Sharad Purnima 2027शरद पूर्णिमा

When is Sharad Purnima?

Observed on Purnima of Ashvin. Dates follow the Panchang for New Delhi and can differ by a day in other places — check the Panchang for your city.

What Sharad Purnima means

Sharad Purnima, the full moon of Ashvin, is the brightest full moon of the year. Tradition says that on this night the moon shines with all sixteen kalas (digits) and that its rays carry amrita — so kheer of milk and rice is left in the moonlight and eaten as prasad the next morning, a custom linked with health at the change of seasons.

In Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Mithila it is Kojagari Purnima: Lakshmi is believed to roam the earth asking "Ko jagarti?" — "Who is awake?" — and to bless the homes where people keep vigil with devotion. Women draw alpana footprints of Lakshmi from the door to the shrine, and Lakshmi Puja is done at night.

In Vrindavan the night is remembered as that of Krishna's Maha Raas with the gopis, described in the Bhagavata Purana as the dance on an autumn full-moon night. It is also Valmiki Jayanti, the birth anniversary of the poet of the Ramayana, and Kumar Purnima in Odisha.

The story of Sharad Purnima

The Bhagavata Purana (book 10, chapters 29–33) tells that on a full-moon night of autumn, when the jasmine was in bloom and the moon rose red over the forest, Krishna played his flute. The gopis of Vrindavan left everything and came to him, and he danced the Raas with them, multiplying himself so that each gopi had him by her side — a picture of the soul's love for God.

A Kojagari story tells of a poor Brahmin family who, on this night, stayed awake in prayer while others slept. Lakshmi, passing through the village and asking "Who is awake?", found only them watching, and blessed their home with prosperity.

Sharad Purnima puja vidhi, step by step

How Sharad Purnima is usually kept, with the Kojagari Lakshmi Puja of the east.

What you need

• Milk, rice, sugar or jaggery, cardamom and dry fruits for the kheer
• A silver or steel vessel and a fine cloth to cover it
• An image of Lakshmi, lotus or white flowers, a ghee diya, incense
• Rice-paste for alpana (Lakshmi's footprints) in Bengal
• Water in a lota for the moon arghya

When to do the puja

In 2026 Sharad Purnima falls on the night of Sunday, 25 October; in 2027, on Friday, 15 October. Lakshmi Puja and the kheer are done after moonrise, at night (nishita for Kojagari). Check the Panchang for your city. See the Panchang for your city.

Steps

1. Prepare the kheer. Cook kheer with milk and rice in the evening.
2. Moon worship. At moonrise, offer water (arghya) to the moon, with flowers and akshat.
3. Kheer in the moonlight. Place the kheer in a covered vessel on the terrace or in an open place where moonlight falls on it.
4. Kojagari Lakshmi Puja. Draw Lakshmi's footprints from the door, worship Lakshmi with lotus flowers and a diya, and recite the Shri Suktam or Lakshmi Chalisa.
5. Vigil. Stay awake through the night with bhajans or games, as tradition invites.
6. Morning. Offer the kheer to the deity and share it with the family as prasad.

Offerings & food: Kheer, makhana, coconut water, flattened rice (chira) and coconut in Bengal, lotus flowers for Lakshmi

Mantras for Sharad Purnima

Sharad Purnima across India

Kojagari Lakshmi Puja in Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Mithila; Kumar Purnima in Odisha; Maha Raas in Vrindavan; Valmiki Jayanti across North India

Bengal, Odisha and Assam

Kojagari Lakshmi Puja: alpana footprints, Lakshmi worship at night, and offerings of coconut, chira and sweets.

Odisha

Kumar Purnima: unmarried girls worship the moon and Kartikeya (Kumara) and pray for a good husband, with songs and games.

Mithila (Bihar)

Kojagara is celebrated for newly married grooms, with makhana and betel distributed to family and friends.

Vrindavan

Temples celebrate the Maha Raas; Banke Bihari appears in a special white dress with a flute and crown of the moonlit night.

North India

Kheer is kept on rooftops in the moonlight, and Valmiki Jayanti is celebrated with processions and readings of the Ramayana.

Prayers to recite

Do’s and don’ts

Temples to visit for Sharad Purnima

Banke Bihari TempleVrindavan, Uttar PradeshMahalakshmi TempleKolhapur, Maharashtra

Frequently asked questions