Festival · Ashwin Purnima
Kojagiri Purnima 2026
The full moon of Ashwin is Kojagiri: milk simmered in the moonlight, and a night spent awake. At midnight Lakshmi asks, ko jagarti? Who is awake?
Date, tithi and timing
Times are for Indore. The app gives times for your city.
Date by city
The date is the same in every city listed.
Next year, 2027
Quick facts
- Also known asSharad Purnima, Kojagari Purnima, Kumara Purnima (Odisha)
- WhereAll of India; Kojagiri in Maharashtra, Sharad Purnima in the north, Lakshmi Puja in Bengal
- Puja forLakshmi, the Moon, and Indra on his elephant Airavata
- In one lineAt midnight Lakshmi comes down to earth and blesses whoever is awake. Milk in this moonlight is like amrit.
Kojagiri Purnima, in a little more detail
- 01
About the festival
Kojagiri comes from the Sanskrit question "ko jagarti": who is awake? At midnight Lakshmi goes round the earth and blesses whoever is awake with wealth and plenty. So tonight you stay up.
And why milk? The monsoon is over, and tonight's full moon is held to be the brightest of the year. Its rays are believed to carry amrit, the nectar of the gods. So milk is simmered down, set out in the midnight moonlight, and then drunk.
Staying awake isn't only about keeping your eyes open. The lesson of the night: stay alert. Spot a chance when it comes, and look after what you have.
- 02
The story of Valit
In Magadha lived a poor Brahmin named Valit. His wife loved a quarrel and did the opposite of whatever he said. At his father's shraddha she threw the pinda offerings into a pit instead of the Ganga, and Valit, fed up, walked out.
In the forest, at midnight on the Ashwin full moon, he met Naga maidens keeping the Kojagiri vigil. They asked him to play dice. Game by game, Valit lost the little he had.
Just then Lakshmi passed that way. Seeing him awake, she blessed him, and his luck turned. He came home rich, and even his wife welcomed him gladly. And that is why you stay awake on Kojagiri.
- 03
In Maharashtra and beyond
In the evening, Lakshmi is worshipped, and Indra on Airavata. Then milk is simmered down with saffron, cardamom and dry fruit: masala milk. At midnight it goes out in the moonlight, is offered to Lakshmi, and everyone drinks it together.
Today the eldest child of the family gets an aukshan, a lamp waved before them: their Ashwini. Terraces and courtyards fill with talk, songs and games, well past midnight.
In the Konkan it is navanna, the new grain: rice and kheer from the new crop, with thanks for the harvest.
In the north, kheer is left out in the moonlight all night and eaten as prasad in the morning. In Braj it is the night of Krishna's raas lila, Gujarat dances garba under the moon, Bengal keeps Lokkhi Puja, and Odisha keeps Kumara Purnima.
How to do the puja
In short: A fast by day, Lakshmi and Indra worshipped in the evening, milk in the moonlight at midnight, and an aukshan for the eldest child.
- 1Fast through the day, if you're able to.If you're unwell, pregnant or elderly, skip the fast: the puja and the vigil are enough.
- 2In the evening, worship Lakshmi, and Indra seated on Airavata.Fasting, worship and the vigil: these are the three parts of this vrat.
- 3Simmer the milk down, with saffron, cardamom, almonds, pistachios, charoli, nutmeg and sugar.Keep stirring the milk on a low flame so it doesn't catch. Add the sugar at the end.
- 4At midnight, set the milk out in the moonlight, on the terrace or in the courtyard.Cover the pot with a clean mesh or a thin cotton cloth, so insects and dust stay out.
- 5Offer the simmered milk to Lakshmi and to the Moon as naivedya.Offer the naivedya where the Moon is clearly in view.
- 6Wave the lamp before the family's eldest child, for his or her Ashwini.Son or daughter, whoever is eldest has their Ashwini celebrated.
- 7Keep awake past midnight: talk, songs and games.Let sleepy children sleep: keep the vigil as long as you can.
- 8Then everyone drinks the same milk as prasad.Finish the milk that night, or keep it in the fridge: don't leave it out all night.
What you needTick as you go
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Frequently asked questions
Why is the milk kept in the moonlight?
The belief is that tonight's moonbeams carry amrit. Milk that has caught the moonlight is drunk as prasad, as if it held that amrit.
Do I have to stay up all night?
No. Lakshmi asks "ko jagarti?" at midnight, so people stay up until after midnight. Many homes keep the vigil well into the night, but as long as you can is enough.
What is the Ashwini, and whose is it?
On Kojagiri, every family waves the lamp before its eldest child: that is his or her Ashwini. Many homes give the eldest a gift too.
Should the milk stay out until morning?
In Maharashtra the masala milk is drunk the same night. In the north, on Sharad Purnima, kheer is left out overnight and eaten in the morning. If you do that, keep it covered, away from cats and insects.
How do I break the fast?
After the night puja and the naivedya, the fast ends with the moonlit milk as prasad. Some homes also cook rice or kheer from the new crop.
Set a reminder in the app
The app sends a notice the day before and on the day, even offline.