Ganesh mantra
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah
Meaning: Om, gam: salutation to Ganapati, lord of the ganas.
When and how: At the start of the puja, before invoking Kali.
Indha page innum Tanglish-la ezhudhala, adhanaala English-la irukku.
Krishna paksha · Ashwin · amanta reckoning
When is Kali Puja 2026?
Sun, 8 Nov
Kali Puja 2026 is on Sunday, 8 November. The Kali Puja nishita muhurat in New Delhi is 11:38 PM to 12:31 AM, running into 9 Nov 2026.
2027: Thursday, 28 October 2027
Kali Puja nishita muhurat
11:38 PM – 12:31 AM
Also called Shyama Puja, Kali Pooja. Those are the same observance and the same date, so they share this page rather than competing with it from a second URL.
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Sunday, 8 November 2026
| Timing | New Delhi | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Kali Puja nishita muhurat | 11:38 PM to 12:31 AM | Nishita kaal, the middle of the night, while Amavasya runs — still the night of 8 Nov 2026 after midnight. |
Kali Puja is not a Gregorian date. It is Krishna paksha tithi 15 of Ashwin in the amanta reckoning, and the Gregorian day it lands on moves by up to a month between years because twelve lunations fall about eleven days short of a solar year.
- Tithi
- Amavasya, Krishna paksha
- Lunar month
- Ashwin (amanta)
- Tithi begins
- 8 Nov, 11:28 AM
- Tithi ends
- 9 Nov, 12:32 PM
- Decided at
- Nishita (middle of the night)
- Nishita in New Delhi
- 9 Nov, 12:05 AM
Nishita in New Delhi falls at 12:05 AM on that day, and that is the instant the tithi has to be running at for the day to carry the observance. It is computed for this city rather than assumed, because it is what decides the date.
The two instants above are the astronomy and are not in dispute. The day is an interpretation of them: this observance is decided at nishita, so it belongs to the day whose nishita the tithi carries — not simply to the day the tithi begins.
Kali Puja, also called Shyama Puja, is the worship of the goddess Kali on the Amavasya of the Diwali fortnight, timed for the middle of the night. It is the principal festival of that night in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Tripura, while most of India keeps Lakshmi Puja in the evening.
- The date is the night whose midnight (nishita) falls in the Amavasya. Lakshmi Puja is decided at dusk instead, so the two usually share a date and now and then fall a day apart; the date and the nishita window above are computed for your city.
- In Bengal the goddess is worshipped as Dakshina Kali or Shyama Kali in homes, temples and community pandals. Kalighat and Dakshineswar in Kolkata and Tarapith in Birbhum draw the largest crowds, and the night is lit with lamps and fireworks.
- The night before is Bhoot Chaturdashi, when Bengali homes light fourteen lamps for their ancestors and eat a dish of fourteen greens.
- Nishita falls after midnight on the clock and still belongs to the date named above, because a Vedic day runs from sunrise to sunrise.
Kali Puja, also called Shyama Puja, is the worship of the goddess Kali on the Amavasya of Diwali, in the middle of the night; it is the main festival of that night in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Tripura. In New Delhi it falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026, and the Nishita muhurat for the puja is 11:38 PM to 12:31 AM (9 Nov). Homes and pandals worship her as Dakshina Kali, the protecting Mother, with red hibiscus, lamps and bhog.
| Muhurat | Time in New Delhi | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Kali Puja Nishita muhurat | 11:38 PM to 12:31 AM (9 Nov)Nishita kaal on the Amavasya night, while Amavasya runs. | The eighth muhurta of the night, around midnight, while Amavasya holds. This is when the main worship, the pushpanjali and the bhog of Kali Puja are offered; it often runs past midnight on the clock and still belongs to the date given, because a Vedic day runs sunrise to sunrise. |
| Pradosh Kaal | 5:31 PM to 8:08 PMFrom sunset for three night muhurtas (a fifth of the night). | The first three muhurtas after sunset, when the house is lit with lamps for Dipanwita; many Bengali families also keep a small Lakshmi worship at this hour before the night's Kali Puja. |
| Sunset | 5:31 PMThe upper edge of the Sun leaving the horizon. | Lamps are lit at sunset in New Delhi; the evening fast many devotees keep runs from here to the midnight anjali. |
Auspicious windows that day
| Window | Time in New Delhi | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Abhijit Muhurat | 11:42 AM to 12:26 PM | Auspicious |
| Amrit Kaal | 10:02 PM to 11:44 PM | Most Auspicious |
| Brahma Muhurat | 4:53 AM to 5:45 AM | Auspicious |
Windows usually worked around
These are the spans classical muhurta sets aside for beginnings. They are descriptions of a convention, not warnings: the observance is kept on its day regardless, and nothing here needs to be bought, corrected or remedied.
| Window | Time in New Delhi |
|---|---|
| Rahu Kaal | 4:09 PM to 5:31 PM |
| Yamaganda Kaal | 12:04 PM to 1:26 PM |
| Durmuhurta First | 4:04 PM to 4:47 PM |
| Varjyam | 11:50 AM to 1:32 PM |
Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Sunday, 8 November 2026, from the sunrise, sunset and the positions of the Sun and Moon for this city. The Vedic day runs sunrise to sunrise, so a window whose clock time falls after midnight still belongs to the evening before; a time on another date carries that date.
Keep the day
Many devotees fast through the day and evening and eat only after the midnight pushpanjali. Bathe in the evening and wear clean clothes, red or white with red borders by Bengali custom.
Light the house
At dusk light lamps at the doorway, the windows and the roof; the night is Dipanwita, the night of lamps. Bengali homes lit fourteen lamps the evening before, on Bhoot Chaturdashi.
Set up the altar
On a red cloth place a clay image or picture of Dakshina Kali, the form with her right foot forward on Shiva, which is the form worshipped in homes. Set a ghat (kalash) of water with mango leaves before her, marked with a vermilion swastika.
Purify and take the sankalp
Sprinkle Ganga jal on yourself and the samagri, take a sankalp naming the day and your family, and worship Ganesh first, as in every puja.
Invoke the Mother
As the Nishita window opens, invoke Kali with folded hands. Offer water, red sandalwood paste, sindoor, red hibiscus (joba) flowers, bel leaves, incense and a lamp; a garland of 108 hibiscus flowers is the classic Bengali offering.
Chant
Chant Om Kreem Kalikayai Namah on a mala, and recite Jayanti Mangala Kali and the Ya Devi verse. Temples and some homes read the Chandi, the Devi Mahatmya, through the night.
Offer the bhog
Offer the freshly cooked bhog: khichuri, labra, fried vegetables, luchi, payesh and sweets, with fruits, paan and water. Customs differ between families, and each keeps its own.
Pushpanjali
Offer flowers and bel leaves with folded hands three times, saying the anjali mantra after the priest or an elder, and ask the Mother for protection for the family.
Arati
Wave the lamp, the conch shell of water, a cloth, flowers and the dhunuchi of smouldering incense before Kali, to the sound of the conch and the dhak.
Share the bhog
Break the fast with the prasad after the anjali and share it with family and neighbours.
Visarjan
A clay image is immersed the next day or later, as the family decides; for a picture, a short prayer of farewell is enough. Bhai Phonta follows two days later.
- Image or picture of Dakshina Kali A clay pratima for a full puja; a framed picture for a simple home puja.
- Red cloth and a chowki For the altar.
- Ghat (kalash), mango leaves and a coconut Marked with a vermilion swastika; placed before the goddess.
- Red hibiscus (joba) flowers Kali's own flower; a garland of 108 is traditional.
- Bel (bilva) leaves For the pushpanjali.
- Sindoor, alta and red sandalwood paste Offered to the goddess.
- Durva grass and sun-dried rice (atap chal) For the worship and blessings.
- Lamps, ghee and mustard oil A ghee lamp for the altar and many oil lamps for the house.
- Incense, dhuno and a dhunuchi Dhuno, a fragrant resin, is burnt in the dhunuchi for the arati.
- Conch and bell Blown and rung at the arati.
- Ganga jal For purification.
- Bhog ingredients Rice and dal for khichuri, mixed vegetables for labra, flour for luchi, milk and rice for payesh.
- Sweets and fruits Sandesh, narkel naru, banana, apple and other seasonal fruit.
- Paan and supari Offered after the bhog.
- A mala Rudraksha or red sandalwood, for the mantra.
- An ash gourd or sugarcane Optional; many pujas offer it as a symbolic sacrifice in place of the old animal offering.
Kali beej mantra
ॐ क्रीं कालिकायै नमः
Om Kreem Kalikayai Namah
Meaning: Om, kreem: salutation to Kalika. Kreem is Kali's seed syllable.
When and how: 108 times on a rudraksha or red sandalwood mala in the Nishita window.
Jayanti Mangala Kali
जयन्ती मङ्गला काली भद्रकाली कपालिनी ।
दुर्गा क्षमा शिवा धात्री स्वाहा स्वधा नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Jayanti Mangala Kali Bhadrakali Kapalini
Durga Kshama Shiva Dhatri Svaha Svadha namo'stu te
Meaning: Victorious one, auspicious one, Kali, Bhadrakali, bearer of the skull, Durga, forbearance, the gracious one, the sustainer, Svaha and Svadha: salutation to you.
When and how: The opening verse of the Argala Stotram of the Durga Saptashati, recited before the offerings, 11 or 108 times.
Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu
या देवी सर्वभूतेषु शक्तिरूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥
Ya devi sarvabhuteshu shaktirupena samsthita
Namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namah
Meaning: To the goddess who dwells in all beings in the form of power: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.
When and how: From the hymn of the gods in the fifth chapter of the Devi Mahatmya; recited while offering the hibiscus flowers.
Sarva Mangala Mangalye
सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके ।
शरण्ये त्र्यम्बके गौरि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Sarvamangala-mangalye shive sarvartha-sadhike
Sharanye tryambake gauri narayani namo'stu te
Meaning: O auspiciousness of all that is auspicious, O Shiva, fulfiller of every aim, giver of refuge, three-eyed Gauri, Narayani: salutation to you.
When and how: From the Narayani Stuti of the Devi Mahatmya; said with folded hands at the pushpanjali and at the close of the arati.
The katha
The Devi Mahatmya tells how, in the war against the asuras Shumbha and Nishumbha, their generals Chanda and Munda attacked the goddess Ambika. Her face darkened with anger, and from her brow sprang Kali: gaunt, dark, wearing a garland of skulls, her tongue lolling. She swept through the asura army and struck down Chanda and Munda, and the goddess named her Chamunda.
Then came Raktabija, from every drop of whose blood a new asura rose. Kali spread her mouth wide and drank each drop before it touched the ground, until no new asura could be born and Raktabija fell.
Popular tradition adds the image every Bengali home knows: maddened by battle, Kali danced on until the worlds trembled, and Shiva lay down in her path. When her foot touched him she stopped, her tongue out in recognition, and her fury turned to the Mother's calm. That is the Dakshina Kali of Bengal's homes, her right foot on Shiva, one hand raised in protection and one offering boons.
Why it is kept
Kali is time itself, Kala, before which every fear and every pride dissolves. Worshipping her on the darkest night of the year's darkest fortnight is a prayer to be freed from fear, ignorance and ego, and to be held by the Mother who protects her children. Bengal's saints, Ramprasad, Kamalakanta and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa at Dakshineswar, sang to her as Ma.
In Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Tripura the Amavasya of Diwali is Kali Puja, Shyama Puja or Dipanwita, while most of India worships Lakshmi that evening. The night before is Bhoot Chaturdashi, for the ancestors, and two days later comes Bhai Phonta. Kali is also worshipped on other Amavasyas, as Phalaharini in Jyeshtha and Ratanti in Magha.
108 hibiscus flowers
Offer a garland of 108 red hibiscus flowers, or as many as you can gather, with the beej mantra; joba is Kali's own flower in Bengali tradition.
Lamps on Dipanwita
Light lamps at every door and window on the Amavasya night; a lit home is the welcome the night is named for.
Fast till the anjali
Keep a fast through the evening and break it with the prasad after the midnight pushpanjali, as many devotees do.
Shyama Sangeet
Sing or listen to the Shyama Sangeet of Ramprasad and Kamalakanta through the night; devotion in song is a Bengal way of keeping the vigil.
Read the Chandi
Read the Devi Mahatmya, or at least its fifth chapter with the Ya Devi verses, in the Nishita window.
Feed the hungry
Share the bhog with people who need a meal on the festival night; the Mother is worshipped in her children.
Honour the women of the home
Kali is Shakti, so tradition asks that the women and girls of the household be treated with respect on her night and every night.
Do
- Worship in the Nishita window while Amavasya holds.
- Keep Dakshina Kali, the protecting form, for worship at home.
- Offer red hibiscus, bel leaves and freshly cooked bhog.
- Light the house with lamps at dusk.
- Keep the fast till the anjali if your health allows.
- Share the prasad and respect noise and cracker rules in your city.
Don't
- Do not attempt tantric rites without a guru or priest of that tradition; home worship is devotional.
- Do not approach the night with fear; Kali is worshipped as the Mother.
- Do not harm animals; many pujas now offer an ash gourd or sugarcane instead of the old sacrifice.
- Do not burst loud crackers near hospitals, the elderly or animals.
- Do not leave the lamps or the dhunuchi unattended.
By region
- West Bengal
- Kalighat, Dakshineswar and Tarapith draw the largest crowds; pandals at Barasat, Naihati and across Kolkata hold the night's puja, with Shyama Sangeet, the dhak and fireworks. Belur Math worships Kali with an image.
- Odisha
- Jajpur, Bhadrak and Cuttack set up Kali Puja pandals that rival Bengal's.
- Assam and Tripura
- Kali Puja and the Diwali lamps are kept the same night; in Tripura the Tripura Sundari temple at Udaipur holds a Diwali fair.
- Gujarat and Maharashtra
- Mahakali is worshipped on Kali Chaudas, the night before, while the Amavasya evening is Lakshmi Puja.
- Other Kali Pujas
- Phalaharini Kali Puja falls on Jyeshtha Amavasya, Ratanti Kali Puja in Magha, and many temples hold a Kali puja every Amavasya.
Bhog, prasad and fasting food
- Khichuri Rice and moong dal cooked together, the heart of the bhog.
- Labra Mixed vegetables cooked with panch phoron.
- Begun bhaja and fritters Fried aubergine and vegetable fritters.
- Luchi and payesh Puffed fried bread and rice pudding.
- Sandesh and narkel naru Bengali sweets and coconut laddoos.
Two years back, this year, and two ahead. Past years are kept rather than dropped so you can check the engine against a calendar you already have.
| Year | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Thursday, 31 October 2024 | past |
| 2025 | Monday, 20 October 2025 | past |
| 2026This year | Sunday, 8 November 2026 | upcoming |
| 2027 | Thursday, 28 October 2027 | upcoming |
| 2028 | Tuesday, 17 October 2028 | upcoming |
Every row is computed for New Delhi from the same ephemeris, not looked up. Sunrise decides which day a tithi names, and sunrise differs across India by more than an hour, so a date computed for Delhi can be a day out elsewhere.
There is no single authority that settles a Hindu festival date, and the divergence is genuine rather than sloppy. Three causes account for almost all of it.
- A tithi rarely starts at sunrise. One that is running at the deciding moment on two days — or on none — is claimed by both days under different rules.
- Month reckoning. North India runs purnimanta, the south and west amanta. The same dark fortnight carries different month names in the two, so an observance defined as "krishna X of month Y" can land a full lunation apart.
- Which moment decides. Most vratas belong to the day whose sunrise carries the tithi, but not all: this one is decided at nishita. Almanacs that apply the sunrise rule to everything move several festivals by a day.
So this page shows its working. If your pandit or your family almanac gives a different day, the instants above will usually show you exactly why — and that is more useful than a date asserted without one.
Common questions
When is Kali Puja?
Sunday, 8 November 2026. It is Amavasya of Krishna paksha in Ashwin, and that tithi runs from 8 Nov, 11:28 AM to 9 Nov, 12:32 PM.
Why does another calendar give a different Kali Puja date?
Three honest reasons. The tithi can be running at the deciding moment on two days or on none. North India reckons the month purnimanta and the south and west amanta, which names the same krishna fortnight differently. And almanacs differ on which moment of the day decides an observance. The instants above are the astronomy; the day is an interpretation of them.
What is the Kali Puja muhurat in New Delhi?
In New Delhi the Kali Puja Nishita muhurat for Sunday, 8 November 2026 is 11:38 PM to 12:31 AM (9 Nov): the middle of the night while Amavasya holds. The main worship, the pushpanjali and the bhog are offered in this window. It often runs past midnight on the clock and still belongs to Kali Puja night.
Is Kali Puja on the same day as Diwali?
Yes, in 2026: both are on Sunday, 8 November 2026. Lakshmi Puja is kept at dusk and Kali Puja in the middle of the night, and this year the Amavasya covers both.
Where is Kali Puja celebrated?
Above all in West Bengal — at Kalighat and Dakshineswar in Kolkata and at Tarapith in Birbhum — and in Odisha, Assam and Tripura, and wherever Bengali families live. In Bengal it is the festival of the Diwali night.
Why is Kali Puja done at midnight?
Kali is the goddess of time and of the dark, and her worship belongs to the deepest part of the Amavasya night, the Nishita kaal. The rule for the festival is the night whose midnight falls in Amavasya, which is why the puja begins late and many devotees keep the vigil till dawn.
Is Kali Puja the same as Diwali?
It is the same night, kept differently. Most of India worships Lakshmi in the evening of Diwali's Amavasya; Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Tripura worship Kali at midnight. Lakshmi Puja is decided at dusk and Kali Puja at midnight, so the two usually share a date and now and then fall a day apart.
Can Kali Puja be done at home, and in which form?
Yes. Homes worship Dakshina Kali, the protecting form with her right foot forward on Shiva, with a picture or a small clay image, red hibiscus, bel leaves, lamps, a simple bhog and her mantra in the Nishita window. Tantric rites are for initiated priests; a household puja is devotional and needs only cleanliness and sincerity.
Which mantra is chanted in Kali Puja?
Om Kreem Kalikayai Namah, Kali's beej mantra, 108 times; Jayanti Mangala Kali from the Argala Stotram; and the Ya Devi and Sarva Mangala verses of the Devi Mahatmya at the flower offering. The pushpanjali is said after the priest or an elder. All the texts, with meaning, are in the mantra section.
What is offered as bhog in Kali Puja?
Bengali homes usually offer khichuri, labra, fried aubergine and fritters, luchi, payesh and sweets such as sandesh and coconut laddoos, with fruits and paan. Families follow their own older customs for the bhog, and the offering is shared as prasad after the anjali.
What samagri is needed for Kali Puja?
A picture or image of Dakshina Kali, a red cloth, a ghat with mango leaves, red hibiscus flowers, bel leaves, sindoor and red sandalwood, sun-dried rice and durva, lamps with ghee and mustard oil, incense and dhuno, a conch and bell, Ganga jal, the bhog, sweets, fruits and paan. The full list above gives notes for each.
Why is Kali Puja celebrated?
It honours Kali, the form of the Mother who destroys fear and evil. The Devi Mahatmya tells how she sprang from the goddess Ambika's brow to slay Chanda, Munda and Raktabija. Worshipping her on the darkest night is a prayer to be freed from fear and ignorance, and for the protection of the family.
Should Kali Puja be feared?
No. Kali's fierce image shows her power over evil, not anger toward her devotees, and in Bengal she is simply Ma, the Mother. Household worship is devotional and safe; only tantric practices need a guru. Keep the puja clean and simple, and let the night be one of lamps, songs and prayer.
Should I fast on Kali Puja?
Many devotees fast through the day or the evening and eat only after the midnight pushpanjali, breaking the fast with the prasad. It is a custom, not a requirement: children, the elderly, the unwell and pregnant women can keep the puja without fasting.
How are Phalaharini and Ratanti Kali Puja different from Kali Puja?
They are other Kali worships on other nights. Phalaharini Kali Puja falls on Jyeshtha Amavasya and is remembered for Ramakrishna's worship of Sarada Devi at Dakshineswar; Ratanti Kali Puja falls in Magha. The Kali Puja of Diwali's Amavasya, Dipanwita, is the biggest of them.
Where is Kali Puja most famous?
West Bengal above all, at Kalighat, Dakshineswar, Tarapith and the pandals of Kolkata, Barasat and Naihati. Odisha's Jajpur, Bhadrak and Cuttack, Assam and Tripura also keep the night with large pujas, and Bengali communities across India and abroad hold community Kali Pujas.