Sharad Purnima 2026

October 25th, 2026

October 2026 LakshmiChandra

Sharad Purnima is the full moon that closes Ashwin and opens the festival corridor that runs to Diwali. It is the night the tradition calls the brightest of the year, and its best-known custom is domestic rather than temple-bound: a pot of kheer is set out under the open moon and eaten in the morning.

It is also the night of the Kojagara vigil — from ko jagarti, "who is awake?" — in which Lakshmi is said to pass over the world after midnight and to bless the household still keeping watch. Bengal and Odisha keep the same night as Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, Maharashtra as Kojagiri Purnima, and Braj as Raas Purnima, the night of Krishna's raas.

The one thing worth knowing before you look at a calendar: this festival has two halves that are fixed by two different clocks, which is why you will see two dates printed for it and why neither is a mistake.

Key facts

Dates: October 25th, 2026
Ruling deities: Lakshmi, Chandra
Fasting: phalahar — Kept by households observing the Kojagara vrat; the night vigil is the observance
Regional names: Sharad Purnima (north), Sharad Purnima (south), Kojagari Lakshmi Puja (east), Kojagiri Purnima (west)

How it is observed

The night half is fixed at nishita, the midnight muhurta: the kheer under the moon, the Kojagara vigil, and the Raas Purnima of Braj all belong to the night on which the Purnima is running at midnight.
The sunrise half is fixed at sunrise: the Purnima vrat, the Satyanarayan katha, and the first day of the month of Kartik snan belong to the morning on which the Purnima is running at dawn.
Kheer is set out in a wide vessel, uncovered or under a thin cloth, in genuine moonlight rather than on a covered balcony — the custom is about the moon reaching it. It is eaten the next morning as prasad.
The vigil is kept simply: a ghee lamp through the night, white flowers, the Lakshmi stotras or the Satyanarayan katha, and a household that stays awake. Where a full night is not possible, tradition is content with the part of it you can keep honestly.

Frequently asked questions

When is Sharad Purnima in 2026?

Sharad Purnima falls on October 25th, 2026 in 2026.

Why do calendars print two different days for Sharad Purnima?

Because the Purnima tithi does not begin at midnight or at dawn — it begins and ends at an astronomical instant, and in many years it holds one night's midnight and the next morning's sunrise. The night rites follow the midnight; the vrat and the Satyanarayan katha follow the sunrise. Two rules, two answers, one tithi, and both listings are right about their own half.

Does the kheer have to be left out all night?

The custom is that it stands in the moonlight, and households vary on how long. What the tradition asks for is real exposure to the moon rather than a token gesture; what common sense asks for is that food left out overnight in a warm climate be judged on its own merits before anyone eats it. Both can be satisfied.

Is the moon at its fullest on the night of the rite?

Not necessarily, and this surprises people who look up. The exact moment of the full moon can fall during the following day, which makes the next evening's moon look marginally rounder. The rite follows the tithi, not the eye — the same principle that decides every other date in this calendar.

Around it in the 2026 calendar

Before it: Navratri
Before it: Dussehra (Vijayadashami)
After it: Karva Chauth
After it: Ahoi Ashtami

Plan Sharad Purnima with Purohit Ji

Purohit Ji grounds the observance in your own city and Panchang — timings, vidhi, and what to prepare, answered for your home rather than in general.

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