Kali Puja 2026: Why Bengal Worships Maa Kali on Diwali Night (8 November), Nishita Timings

2026-09-16

Kali Puja 2026 is on the night of Sunday, 8 November, at Nishita. Bengal's Lakshmi Puja was already done on Kojagori, so Kartik Amavasya night goes to Maa Kali. Nishita: Kolkata 22:56–23:44, Delhi 23:40–00:28.

Kali Puja 2026 falls on the night of Sunday, 8 November 2026. Kartik Amavasya, the no-moon lunar day of the month of Kartik, begins at 11:28 on 8 November and ends at 12:32 on 9 November. North India performs Diwali's Lakshmi Puja that evening; in Bengal, Assam, Odisha and Tripura, the same night belongs to Maa Kali. The puja is done at Nishita, the middle of the night: 22:56 to 23:44 in Kolkata, 23:40 to 00:28 in Delhi.

What is the date and tithi of Kali Puja 2026?

A tithi is a lunar day, measured by how far the Moon has moved from the Sun. Amavasya is the tithi on which no moon is visible. According to our panchang engine, Kartik Amavasya starts at 11:28 on 8 November 2026 and ends at 12:32 on 9 November.

Kali Puja is performed at Nishita on the Amavasya night. Amavasya is running right through the night of 8 November, so that is the night of Kali Puja. By the night of 9 November, the tithi will have ended at midday.

Diwali is also on 8 November, because Pradosh, the period just after sunset, falls within Amavasya that evening. The full 8-or-9 reasoning is in Diwali 2026: 8 or 9 November.

Both the Sun and the Moon sit in Tula (Libra) on 8 November. That is what Amavasya means: the two come together in the sky, so no moon is seen at night.

Why does Bengal worship Kali, not Lakshmi, on Diwali night?

The answer lies in Bengal's festival calendar. Bengal's Lakshmi Puja is not held on Kartik Amavasya. It happens earlier, on the night of Sharad Purnima, and is called Kojagori Lakshmi Puja. By the time North India is preparing for Diwali, Bengal's Lakshmi Puja is already done. Its date and method are in Sharad Purnima and Kojagara Puja 2026.

The second reason is the nature of the night itself. By tradition, Maa Kali is worshipped in the deep, moonless dark of Amavasya, at Nishita. Kartik Amavasya is the best-known Amavasya of the year, so it became the night of Shyama Puja, another name for Kali Puja. Shyama is one of Kali's names.

This does not mean Bengal skips the Diwali lamps. Many homes perform a Dipanwita Lakshmi Puja that evening (Dipanwita means "with lamps"), and houses are lit up. But the main event of the night is Kali Puja.

Assam, Odisha and Tripura follow the same pattern. One night, one Amavasya: Lakshmi at dusk in the North, Kali at midnight in the East.

What is Nishita, and why is it not 12 o'clock?

Nishita means the middle of the night. In a panchang, "midnight" is not 12:00 on the clock. It is the exact midpoint between sunset and the next sunrise. The 24 minutes before and the 24 minutes after that midpoint, 48 minutes in all, make up the Nishita period.

In November the sun sets early, so the night is long and its midpoint comes before or around 12 o'clock. In Kolkata, sunset on 8 November is at 16:54, so Nishita is over before the clock strikes twelve. In Mumbai, sunset is at 18:01, so Nishita runs from 23:58 to 00:46.

That is why "puja at 12 midnight" is only half right. The correct window depends on your city's sunset.

When is Nishita in your city on 8 November 2026?

The table below is computed from our panchang engine's sunset and next-morning sunrise. Times are approximate; local panchangs may differ by a few minutes.

Kolkata stands out: its Nishita window is 22:56 to 23:44, entirely before midnight on the clock. Patna also finishes by 23:57. Delhi, Bengaluru and Bhopal start around 23:40, while Mumbai and Ahmedabad start almost exactly at twelve.

When is Bhoot Chaturdashi 2026? The 14 lamps and 14 greens

In Bengal, the evening before Kali Puja is Bhoot Chaturdashi. It is Bengal's form of North India's Narak Chaturdashi, or Chhoti Diwali. Chaturdashi tithi runs from 10:48 on 7 November to 11:28 on 8 November. The 14-lamp tradition belongs to the evening on which Chaturdashi is running, which is Saturday evening, 7 November 2026.

By tradition, 14 lamps are lit in the home that evening, and 14 kinds of shaak (leafy greens) are eaten during the day. The name carries the word "bhoot", and in folk belief the evening is linked to remembering one's ancestors. The next evening the lamps multiply, and the night belongs to Kali.

A point that often confuses people: our engine lists Narak Chaturdashi (Chhoti Diwali) on 8 November, because Chaturdashi is the tithi at sunrise on 8 November. Bengal's 14-lamp evening is 7 November because it is an evening ritual, and Chaturdashi is running that evening. Same tithi, different time of day. The Narak Chaturdashi muhurat and story are in Narak Chaturdashi 2026.

What does a Kali Puja pandal look like at night?

It is an Amavasya night, so there is no moon in the sky. Below it, the pandal (a temporary festival pavilion) glows with hundreds of oil lamps. In Kolkata and across Bengal's towns, neighbourhood after neighbourhood puts up a Kali Puja pandal, and many families also worship at home.

Maa Kali is offered red jaba, the hibiscus flower, both loose and in garlands. It is the most recognisable sight of Kali Puja, and by tradition the jaba is held to be dear to her. Incense smoke, rows of lamps and a black sky together give the night its particular feel.

The main puja happens at Nishita, so crowds at the pandals build after 11 pm and the worship runs late into the night. Families worshipping at home also wait for their city's Nishita window. In some places older customs are also attached to this puja; for a home puja, flowers, lamps and bhog (the food offering) are considered enough.

How to do Kali Puja at home in 2026

1. Saturday evening, 7 November: Bhoot Chaturdashi — light 14 lamps in the home.
2. Sunday evening, 8 November: Light the house lamps after sunset. Homes that do a Dipanwita Lakshmi Puja do it now.
3. Sunday night, 8 November: Find your city's Nishita window in the table above. Worship Maa Kali within those 48 minutes, with red jaba, a lamp, incense and bhog.
4. Remember the timing: Kolkata 22:56 to 23:44; Delhi 23:40 to 00:28; Mumbai 23:58 to 00:46.

You can also check the exact sunset and Nishita for your city in our daily panchang.

Kali Puja 2026: common questions

Is Kali Puja on 8 November or 9 November?

The night of 8 November. Amavasya does run until 12:32 on 9 November, but Kali Puja is done at Nishita, and by the night of 9 November the tithi will be over. In most cities the Nishita window crosses into the first minutes of 9 November on the clock, but it is still the night of the 8th.

Does Bengal not celebrate Diwali at all?

It does. Lamps are lit, and many homes perform a Dipanwita Lakshmi Puja. The difference is that Bengal's main Lakshmi Puja was already done on Sharad Purnima (Kojagori), so the night of Kartik Amavasya is given to Maa Kali.

Why is Nishita so early in Kolkata?

Because the sun sets in Kolkata at 16:54, more than an hour before Mumbai. Nishita is the midpoint between sunset and sunrise, so the earlier the sun sets, the earlier Nishita arrives. That is why, on the same night, Kolkata's puja is finished before midnight while Mumbai's begins after it.