There is one full moon every year that my grandmother never let us sleep through. She would set a steel bowl of kheer on the terrace, cover it with a thin cotton cloth, and tell us the moon was going to “cook it a second time” before morning. As children we laughed. As adults, most of us still do it.

That night is Sharad Purnima. In 2026 it falls on Sunday, 25 October, and if you are reading this on the day itself, you still have time to prepare.

Below you will find the exact date and muhurat for Delhi NCR, why some calendars show 26 October, the kheer ritual done properly (including the food-safety part nobody mentions), the Kojagari Lakshmi Puja vidhi, and a few simple Vastu steps that make the night more meaningful at home.

Sharad Purnima 2026 Date and Time at a Glance

Timings for Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad will differ from Delhi by only a minute or two. If you live outside India, check a local panchang, because in North America the observance falls on the night of 24 October.

Is Sharad Purnima on 25 or 26 October 2026?

This is the most searched question every year, and the confusion is understandable.

The Purnima tithi starts at 11:55 AM on 25 October and runs until 9:41 AM on 26 October. Sharad Purnima is a night festival. Its core rituals, Lakshmi puja, the moonlit kheer and the all-night jagran, need the Purnima tithi to be present at moonrise and at midnight (Nishita Kaal). That only happens on the night of 25 October.

So the vrat, puja and kheer belong to Sunday night. Some calendars print 26 October because that is the day the tithi ends, and the holy bath (snan) and charity (daan) can be done that morning. Both dates are “right”; they simply refer to different parts of the observance.

What Is Sharad Purnima?

Sharad Purnima is the full moon of the Hindu month of Ashwin, the first full moon of Sharad Ritu, or autumn. The monsoon has just left, the dust has settled, and the sky is at its clearest. The moon on this night looks unusually bright and close, and tradition says it is the only full moon of the year when Chandra shines with all sixteen kalas (phases of completeness).

The festival goes by many names, and each one reveals a different side of it:

• Kojagari or Kojagara Purnima – Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Mithila, where Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped at midnight.
• Raas Purnima – Braj, Vrindavan and Mathura, remembering Shri Krishna’s Maha-Raas with the gopis.
• Kumar Purnima – Odisha, where young girls pray to Kartikeya (Kumar) and the moon.
• Kojagiri Purnima – Maharashtra, with saffron-cardamom masala milk and family gatherings.
• Sharad Poonam – Gujarat, the last big night of garba, celebrated with doodh-pauva.
• Kaumudi Mahotsav – the old Sanskrit name, “festival of moonlight”.

Ashwin Purnima is also observed as Valmiki Jayanti, the birth anniversary of the author of the Ramayana, and in many North Indian homes the month-long Kartik snan begins from this day.

Why Is It Called Kojagari? The Story of “Ko Jagarti”

The word comes from the Sanskrit question “Ko jagarti?”, which means “Who is awake?”

According to the Kojagara vrat katha, Goddess Lakshmi travels across the earth on this night and asks this question at every door. Homes where people are awake, the lamps are burning and her name is being remembered receive her blessing of wealth. Homes asleep in darkness, the story goes, are passed by.

That is why families stay up, play games, sing bhajans and keep a diya lit until well past midnight. The jagran is not a punishment; it is an invitation.

The Kheer Ritual: Meaning and the Right Way to Do It

The best-known Sharad Purnima custom is leaving kheer under the moonlight and eating it the next morning as prasad. Belief holds that the moon’s rays carry amrit (nectar) on this night, and milk and rice, both ruled by the Moon in Jyotish, absorb it.

There is also an Ayurvedic logic. Sharad Ritu is the season when pitta (body heat) tends to flare after the humid monsoon. Classical texts recommend cooling, sweet foods during this period, and milk-rice cooled in the open night air is exactly that.

How to do it:

1. Make kheer with full-cream milk, rice, sugar or mishri, and a little cardamom. Some families add saffron and dry fruits.
2. Pour it into a silver, glass or steel bowl. Silver is traditional because it is linked to the Moon.
3. Offer it first to Lakshmi and Chandra during your evening puja.
4. Place it on the terrace, balcony or an open window ledge where moonlight falls directly, any time after moonrise (around 4:55 PM in Delhi). Most people keep it out at least through Nishita Kaal, till around 12:30 AM.
5. Cover it with a thin muslin or cotton cloth. Light should pass through; insects and dust should not.
6. In the morning, offer a small portion to God, then share it with family as prasad.

A practical note: late-October nights in Delhi NCR are cool, so kheer kept outside overnight usually stays fine. In warmer cities, or if your kheer has been out for many hours, bring it inside and refrigerate after midnight. Tradition is about the moonlight, not about risking an upset stomach.

Kojagari Lakshmi Puja Vidhi at Home

You do not need a priest for a simple and sincere puja.

In the morning or during the day

• Bathe, wear clean clothes, and take a sankalp for the Purnima vrat if you are fasting. Many people keep a phalahar fast and break it after the night puja or the next morning.
• Clean the house thoroughly, especially the puja area and the main entrance.

In the evening

• Light a diya at the main door at sunset, and keep it burning through the night.
• Make a small alpana or rangoli. In Bengal, women draw tiny white footprints leading inside, Lakshmi’s steps entering the home.
• Place an idol or picture of Lakshmi on a red or pink cloth, with a kalash of water, rice, a coin, lotus or red flowers, kumkum and haldi.

At night (Nishita Kaal, 11:40 PM – 12:31 AM)

• Offer flowers, incense, a ghee lamp, kheer, coconut and seasonal fruit.
• Chant Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah 108 times, or recite the Shri Sukta.
• Read or listen to the Kojagara vrat katha.
• Offer arghya (water with a little milk and rice) to the moon and say Om Som Somaya Namah.
• Do aarti, and stay awake for as long as you comfortably can.

Next morning (26 October)

• Take a bath before 9:41 AM, ideally adding a few drops of Ganga jal to the water.
• Donate rice, milk, white clothes, sugar or silver according to your capacity. White items are associated with the Moon.

Vastu Tips for Sharad Purnima Night

A festival dedicated to Lakshmi is also a good moment to look at the energy of your home. These are simple, traditional suggestions, and none of them needs any renovation.

• Clean the North and Northeast. North is the zone of Kuber and the flow of money; Northeast (Ishaan) is the most sacred direction. Remove shoes, dustbins and clutter from these areas before the puja.
• Set up the puja in the Northeast, or failing that the North or East, with the devotee facing east or north.
• Keep the kheer in an open spot towards the East or Northeast of your terrace or balcony, where the moonlight is unobstructed.
• Light the main entrance generously. Lakshmi is said to enter through the main door; a dark, cluttered entrance sends the opposite message. Fix any fused bulb here before evening.
• Fill a silver or brass kalash with water and keep it in the North during the night. Water is the element of the North zone and is associated with flow and opportunities.
• Avoid heavy arguments, loud noise and broken items at home. Small things, like a stopped clock or a cracked mirror, are worth putting away before the puja.

What to Do and What to Avoid on Sharad Purnima

Do

• Spend at least a little time in the moonlight, ideally barefoot on the terrace or in a garden.
• Meditate on the moon for a few minutes; many people find it calms an anxious mind.
• Feed cows, birds or someone in need.
• Wear white or cream-coloured clothes.

Avoid

• Non-vegetarian food, alcohol and tamasic food on the day.
• Sleeping through the night if you are observing the Kojagari vrat.
• Lending money or giving away your own lakshmi (wealth) after sunset, as per popular belief.
• Speaking harshly to elders or women of the house.

Sharad Purnima Across India

In Vrindavan and Mathura, temples hold Raas Leela performances and the deities are dressed in white. The Banke Bihari temple is famous for its moonlit darshan on this night.

In West Bengal, Kojagari Lakshmi Puja comes just days after Durga Puja. Homes cook khichuri, labra and narkel naru, and the alpana designs are often more elaborate than for any other festival.

In Odisha, Kumar Purnima is a girls’ festival. Unmarried girls wake early, wear new clothes, play games and offer fruits to the moon at night.

In Maharashtra, Kojagiri is a social evening. Friends gather on rooftops, boil milk with saffron, almonds and cardamom, and drink it once the moon is high.

In Gujarat, Sharad Poonam brings the final burst of garba after Navratri, with doodh-pauva (milk and beaten rice) as the special treat.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Sharad Purnima in 2026? Sharad Purnima will be observed on Sunday, 25 October 2026. The Purnima tithi runs from 11:55 AM on 25 October to 9:41 AM on 26 October (IST).

What is the Kojagari Lakshmi Puja muhurat in 2026? The Nishita Kaal muhurat for New Delhi is 11:40 PM to 12:31 AM, on the night of 25 October.

What time is moonrise on Sharad Purnima 2026 in Delhi? The moon rises at about 4:55 PM on 25 October in New Delhi. Times in Noida, Gurugram and Faridabad are nearly the same.

When should kheer be placed in moonlight on Sharad Purnima? Any time after moonrise. Most families keep it out at least until Nishita Kaal ends around 12:30 AM, and eat it as prasad the following morning.

Why is kheer kept in moonlight on Sharad Purnima? Tradition holds that the moon shines with all sixteen kalas and its rays carry nectar on this night. Ayurveda also sees cooling milk-rice as ideal for balancing seasonal pitta in Sharad Ritu.

Can we fast on Sharad Purnima? Yes. The Purnima vrat and the Kojagara vrat are both observed on 25 October. Most people keep a fruit-and-milk fast and break it after the night puja or with the kheer prasad in the morning.

Is Sharad Purnima the same as Kojagari Purnima? Yes. It is the same Ashwin full moon. Kojagari is the name used in Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Bihar, where the emphasis is on Lakshmi puja and staying awake.

Which god is worshipped on Sharad Purnima? Goddess Lakshmi, Chandra Dev (the Moon) and Shri Krishna are the main deities. Many families also perform Satyanarayan Puja.

What should be donated on Sharad Purnima? White items connected with the Moon, such as rice, milk, sugar, white clothes, curd or silver, are considered the most fruitful.

When is Sharad Purnima in 2027? In 2027 Sharad Purnima is expected around 14 October. Check the panchang closer to the date for exact timings.

A Closing Thought

Sharad Purnima asks very little of us: a clean home, a lit lamp, a bowl of kheer and a few quiet hours under a bright sky. Yet it carries a beautiful idea, that abundance comes to those who stay awake to it.

So tonight, switch off the screens for a while, step out, and look up. The moon will be doing its part.

Note: Timings are for New Delhi as per Drik Panchang. Muhurat can vary slightly by city, so confirm with your local panchang or family priest.