Sharad Purnima 2026 falls on Sunday 25 October—the Ashwin Shukla Purnima night associated with Kojagiri / Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, moonlit kheer, and regional names from Kaumudi to Raas Purnima. This ADVANCE Culture guide locks the festival date, Delhi-area tithi and Nishita window, and signature customs roughly three weeks before the spike—deepening Festival guides India beside Navratri, Dussehra, and Diwali hubs without twinning those pages.
Date, tithi, and headline facts
Item — Detail
Festival — Sharad Purnima / Kojagiri Purnima
Observance night — Sunday 25 October 2026
Hindu month — Ashwin, Shukla Paksha Purnima
Purnima begins — ~11:55 am, 25 Oct (New Delhi–style listings)
Purnima ends — ~9:41 am, 26 Oct
Kojagari Nishita — ~11:39 pm–12:30 am (New Delhi calculations)
Main worship — Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu, Chandra
Some calendars also print 26 October because the tithi continues past sunrise. Night rites—vigil, kheer under moonlight, Kojagara Lakshmi—belong to Sunday night, when Purnima holds midnight across Indian cities. Always confirm your city’s panchang for moonrise and exact muhurat.
What is Kojagiri / Kojagari?
“Kojagiri” is linked to the traditional question “Who is awake?”—the belief that Lakshmi moves through the world on this night and blesses those who stay awake in devotion. In Bengal and Odisha the night is a major Kojagari Lakshmi Puja; in Maharashtra Kojagiri often features masala doodh cooled under the moon; in Braj / Vaishnava traditions the same full moon is celebrated as Raas Purnima.
Kheer under moonlight
The best-known household custom is preparing kheer (or masala milk) and leaving it where moonlight can fall overnight, then taking it as prasad. Treat this as a religious tradition—not a medical claim. Families differ on vessels, timing, and whether a day-long vrat accompanies the night puja.
People also ask: is Sharad Purnima the same as Diwali?
No. Sharad Purnima is the Ashwin full-moon festival (25 Oct 2026). Diwali / Lakshmi Puja in the five-day sequence is later in the calendar (our live Diwali hub locks 8 November 2026). Both involve Lakshmi devotion in many homes, but they are different spikes with different dates and rituals.
Why ADVANCE now (spike ~25 October)
Searches for “Sharad Purnima 2026,” “Kojagiri Purnima date,” and “Sharad Purnima kheer” rise through mid-to-late October as families plan the vigil. A sourced date–tithi–Nishita explainer ranks ahead of thin calendars that only list “full moon Sunday.”
Related Sunday Profile festival guides
Deepen Festival guides India with our live Navratri 2026 Dates Guide (https://www.thesundayprofile.com/navratri-2026-dates-guide) and Diwali 2026 Date Guide (https://www.thesundayprofile.com/diwali-2026-date-guide)—autumn festival hubs without twinning this Sharad Purnima primary keyword.
Sources and caveats
Sunday 25 Oct observance, tithi window, and Delhi Nishita band: Economic Times October 2026 Purnima explainers (updated late September 2026). Regional names and kheer / vigil customs: standard festival reporting and regional panchang practice. City-level moonrise and muhurat can differ—recheck a trusted local panchang in the week of 25 October.