Festival · 2026
Sharad Purnima 2026 — Sunday, 25 October 2026
Sharad Purnima is the full moon of Ashvin, the brightest night of the autumn, when kheer is left in the moonlight, Lakshmi is worshipped through the night and the Raas of Krishna is remembered.
In 2026
Sunday, 25 October 2026
- Tithi
- Purnima: 25 Oct, 11:56 AM – 26 Oct, 9:41 AM
- Lunar month
- Ashvin
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:28 AM / 5:41 PM
- Moonrise
- 4:56 PM
| Puja muhurat | 11:39 PM – 26 Oct, 12:30 AM |
|---|---|
| Nishita kaal | 11:39 PM – 26 Oct, 12:30 AM |
Rule: Ashvin Purnima prevailing at nishita, the midnight muhurta (the Kojagiri night); if on both nights, the first.
In 2027
Thursday, 14 October 2027
- Tithi
- Purnima: 14 Oct, 6:49 PM – 15 Oct, 7:16 PM
- Lunar month
- Ashvin
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:21 AM / 5:53 PM
- Moonrise
- 4:57 PM
| Puja muhurat | 11:42 PM – 15 Oct, 12:32 AM |
|---|---|
| Nishita kaal | 11:42 PM – 15 Oct, 12:32 AM |
Rule: Ashvin Purnima prevailing at nishita, the midnight muhurta (the Kojagiri night); if on both nights, 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
Sharad Purnima, 25 Oct 2026: moonrise by city
Each city's own moonrise (IST) from our engine: the moon's upper edge on the true horizon, with standard refraction and lunar parallax. Seeing it over rooftops or hills can take a few minutes more.
| City | Moonrise | vs Delhi | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| AhmedabadGujarat | 5:21 PM | 26 min later | 6:06 PM |
| AmritsarPunjab | 5:02 PM | 6 min later | 5:48 PM |
| BengaluruKarnataka | 5:11 PM | 15 min later | 5:55 PM |
| BhopalMadhya Pradesh | 5:01 PM | 6 min later | 5:46 PM |
| Chandigarh | 4:55 PM | 1 min earlier | 5:41 PM |
| ChennaiTamil Nadu | 5:00 PM | 4 min later | 5:44 PM |
| DehradunUttarakhand | 4:50 PM | 5 min earlier | 5:36 PM |
| Delhi | 4:56 PM | same as Delhi | 5:41 PM |
| GuwahatiAssam | 3:59 PM | 57 min earlier | 4:46 PM |
| HyderabadTelangana | 5:03 PM | 7 min later | 5:48 PM |
| IndoreMadhya Pradesh | 5:08 PM | 13 min later | 5:53 PM |
| JaipurRajasthan | 5:04 PM | 8 min later | 5:49 PM |
| JammuJammu and Kashmir | 5:00 PM | 5 min later | 5:46 PM |
| KanpurUttar Pradesh | 4:45 PM | 10 min earlier | 5:31 PM |
| KolkataWest Bengal | 4:17 PM | 39 min earlier | 5:03 PM |
| LucknowUttar Pradesh | 4:43 PM | 13 min earlier | 5:29 PM |
| LudhianaPunjab | 4:58 PM | 3 min later | 5:44 PM |
| MumbaiMaharashtra | 5:24 PM | 29 min later | 6:09 PM |
| NagpurMaharashtra | 4:56 PM | 1 min later | 5:42 PM |
| PatnaBihar | 4:27 PM | 29 min earlier | 5:13 PM |
| PrayagrajUttar Pradesh | 4:40 PM | 15 min earlier | 5:26 PM |
| PuneMaharashtra | 5:21 PM | 25 min later | 6:05 PM |
| RanchiJharkhand | 4:28 PM | 27 min earlier | 5:15 PM |
| SuratGujarat | 5:22 PM | 27 min later | 6:07 PM |
| VaranasiUttar Pradesh | 4:36 PM | 20 min earlier | 5:22 PM |
Another city, and the next 7 days: moonrise today in every city.
What is Sharad Purnima?
Sharad Purnima is the full moon that closes the bright half of Ashvin, a few days after Dussehra. After the monsoon the sky is clear and the air dry, and the autumn moon is at its most luminous. Tradition says that on this one night of the year the moon shines with all sixteen of its kalas, its phases or qualities, and that its light carries a special nourishing quality. It is also called Kaumudi Purnima, the full moon of moonlight, and Raas Purnima.
The best-known custom of the night is kheer. Rice cooked in milk with sugar is set out in the open, under the moonlight, and eaten the next morning or late at night as prasad, in the belief that the moonlight blesses it. Many families stay up late on the terrace or in the courtyard, enjoying the moon together, and some keep a fast through the day.
In Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Mithila the night is Kojagari Lakshmi Puja. The name comes from the question ko jagarti, who is awake? The story says that on this night Lakshmi goes from house to house asking it, and blesses those she finds awake and waiting for her. So homes are cleaned, alpona or aripan is drawn on the floor, lamps are lit, and the Goddess is worshipped at midnight, with the family keeping awake through the night.
In Braj and in Krishna devotion, this is the night of the Maharaas. The Bhagavata Purana describes how, on an autumn full moon, Krishna played his flute on the banks of the Yamuna and the gopis left everything to dance with him in the moonlight. Temples in Vrindavan and elsewhere keep the night with Raas Leela performances and special darshan in white. In many calendars the same full moon is also Valmiki Jayanti, the birthday of the poet of the Ramayana.
How it is observed
- Many keep a fast through the day and worship the moon in the evening with an arghya of water or milk.
- Kheer is made in the evening and set out under the open sky, often covered with a thin cloth, and eaten as prasad late at night or the next morning.
- For Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, homes are cleaned, the floor is decorated with alpona or aripan, and Lakshmi is worshipped at midnight with lamps, flowers and sweets.
- Families keep awake through the night, singing, talking and sharing food, in keeping with the question ko jagarti.
- In Krishna temples, especially in Braj, the Raas Leela is performed and the deities are dressed in white for the moonlit night.
- In many homes the month-long Kartik bath and lamp-offering begins from this full moon.
How the date is fixed
Sharad Purnima is kept on Ashvin Purnima, on the night the Purnima prevails at nishita, the midnight muhurta — the rule the texts give for the Kojagari (Kojagiri) vigil, when Lakshmi is said to ask who is awake. If the Purnima is present at nishita on both nights, we take the first. The kheer is set out in the moonlight of that night; the moonrise time above, and the city table, show when the moon comes up. In most years this is also the day Purnima is current at moonrise; when the two tests part, almanacs that follow moonrise can show the day before.
Where practice differs
In the north and in Braj the night is Sharad Purnima, with kheer, moon worship and the Raas. In Bengal, Assam and Tripura it is Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, the chief Lakshmi worship of the Bengali year. In Odisha it is Kumar Purnima, when unmarried girls worship Kumar, that is Kartikeya, and the moon, and play games through the evening. In Mithila, Kojagara is a special day for newly married young men, when the bride’s family sends gifts and makhana and betel are shared. In Gujarat, Sharad Poonam is celebrated with garba late into the night and doodh-pauva eaten under the moon. As this is the full moon of the bright half, it is Ashvin Purnima in both amanta and purnimanta calendars.
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
Why is kheer kept in the moonlight on Sharad Purnima?
Tradition holds that on this night the moon is full in all sixteen kalas and its light has a nourishing quality. The kheer is set out to receive it and then eaten as prasad.
What does Kojagari mean?
It comes from ko jagarti, who is awake? The story says Lakshmi asks this as she goes from house to house on this night, blessing those who are awake for her.
Is Kojagari Lakshmi Puja always on the same day as Sharad Purnima?
Usually, but not always. Kojagari needs the Purnima at midnight, while Sharad Purnima is taken at moonrise, so in some years the two fall on different days.
Is Valmiki Jayanti on Sharad Purnima?
In many calendars, yes. Valmiki Jayanti is kept on Ashvin Purnima, so it usually coincides with Sharad Purnima.