Kali Puja Countdown
Kali Puja 2026: Sunday, 8 November, Nishita time
Kali Puja 2026 is on Sunday, 8 November, Diwali night. The Nishita Kaal window runs 11:39 PM–12:31 AM in Delhi and 10:55–11:46 PM in Kolkata. Most of India will have finished Lakshmi Puja hours earlier. In Bengal, the main puja is just getting started.
Checked by the festcountdown team against Drik Ganit panchang, last verified 17 September 2026.
Nishita Kaal
- Nishita Kaal11:39 PM–12:31 AMWhat it means: the middle of the night by the panchang. It's centred on the midpoint between sunset and sunrise, not on clock midnight. Kali is worshipped here, not in the evening.
- TithiKartik AmavasyaWhat it means: the new moon, from 11:27 AM on 8 November to 12:31 PM on 9 November. Diwali and Lakshmi Puja fall on the same tithi.
- Also calledShyama PujaWhat it means: Shyama means "the dark one". In Bengal, Shyama Puja and Kali Puja mean the same thing.
Kali Puja 2026 kab hai? When is Shyama Puja?
काली पूजा 2026 कब है? इस साल काली पूजा रविवार, 8 नवंबर को है। निशीथ काल का मुहूर्त रात 11:39 से 12:31 बजे तक रहेगा (नई दिल्ली के अनुसार), कार्तिक अमावस्या को।
Kali Puja 2026 is on Sunday, 8 November, Kartik Amavasya. The Amavasya tithi starts at 11:27 AM on the 8th and ends at 12:31 PM on the 9th, so the night of the 8th is the one inside it. It's also called Shyama Puja, and it's kept mainly in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Tripura.
Same night, different puja: Kali or Lakshmi?
On the night of 8 November 2026, India holds two different pujas on the same tithi, at different hours, for different goddesses.
Most of the country does Lakshmi Puja in the evening, from 5:54 PM in Delhi, a prayer for prosperity just after sunset. In Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Tripura, the night belongs to Kali, and the puja waits for Nishita Kaal. Plenty of Bengali families do both: lamps and Lakshmi in the evening, then the vigil for Kali at midnight.
If two sides of your family describe Diwali night differently, this is usually why. Ask which puja each side keeps before you plan the evening.
How Kali Puja is performed
The image is a familiar one: Kali, dark-skinned and garlanded, with one foot on Shiva lying beneath her. Devotees read it as her fury stopping the moment she recognises him. Red hibiscus is her flower, offered by the basketful. Sweets, rice and lentils are standard. Some households also offer fish or meat, which you'd never see at a Lakshmi altar the same evening.
Lamps are lit through the house, as everywhere on Amavasya, and the family stays up through Nishita Kaal. The big public pujas in Kolkata, Barasat and Naihati run through the night, and the idols are immersed over the following days. It has the energy of Durga Puja three weeks earlier, packed into one night. If you're pandal-hopping in Barasat, go after 10 PM and wear shoes you can stand in for hours.
Kali Puja 2026 FAQ
When is Kali Puja 2026?
Kali Puja 2026 is Sunday, 8 November, the same night as Diwali. Nishita Kaal runs 11:39 PM–12:31 AM in New Delhi and 10:55–11:46 PM in Kolkata. It's kept mainly in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Tripura.
How many days are left until Kali Puja 2026?
The countdown at the top of this page runs to 11:39 PM on Sunday, 8 November 2026, when Nishita Kaal opens in Delhi. It counts to the muhurat, not to midnight.
Is Kali Puja the same day as Diwali?
Yes. Both fall on Kartik Amavasya, Sunday 8 November in 2026. Most of India does Lakshmi Puja in the evening, from 5:54 PM in Delhi. West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Tripura worship Kali at Nishita Kaal, around midnight. Many Bengali families do both.
What is Nishita Kaal and why is Kali worshipped then?
Nishita Kaal is the middle of the night by the panchang. The window is centred on the midpoint between sunset and the next sunrise, about 12:05 AM in Delhi, so it moves with your city. Kali is a goddess of the night, and her puja is placed at the darkest point of the darkest night of the month.
What is the difference between Kali Puja and Durga Puja?
They honour different forms of the goddess, about three weeks apart. Durga Puja is in Ashwin, ends on Vijaya Dashami in October and runs five days of pandal-hopping. Kali Puja comes on Kartik Amavasya and runs through one intense night. Both are central to the Bengali year.
How is Kali Puja performed?
The image shows Kali standing on Shiva. Red hibiscus is her flower and is offered in large amounts, with sweets, rice and lentils. Some households also offer fish or meat, which you'd never see at a Lakshmi Puja. Families keep a vigil through Nishita Kaal, and the big Bengal pandals run the puja all night.