
The worship is held at night, and the main puja is at nishita, the midnight hour. Neighbourhood committees in Kolkata and other towns set up pandals with clay images, much as they do for Durga Puja, and some famous temples such as Kalighat in Kolkata and Dakshineswar on the Hooghly, where Sri Ramakrishna served the goddess as Bhavatarini, draw very large crowds. Many families also keep a small puja at home with a picture or a simple image.
Kali Puja follows Bhoot Chaturdashi, the night before, when fourteen lamps are lit for the ancestors. On the night itself the offerings are simple and seasonal: red hibiscus flowers, lamps, sweets, rice, lentils and fish in many Bengali homes, as family custom allows. In some towns the festival goes on for days, with the images later taken for immersion in a river or pond.
How it is observed
- Homes, balconies and rooftops are lit with rows of earthen lamps and candles from dusk.
- Neighbourhood pandals are set up with clay images of Kali, and families visit several of them through the night.
- The main worship is at the midnight hour, with red hibiscus flowers, lamps, incense and bhog.
- Devotional songs to Shyama, many by Ramprasad Sen, are sung during the long night of worship.
- Many devotees fast through the day and eat only after the night puja is complete.
- The clay images are taken in procession for immersion a day or more later.
How the date is fixed
Kali Puja is on Kartika Amavasya in the north’s purnimanta reckoning, which is Ashvin Amavasya in amanta calendars such as the Bengali one; the night is the same. Because the worship belongs to midnight, the day is the one on which Amavasya is present at nishita, the midnight muhurta. If Amavasya covers the midnight of two nights, the first of them is taken. This is often the same night as Diwali, but not always: when Amavasya begins late in the evening, Kali Puja can fall on the night before the Diwali that other calendars show.
Where practice differs
West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Odisha and Bangladesh keep Kali Puja as the main festival of this new moon; in most of the north and west the same night is Lakshmi Puja. Bengali almanacs, such as those following the Vishuddha Siddhanta and the older Gupta Press reckoning, can differ from each other by a few minutes in the Amavasya times, and occasionally by a day. In Tripura the night is linked with the Diwali fair at the Tripura Sundari temple in Udaipur. In Mithila and parts of Bihar Kali Puja is also widely kept. In Odisha many families light bundles of jute sticks on this night and call to their ancestors to show them the way, alongside the worship of Kali. Temples follow their own traditions for the offerings.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
Is Kali Puja on the same day as Diwali?
Usually, since both are kept on the Amavasya of Kartika. Kali Puja looks for Amavasya at midnight and Lakshmi Puja for Amavasya in the evening, so in some years they fall on consecutive nights. The dates for your place are shown above.
What is the difference between Kali Puja and Shyama Puja?
None; they are two names for the same worship. Shyama, the dark one, is a loving name for Kali used especially in Bengal.
Why do Bengalis worship Kali instead of Lakshmi on Diwali?
In Bengal, Lakshmi is worshipped on Kojagari Purnima, the full moon a few days after Durga Puja. The new moon of Kartika has long been dedicated there to Kali.
What time is Kali Puja performed?
The main puja is at nishita, the midnight muhurta, while Amavasya is present. Home pujas may begin earlier in the night and continue to dawn.