Vrat · Kartika Purnima
Purnima 2026
Every month brings a Purnima: a full moon, and in many homes a Satyanarayan puja. And almost every Purnima has a festival of its own!
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Times are for Pune. The app gives times for your city.
Quick facts
- Also known asPournima, Full moon
- WhereAll of India, every month
- Puja forSatyanarayan (Vishnu), and the moon
- In one lineThe last day of the bright half: the moon is full, and the month has one of its good days.
Purnima, in a little more detail
- 01
About the festival
Purnima is the full moon. The moon sits right opposite the sun, so the full moon rises in the east as the sun sets, and sets as the sun rises the next morning.
The moon has been growing since Shukla Pratipada, and today it is full: a fifteen-day journey. In north India the purnimanta system ends the month itself on Purnima.
Fullness is what Purnima is about. Once a month you stop, and say thank you for what you've been given.
- 02
The Satyanarayan katha
A merchant named Lakshapati lived in Ratnapura, and he had no children. By a river he saw people doing the Satyanarayan puja and asked them: will my wish come true? They said yes. In time a daughter was born, Kalavati.
But Lakshapati left his own puja unfinished. Falsely accused of stealing the king's pearls, he and his son-in-law were thrown in prison. When Kalavati did the puja properly, the king was told in a dream to free them.
As Lakshapati sailed home, his wife Lilavati rushed to meet him and left the puja unfinished too, and the ship went down. She prayed to Satyanarayan, and the whole family did the puja properly. The lesson is simple: don't leave a vow half done.
- 03
In Maharashtra and beyond
In many homes the Satyanarayan puja is done on Purnima, ideally in the evening, at pradosh. The prasad is sheera made in the sava measure: semolina, ghee, banana, milk and sugar.
In Maharashtra it's done at home and in public too. People also hold a Satyanarayan for a wedding, a new house or a new job, and many families keep it through Shravana.
Almost every Purnima of the year has its own festival: Hanuman Jayanti in Chaitra, Vat Purnima in Jyeshtha, Guru Purnima in Ashadha, Narali Purnima in Shravana, Kojagiri in Ashvin, Tripurari Purnima in Kartika. Each one has its story on its own page.
The Satyanarayan vrat is very popular in Bengal and Maharashtra. In Bihar and north India, Satyanarayan is worshipped simply as a form of Vishnu.
How to do the puja
In short: The puja at pradosh: the kalash, Satyanarayan, the sheera, the katha and the aarti.
- 1Clean the puja place and draw a rangoli.
- 2Set up a chaurang or patta, with banana leaves around it if you have them.
- 3Place a kalash on a heap of rice or wheat, with durva, five kinds of leaves, a betel nut and a coin in it, and a plate on top.
- 4Put Satyanarayan on the plate: a picture, a shaligram, a Balakrishna murti or a coconut.
- 5Worship Ganesha first, then Satyanarayan, with flowers, tulsi and panchamrit.
- 6Offer the sheera as naivedya, made in the sava measure: semolina and ghee in equal measure, with banana, milk and sugar.
- 7Read or listen to the Satyanarayan katha.
- 8Do the aarti and share the prasad with everyone.
What you needTick as you go
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Frequently asked questions
When is the puja best done?
In the evening, at pradosh, within about two hours after sunset. The morning works too.
Do I have to fast?
No, there's no rule. Many homes fast until the puja, and some don't.
Who can do the puja?
Anyone. There's no bar of caste or gender.
Can it be held on a day other than Purnima?
Yes. People hold it on Ekadashi or any good day, and for a wedding, a new house or a new job.
Dates in 2026
13 times this year, timed for Pune.
Dates by city in 2026
In these cities the dates below differ from Pune; the rest are the same.
Dates in 2027
12 times in 2027, timed for Pune.
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