Kojagari Lakshmi Puja 2020: Date, time and significance of Sharad Purnima

Coming close at the heels of Durga Puja, Kojagari Lakshmi Puja is one of the most significant festivals celebrated in the eastern part of India, across West Bengal, Assam, and Orissa. Devotees worship Goddess Lakshmi on this day and the puja falls on the full moon day in the lunar month of Ashwin. According to Drikpanchang, in 2020, Kojagari Lakshmi Puja will be celebrated on 30 October. The Purnima Tithi begins at 5.45 pm on 30 October and ends at 8.18 pm on 31 October. Kojagari Lakshmi Puja is more famously known as Sharad Purnima in other parts of India. While Eastern India worships Goddess Lakshmi on this day, most people from other parts worship the Goddess on Amavasya Tithi during Diwali. On the day of Sharad Purnima, devotees worship Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Shiva, with unmarried girls observing a fast in various parts of the country to please Lord Vishnu and get a suitable groom. It is believed that on the day of Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, Goddess Lakshmi takes around on the Earth’s orbit and relieves her devotees from their woes. Those who remain to awaken on the night of Sharad Purnima are blessed with health and wealth. Devotees prepare the sweet pudding and keep it under the moonlight. The next day, it is distributed among family members as prasad. Interestingly, in the Brij region, Sharad Purnima is also known as Raas Purnima and it is believed that Lord Krishna performed Maha-Raas, the dance of divine love on that day.