🌕 Sharad Purnima (Kojagari) 2026
Ashwin Purnima — kheer left in the moonlight, Lakshmi puja and a night vigil; the moon of sixteen kalas is said to rain amrit.
Sharad Purnima is the full-moon day of Ashwin month — about five days after Dussehra and four days before Karwa Chauth. It is believed that on this night the moon is complete with all sixteen kalas and its rays shower amrit; so kheer is cooked and left in the moonlight all night, and eaten as prasad in the morning.
It is also called Kojagari Purnima — from 'ko jagarti?', 'who is awake?' — on this night Maa Lakshmi is said to roam the earth to see who stays awake remembering her, and to bless them with wealth. In Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Mithila this is the main day of Lakshmi Puja; in Gujarat it is the Sharad Poonam raas and in Braj the Raas Purnima.
Significance — why this vrat
Ayurveda regards the sharad season as pitta-dominant and this night's moonlight as cooling and medicinal — leaving milk-rice kheer in the moonlight is said to enhance its qualities. Hence the folk custom of giving this kheer to asthma patients.
It is a vrat for Lakshmi's grace — women fast on the Purnima, offer arghya to the moon at moonrise, worship Lakshmi at night and keep vigil; next morning they share the kheer as prasad and break the fast.
In Braj this is the night of Shri Krishna's Maharaas — on this very Purnima Krishna danced the raas with the gopis; hence also Raas Purnima.
Puja vidhi (step by step)
This is the household vidhi — a day's fast, arghya at moonrise, Lakshmi puja at night and kheer in the moonlight.
- Bathe in the morning and take the sankalp — 'I keep the Sharad Purnima vrat for Lakshmi's grace and the family's prosperity.' Take fruit during the day.
- In the evening clean the home temple or puja place; install an idol/picture of Lakshmi and of Krishna/Radha-Krishna on a red or yellow cloth.
- Cook kheer of milk, rice and sugar (with saffron, cardamom and dry fruits) — in a brass or silver vessel, without a lid, covered with a fine cloth or mesh.
- At moonrise (time above) offer arghya of water and milk to the moon from the terrace/courtyard and show the lamp; chant 'Om Som Somaya Namah' or the Chandra mantra.
- Place the kheer vessel on an open terrace or courtyard where direct moonlight falls; cover with mesh so insects and birds stay away. At least until midnight, traditionally the whole night.
- Lakshmi puja at night: lamp, flowers, lotus (if available), kheel-batasha, white sweets, perfume; recite Shri Sukta, Lakshmi Chalisa or chant 'Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah'. Keep doors and windows open and lamps lit.
- Vigil (jagran): bhajan-kirtan, katha, or at least stay awake till midnight remembering Lakshmi — the 'ko jagarti' tradition.
- In the morning (or after midnight) offer the moonlit kheer first to Lakshmi and the moon, then share it as prasad in the family and break the fast. Give it to the sick, children and elders too.
Puja samagri checklist
A clean metal vessel and a mesh cover for the kheer are the most important items.
- Kheer: milk (cow's milk is best), rice, sugar/mishri, saffron, cardamom, almonds-cashews-raisins, makhana
- Open brass/silver/steel vessel + fine cloth or mesh (to cover)
- Picture/idol of Lakshmi and Radha-Krishna, red-yellow cloth
- Ghee lamp, incense, camphor, agarbatti
- Flowers — lotus/rose, garland
- Kheel-batasha, white sweets (barfi/peda), fruit
- Roli, akshat, turmeric, mauli, sandalwood, perfume
- Copper/silver lota for the moon arghya, milk and water
- Shri Sukta / Lakshmi Chalisa book, aasan
- Paan, betel nut, cloves, cardamom, coconut
🛍 Puja samagri & yantras 🙏 Book a puja
Sunrise, moonrise, Rahu Kaal and Choghadiya with your city's exact timings — free.
Open panchang →Vrat katha (the story)
A merchant had two daughters. Both kept the Purnima vrat, but the elder with full vidhi and the younger half-heartedly, after eating. After marriage the younger daughter's children died soon after birth. The pandits told her this was the fruit of the incomplete vrat.
The younger sister then kept the Purnima vrat properly, but that time too her son became lifeless after birth. She laid the child on a wooden seat, covered him with a cloth, called her elder sister and asked her to sit on that seat. The moment the elder sister sat, the touch of her meritorious vrat made the child cry.
The elder sister said, 'You wanted to put the blame of a death on me?' The younger replied, 'No, sister — he was already dead; he has come alive by the merit of your vrat.' From then on the town kept the Sharad Purnima vrat with full vidhi — the story teaches that a vrat must be kept wholeheartedly and completely.
The other story is of Kojagari — on this night Maa Lakshmi descends to earth asking 'ko jagarti?' — whoever stays awake remembering her, in their home she stays. Hence the Kojagari Lakshmi Puja of Bengal and the Kojagara custom (at the home of a newly married groom) in Mithila.
Moonlight kheer — recipe and fasting food
Kheer is the prasad of this festival. Thicken the milk, add rice, sugar, saffron-cardamom and dry fruits; cool it and keep it in the moonlight in an open vessel covered with mesh. Do not use plastic or aluminium — brass, silver or steel is best.
- Fasting day: fruit, milk, sabudana khichdi or singhara halwa; rock salt
- Kheer (for 4): 1 litre milk, 50 g rice (soaked), 80-100 g sugar, 5-6 saffron strands, 4 cardamoms, 2 tbsp chopped dry fruits — 40 minutes on a low flame
- Bengal-Odisha: on Kojagari, prasad of chira (flattened rice), coconut, khoi-batasha, milk and makhana
- Braj: on Raas Purnima, bhog of makhan-mishri and kheer to Thakur ji
- Next morning give the kheer prasad to everyone — especially children and those with asthma/breathing trouble (folk belief)
Regional customs
One Purnima — here kheer and moonlight, there Lakshmi puja, elsewhere the raas.
A custom, tale, song or dish heard from your grandmother — 2-4 lines; after reading we add it on this page with your region's name (the phone is never shown — only to ask you back).
✅ Received — after reading we will add it on this page in 1-2 days. Thank you!Something went wrong — please try again.⏳ Sending…Do's and don'ts
✅ Do
- Keep the kheer in direct moonlight — no cloud or ledge over it; always with a mesh cover
- Offer arghya at moonrise, do the Lakshmi puja at night and stay awake for a while
- Lamps at the doors and windows — a sign of welcoming Lakshmi
- Share the kheer prasad with everyone in the morning, especially children and the sick
- Recite Shri Sukta or Lakshmi Chalisa
❌ Don't
- Do not keep the kheer in plastic/aluminium; never without a mesh (insects, birds)
- No quarrels or gambling at night (a custom in places, but no discord on the night of Lakshmi puja)
- Cutting hair and nails, meat and alcohol — traditionally avoided on Purnima
- Do not put very hot kheer in the moonlight — cool it first
- Diabetics should take only a little of the sugar kheer prasad
Frequently asked questions
When is Sharad Purnima in 2026?
The date at the top is this year's Ashwin Purnima — from panchang calculations; the Delhi moonrise time and the span of the Purnima tithi are shown too. If the Purnima tithi runs into the next day, keep the moonlight kheer on the night when the Purnima tithi is present at moonrise.
How long should the kheer stay in the moonlight?
From moonrise until at least midnight; traditionally the whole night, with prasad in the morning. Keep it covered with mesh.
Does the kheer really become medicine?
This is folk and Ayurvedic belief — the cool moonlight of sharad with milk and rice is considered pitta-pacifying. Take it as faith and tradition; treat any illness only with a doctor.
What is the difference between Sharad Purnima and Kojagari?
Both are the same tithi — Ashwin Purnima. North India stresses the kheer and the moon, while Bengal-Odisha-Mithila-Maharashtra call it 'Kojagari' and stress Lakshmi puja and the vigil.
How to break the Sharad Purnima fast?
Next morning offer the moonlit kheer to Lakshmi and the moon and break the fast with that prasad; if you kept vigil, the prasad may be taken after midnight too.
Enter your WhatsApp number — a day before every major vrat you get the date, muhurat and samagri checklist. Free; stop any time.
✅ Saved — you will get a message a day before the next vrat.Something went wrong — please try again.⏳ Saving…Also read: Karwa Chauth (4 days later) · Diwali — Lakshmi Puja · Vijayadashami · Purnima-Ekadashi list
⚠️ This description follows traditional vidhi and folk belief; your own family custom comes first. Take the health claims as faith, not as a substitute for medical care.
🌐 यह पन्ना हिन्दी में पढ़ें · ← All vrat & festivals · Full festival calendar